Program: Geology & Geophysics (BS, BA Geology)
Degree: Bachelor's
Date: Tue Oct 07, 2014 - 3:01:18 pm
1) Institutional Learning Objectives (ILOs) and Program Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs)
1. Students can explain the relevance of geology and geophysics to human needs, including those appropriate to Hawaii, and be able to discuss issues related to geology and its impact on society and planet Earth.
(1a. General education, 1b. Specialized study in an academic field, 1c. Understand Hawaiian culture and history, 2a. Think critically and creatively, 2b. Conduct research, 2c. Communicate and report, 3a. Continuous learning and personal growth, 3b. Respect for people and cultures, in particular Hawaiian culture, 3c. Stewardship of the natural environment)
2. Students can apply technical knowledge of relevant knowledge base, theory, laboratory methods, field methods, computer applications and the supporting disciplines (math, physics, chemistry, biology) to solve real-world problems in geology and geophysics.
(1a. General education, 1b. Specialized study in an academic field, 2a. Think critically and creatively, 2b. Conduct research, 3a. Continuous learning and personal growth, 3b. Respect for people and cultures, in particular Hawaiian culture, 3c. Stewardship of the natural environment)
3. Students use the scientific method to define, critically analyze, and solve a problem in earth science
(1a. General education, 1b. Specialized study in an academic field, 2a. Think critically and creatively, 2b. Conduct research, 3a. Continuous learning and personal growth, 3c. Stewardship of the natural environment)
4. Students can reconstruct, clearly and ethically, geological knowledge in both oral presentations and written reports.
(1a. General education, 1b. Specialized study in an academic field, 2a. Think critically and creatively, 2b. Conduct research, 2c. Communicate and report, 3a. Continuous learning and personal growth, 3b. Respect for people and cultures, in particular Hawaiian culture)
5. Students can evaluate, interpret, and summarize the basic principles of geology and geophysics, including the fundamental tenets of the sub-disciplines, and their context in relationship to other core sciences, to explain complex phenomena in geology and geophysics.
(1b. Specialized study in an academic field, 2a. Think critically and creatively, 2b. Conduct research, 3a. Continuous learning and personal growth, 3c. Stewardship of the natural environment)
2) Your program's SLOs are published as follows. Please update as needed.
Department Website URL: http://www.soest.hawaii.edu/GG/resources/docs/gg-undergrad-SLO_Master_Checklist_Final.pdf Student Handbook. URL, if available online: http://www.soest.hawaii.edu/GG/resources/docs/Undergrad_Survival_Guide.pdf Information Sheet, Flyer, or Brochure URL, if available online: http://www.soest.hawaii.edu/GG/resources/docs/gg-undergrad-SLO_Master_Checklist_Final.pdf
UHM Catalog. Page Number: Course Syllabi. URL, if available online: Course syllabi for Fall 2014 are listed: http://www.soest.hawaii.edu/GG/academics/gg_syllabi.html Other: A web link to all course syllabi is in preparation now. Other: 3) Select one option:
- File (03/16/2020)
4) For your program, the percentage of courses that have course SLOs explicitly stated on the syllabus, a website, or other publicly available document is as follows. Please update as needed.
0%
1-50% 51-80% 81-99% 100%5) Did your program engage in any program assessment activities between June 1, 2013 and September 30, 2014? (e.g., establishing/revising outcomes, aligning the curriculum to outcomes, collecting evidence, interpreting evidence, using results, revising the assessment plan, creating surveys or tests, etc.)
Yes No (skip to question 14)6) For the period between June 1, 2013 and September 30, 2014: State the assessment question(s) and/or assessment goals. Include the SLOs that were targeted, if applicable.
This answer responds to the matter of assessment goals. We are considering some substantial modifications to our undergraduate program (e.g., offering new tracks within the major, offering certain classes more frequently) to increase the number of majors and the number of students taking our classes. Our department is not considering changing the SLOs for existing courses. A mixture of formal and informal information, some of which is collected through our assessment program, is motivating and informing the options we are considering.
7) State the type(s) of evidence gathered to answer the assessment question and/or meet the assessment goals that were given in Question #6.
1 Number of majors and student contact hours.
2 Exit interviews.
3 Discussions with leaders in the local business community and state agencies.
Again, this answer is directed at assessment goals.
8) State how many persons submitted evidence that was evaluated. If applicable, please include the sampling technique used.
Approximately 10 students. Students filled out an exit interview form and were interviewed by Leona Anthony, who conducts interviews for all SOEST undergraduate students.
GG also hosted a dinner that approximately 30 people from local businesses and state agencies attended regarding our new MGeo program. The MGeo program is designed to fit with our undergraduate program for students who want to coordinate their undergraduate degree with graduate training to prepare them for local jobs (among other things). Department members took notes from this meeting. Comments from meeting attendees are helping guide not only the MGeo program, but are also motivating possible new undergraduate tracks in environmental geology and applied geology.
9) Who interpreted or analyzed the evidence that was collected? (Check all that apply.)
Course instructor(s) Faculty committee Ad hoc faculty group Department chairperson Persons or organization outside the university Faculty advisor Advisors (in student support services) Students (graduate or undergraduate) Dean/Director Other: 10) How did they evaluate, analyze, or interpret the evidence? (Check all that apply.)
Used a rubric or scoring guide Scored exams/tests/quizzes Used professional judgment (no rubric or scoring guide used) Compiled survey results Used qualitative methods on interview, focus group, open-ended response data External organization/person analyzed data (e.g., external organization administered and scored the nursing licensing exam) Other: 11) For the assessment question(s) and/or assessment goal(s) stated in Question #6:
Summarize the actual results.
Our department is considering developing new tracks in environmental geology, applied geology, and possibly teaching in the Earth Sciences, as well as a revised BA curriculum. Many factors are informing our deliberations, including the information described in the answers to the last few questions.
12) State how the program used the results or plans to use the results. Please be specific.
The department has used assessment results this past year largely through an informal process. The department, independent of our assessment activities, has been considering how to increase the number of students and to better prepare them for likely career options. Faculty members from various backgrounds, various committees, and various data sources will present arguments for and against different curricular options. Information collected as part of our formal assessment efforts enters our deliberations in a variety of ways, mostly through informal channels. We hope to incorporate assessment information in a more thorough and more formal way in the coming year.
13) Beyond the results, were there additional conclusions or discoveries?
This can include insights about assessment procedures, teaching and learning, program aspects and so on.
The review of GG assessment activities of the past year reveals several key points:
1 Many of the assessment activities, especially those pertaining to data collection, are conducted (and have been conducted for many years) on a regular, systematic, and formal basis.
2 The coordination of many of the activities, on the other hand, has been largely informal and nonsystematic.
3 We need to analyze, share, and use our assessment information in a more formal, complete, systematic, and coordinated way to more effectively guide our programs.
4 The communication and coordination among the appropriate faculty committees and department chair regarding assessment activities should be improved.
5 Assessment Information needs to be easier for GG faculty to access.
6 Syllabi and SLOs for all courses need to be complete and available on line.
7 The assessment activities need to be conducted such that they are effective yet do not overburden GG faculty (especially the department chair) who are grappling with many matters in areas of teaching, research, service, and administration.
14) If the program did not engage in assessment activities, please explain.
Or, if the program did engage in assessment activities, please add any other important information here.
With regard to question #4, all undergraduate courses for Fall of 2014 have syllabi posted. The response to question #4 gives the percentage of all undergraduate courses on the books that have syllabi posted.