Sample Scales

Sample Assessment Oriented Questions

Anthropology, BA
Biology, MS
General Questions to adopt or adapt
Program Review versus Student Rating Their Competency Levels

Sample Scales for Assessing Student Competency Levels

Advanced Competence
Above Average Competence
Average Competence
Marginal Competence
No Competence
Very Good
Good
Barely Acceptable
Poor
Very Poor
Not Acceptable

Good
Fair
Poor

Competency
Clearly Unacceptable
Below Standards
Marginally Acceptable
Acceptable
Exceptional
Extremely Poor
Below Average
Average
Above Average
Excellent

Unacceptable
Marginally Acceptable
Acceptable
Exceptional
Unacceptable
Advanced Competency
Intermediate Competency
Novice Competency
Nonexistent Competence

Very Good
Good
Not Acceptable

Advanced Competence
Average Competence
Below Average Competence
No Competence

Unacceptable
Acceptable
Exceptional

Incompetence
Competent
Highly Competent

Samples drawn from campus academic departments.

Biology, MS
General Questions to Adopt or Adapt

Biology
Section of the Biology, MS program at UCCS, in which they ask students to rate their
skills/knowledge in specific areas.
III. BIOLOGY CURRICULUM:
Please assess your ability/knowledge gained in the following areas:
5 = excellent
4 = very good
3 = adequate
2 = needs improvement

1= needs considerable improvement

5

1. In-depth knowledge in your specific

discipline of biology
2. Ability to apply your knowledge of
biology
3. Ability to design and conduct
experiments and to analyze and interpret
data
4. Ability to communicate effectively (oral)
5. Ability to communicate effectively
(written)
6. Understanding of professional and
ethical responsibilities
7. Recognition of the need to engage in
life-long learning
8. Knowledge of contemporary biological
science issues

Generalized
Table 1.
Table 2.
Table 3.

Table 1. Please rate your competence level in the following areas: self-evaluation sample assessment questions

Advanced
Competence
(1)

Above
Average
Competence
(2)

Average
Competence
(3)

Marginal
Competence
(4)

No
Competence
(5)

Unknown (6)

Writing Skills

Analytical
Reasoning

Qualitative
Analysis Skills

Quantitative
Analysis Skills

Field Research
Skills

History of
discipline

Discipline
specific
Theories

Multi-cultural
Awareness
(sensitivity to
others unlike
you)

Core Concepts
in state
discipline

Research
Methodologies

Construct and
Defend an
Argument

Table 2. Please rate your competence level in the following areas: self-evaluation sample assessment questions
Advanced
Competence
(1)

Above
Average
Competence
(2)

Average
Competence
(3)

Marginal
Competence
(4)

No
Competence
(5)

Unknown (6)

Oral
Communication
(1)

Quantitative
Skills (2)

Scientific
Reasoning (3)

Qualitative
Skills (4)

Analytical
Reasoning (5)

Reading Skills

(6)
Writing Skills
(7)

Problem
Solving Skills (8)

Computer Skills
(9)

Multi-cultural
Awareness
(sensitivity to
others unlike
you) (10)

Table 3. Please rate your competence in the following areas: self-evaluation sample assessment questions
Advanced
Competence
(1)

Above
Average
Competence
(2)

Average
Competence
(3)

Marginal
Competence
(4)

No
Competence
(5)

Unknown (6)

Determine
relevance of
information
(1)

Evaluate an
argument (2)

Evaluate data
for
consistency
(3)

Recognize an
assumption
(4)

Recognize a
valid
inference (5)

Recognize
redundancy
(6)

Recognize
lack of
agreement
(7)

Interpret
data in
graph/chart
(8)

Draw
conclusion
from
available
information
(9)

Program Review versus Student Rating Their Competency Levels