HAMPSHIRE COLLEGE

Course Evaluation of "Student Name" (evaluation of a ficticious student named "Student Name") STUDENT/COURSE INFORMATION
Student	Student Name
Advisor	Nancy Lowry
Course	NS 121p Human Biology: Selected Topics in Medicine
Semester	2020F
Instructors	Christopher Jarvis, Merle S. Bruno

Divisional Requirements

Was course completed satisfactorily?

Yes

Course Description

Human Biology is an introductory science course that focused on the functions of body systems through the study of five medical cases. Students worked in teams of 4-6 to develop diagnoses for medical cases presented to them through descriptions of patient histories, physical exams, and laboratory findings. Each student wrote case reports reviewing information used to develop their diagnoses. Over the course of the semester students also wrote and revised critical summaries of five primary research articles and wrote a longer final paper addressing a focused question about some aspect of human health. .

Students referred to standard medical texts such as Harrison’s Textbook of Internal Medicine and Robbins' Pathology, and Fishbach's Diagnostic Tests as well as Internet resources. The cases this year included one about (one topic), a case of (another topic), a patient with a (certain problem), and; a woman with (some) disease. Additional reading involved study of the cardiovascular system, gastrointestinal system, basic cell structure and function, molecular structure, genetics, and other topics related to the cases.

Course Fundamentals

Attended class	Always
Participated in class discussion	Rarely
Participated in in-class or group activities	Almost always
Completed assignments on time	Almost always

Learning Goals

Read and interpret intellectual or artistic works.	Satisfactory Progress
Write critially and analytically	Satisfactory Progress
Understand quantitative methods of analysis	Needs Improvement
Develop creative abilities in expressive modes (e.g. creative writing, visual and performance arts, and music)	Not Applicable
Effectively present ideas orally	Satisfactory Progress
Conceive and complete project-based work	Satisfactory Progress
Understand multiple cultural perspectives on intellectual or artistic subjects	Needs improvement

Student participated fully in all aspects of the course. Although Student expressed concern about her ability to do well in a science class, she gained confidence with each small assignment she completed. Her attendance was perfect and she completed all the written assignments thoroughly and usually on time. Her responses to study questions on the text material were particularly complete and thoughtful. Student rarely spoke up in whole class discussions, but on her case teams she was a strong member, carrying out her research assignments by pursuing a variety of sources until she was sure she understood the material and supporting contributions of other students. Another student wrote in the peer evaluation that she appreciated Student’s "endless patience in explaining detailed biological material from the text."

The report Student wrote on the longest case we worked on showed clearly the strategies and rationales she and her team used to develop the case. She dug into background material about [the organ], [another organ], and a [body fluid] so she could understand the significance of tests carried out and symptoms shown by the patient, and she used and cited a range of appropriate medical texts and resources. Her final recommendations of treatment and follow-up for the patient were well informed and showed concern for the future health of the patient. Her case report included the approach she used to diagnose the patient and detailed background information about the function of this organ and the regulation of something about it.

Student learned quickly to find and understand primary research articles from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition and JAMA. Student's writing became more and more analytical throughout the semester demonstrating her understanding of experimental design. At first she was tentative about bringing her voice into the analysis, but she experimented with several ways of doing this, and in her final paper her voice emerges to give a critical perspective on how questions are asked in [this field]. Student has started to refer to charts and graphs in these articles, but has not achieved facility with reading graphs and tables and using basic statistical tools, and we would like to see her work more on her quantitative skills.

For Student’s final paper she examined research about two new therapies being used in the treatment of [this disease]. She developed an excellent bibliography of seven primary research articles published over the past three years in journals such as JAMA, The New England Journal of Medicine, Lancet, and the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Because Student submitted a substantial first draft of her paper before Thanksgiving, she was able to polish her final paper. Her final version is a mature analysis of [topic] in which she compared three studies about [something] and pointed to differences in experimental design that may underlie some of the controversies and popular misconceptions about this issue. Her proposal for a study to resolve the issue of [something] is well conceived and reflects the sophisticated understanding she has developed about this topic.

Student was well prepared for her final talk and gave an interesting, clear presentation using some overheads. The talk was very well received, students asked many questions, and she responded to their questions thoughtfully and clearly.

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W e're experimenting with prose that will fit TheHub sections and inform your advisor more fully about your progress on the Division I learning goals. This is another approach we may take to organizing this information.

Progress on Division I Leaning Goals

Read and interpret intellectual or artistic works. Student has learned to find appropriate primary scientific literature and write about it intelligently. Her detailed discussions of the rationales for the questions being addressed and the ensuing experimental designs demonstrate her understanding of this aspect of the scientific process, showing that she understands the nature of evidence in a scientific argument.

Write critically and analytically Student has excellent basic writing skills. She has learned to cite references appropriately and integrate them into her text, and she is developing a confident analytical voice.

Understand quantitative methods of analysis Through Student’s description of data in the articles she reviewed, her understanding of how to read experimental results has grown. But this is one area in which we’d like to see her demonstrate more depth of understanding. We suggest she focus her attention on getting help in developing more confidence and facility in using quantitative information.

Effectively present ideas orally Student communicated well with others on her case teams. Her final presentation was clear and well organized. She was a bit nervous about speaking up, but she has made considerable progress in finding her voice in large discussions.

Conceive and complete project-based work. Student developed an excellent question to pursue in her final paper and she found and examined appropriate scientific literature. She has learned a lot about the biology underlying the systems involved, and her confidence has grown in writing about this topic so that one can say she has a sense of ownership of her work.

Understand multiple cultural perspectives on intellectual or artistic subjects. Several aspects of Student’s project lead to discussions of social stress and socioeconomic factors relating to stress. We are pleased that she has taken a broader view of the importance of this scientific work , but we hope in other courses she will investigate in more depth social and economic factors she alluded to.

Excerpt for Transcript (this is the section that is limited to 900 characters--including spaces--and will automatically appear in your final Div I evaluation).

Student participated fully in all aspects of the course. Her attendance was perfect and she completed all the written assignments thoroughly and usually on time. Student has learned to find appropriate primary scientific literature and write about it intelligently, and her primary article critiques show that she can take on challenging technical reading and recognize the flaws and strengths of experimental designs. She needs to focus attention on developing more confidence and facility in using quantitative information. Student’s final presentation was clear and well organized. She developed an excellent question to pursue in her final paper on the effect of [drug] on [disease] and wrote a well organized, tightly argued analysis of [ topic ], demonstrating in the process that she learned a lot about the biology underlying the [systems involved]. Her confidence has grown in writing about this topic so that one can say she has a sense of ownership of her work.