Program: Earth and Planetary Sciences (MS)
Degree: Master's
Date: Fri Nov 16, 2018 - 5:39:28 pm
1) Program Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs) and Institutional Learning Objectives (ILOs)
1. Technical knowledge: M.S. graduates are proficient in applying technical knowledge of theory, laboratory methods, field methods, computer applications, and the supporting disciplines (math, physics, chemistry, biology) to help advance the fields of geology and geophysics.
(1. Demonstrate comprehensive knowledge in one or more general subject areas related to, but not confined to, a specific area of interest., 2. Demonstrate understanding of research methodology and techniques specific to one’s field of study., 3. Apply research methodology and/or scholarly inquiry techniques specific to one’s field of study., 4. Critically analyze, synthesize, and utilize information and data related to one’s field of study., 5. Proficiently communicate and disseminate information in a manner relevant to the field and intended audience., 6. Conduct research or projects as a responsible and ethical professional, including consideration of and respect for other cultural perspectives., 7. Interact professionally with others.)
2. Scientific method (effective and ethical practice): M.S. graduates are able to (a) construct scientific hypotheses, (b) define and carry out research to evaluate them in a timely manner, (c) analyze and synthesize the results of their research, and (d) derive conclusions that help advance the fields of geology and geophysics. The highest standards of ethical practice are emphasized.
(1. Demonstrate comprehensive knowledge in one or more general subject areas related to, but not confined to, a specific area of interest., 2. Demonstrate understanding of research methodology and techniques specific to one’s field of study., 3. Apply research methodology and/or scholarly inquiry techniques specific to one’s field of study., 4. Critically analyze, synthesize, and utilize information and data related to one’s field of study., 5. Proficiently communicate and disseminate information in a manner relevant to the field and intended audience., 6. Conduct research or projects as a responsible and ethical professional, including consideration of and respect for other cultural perspectives., 7. Interact professionally with others.)
3. Communicate geological knowledge: M.S. graduate are able to effectively communicate about the findings of their research in writing at a level comparable to that of a scientific journal publication, and defend it orally to the satisfaction of a scientific audience. They are also able to communicate orally about Geology though seminar or conference presentations.
(1. Demonstrate comprehensive knowledge in one or more general subject areas related to, but not confined to, a specific area of interest., 2. Demonstrate understanding of research methodology and techniques specific to one’s field of study., 3. Apply research methodology and/or scholarly inquiry techniques specific to one’s field of study., 4. Critically analyze, synthesize, and utilize information and data related to one’s field of study., 5. Proficiently communicate and disseminate information in a manner relevant to the field and intended audience., 6. Conduct research or projects as a responsible and ethical professional, including consideration of and respect for other cultural perspectives., 7. Interact professionally with others.)
4. Employability/Contributions: Post-Graduation M.S. graduates have acquired the knowledge and skills in the profession needed to pursue employment or other activities that contribute to the advancement of the Earth sciences and/or the solution of societal problems.�
(1. Demonstrate comprehensive knowledge in one or more general subject areas related to, but not confined to, a specific area of interest., 2. Demonstrate understanding of research methodology and techniques specific to one’s field of study., 3. Apply research methodology and/or scholarly inquiry techniques specific to one’s field of study., 4. Critically analyze, synthesize, and utilize information and data related to one’s field of study., 5. Proficiently communicate and disseminate information in a manner relevant to the field and intended audience., 6. Conduct research or projects as a responsible and ethical professional, including consideration of and respect for other cultural perspectives., 7. Interact professionally with others.)
2) Your program's SLOs are published as follows. Please update asneeded.







3) Please review, add, replace, or delete the existing curriculum map.
- 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.





5) Does the program have learning achievement results for its program SLOs? (Example of achievement results: "80% of students met expectations on SLO 1.")(check one):




6) Did your program engage in any program learning assessment activities between June 1, 2015 and October 31, 2018?


7) What best describes the program-level learning assessment activities that took place for the period June 1, 2015 to October 31, 2018? (Check all that apply.)







8) Briefly explain the assessment activities that took place.
All MS candidates in our department are evaluated annually (by their employers, advisors and the Graduate Studies Committee). They must also submit updated CV’s annually. In addition, they are formally evaluated during their dissertation proposals, comprehensive exams and final oral exams. As a follow up to this, we adjust the timing and offerings of our graduate lecture and seminar courses to accommodate our students. We do this to respond to student needs, keep course offerings current, topical, and up-to-date.
9) What types of evidence did the program use as part of the assessment activities checked in question 7? (Check all that apply.)





















10) State the number of students (or persons) who submitted evidence that was evaluated. If applicable, please include the sampling technique used.
87
11) Who interpreted or analyzed the evidence that was collected? (Check all that apply.)










12) How did they evaluate, analyze, or interpret the evidence? (Check all that apply.)







13) Summarize the results of the assessment activities checked in question 7. For example, report the percentage of students who achieved each SLO.
We assess all the graduate students annually. We adjust the timing and offerings of our graduate lecture and seminar courses to accommodate our students. 100% of our MS students meet the MS SLOs.
14) What best describes how the program used the results? (Check all that apply.)









15) Please briefly describe how the program used the results.
We continue to adjust our graduate presentation program, and we are evaluating how to incorporate the positive aspects of the "stopped out" MGeo program into our MS program.
16) Beyond the results, were there additional conclusions or discoveries? This can include insights about assessment procedures, teaching and learning, and great achievements regarding program assessment in this reporting period.
We need to better coordinate and share information on assessment matters on faculty members. This might be done via Google docs. We have been focusing our assessment attention primarily on our undergraduate curriculum and our new MGeo program, which has stopped out. We are aware that we need to also address the assessment of our graduate program beyond the assessment of our graduate students. We also plan to develop a graduate student showcase this coming spring for our graduate students to display their research results.
17) If the program did not engage in assessment activities, please justify.
We did engage in assessment activities.