Unit: Earth Sciences
Program: Environmental Earth Science (BA)
Degree: Bachelor's
Date: Fri Nov 13, 2020 - 4:23:53 pm

1) Program Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs) and Institutional Learning Objectives (ILOs)

1. Students can explain environmental earth science problems in Hawaii and elsewhere and appropriate methods for solving these problems.

(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 apply knowledge of the earth and apply theory, laboratory methods, field methods, computer applications and supporting disciplines (math, physics, chemistry, biology) to solve environmental problems.

(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 broad array of problems 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, environmental earth science knowledge in formal oral presentations and written reports, as well as informally and interactively.

(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 earth science from an environmental perspective.

(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)

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 2015 are listed: http://www.soest.hawaii.edu/GG/academics/gg_syllabi.html
Other: A web link to all course syllabi exists: http://www.soest.hawaii.edu/GG/academics/gg_syllabi.html

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

Curriculum Map File(s) from 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) 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):

No
Yes, on some(1-50%) of the program SLOs
Yes, on most(51-99%) of the program SLOs
Yes, on all(100%) of the program SLOs

6) Did your program engage in any program learning assessment activities between November 1, 2018 and October 31, 2020?

Yes
No (skip to question 17)

7) What best describes the program-level learning assessment activities that took place for the period November 1, 2018 and October 31, 2020? (Check all that apply.)

Create/modify/discuss program learning assessment procedures (e.g., SLOs, curriculum map, mechanism to collect student work, rubric, survey)
Collect/evaluate student work/performance to determine SLO achievement
Collect/analyze student self-reports of SLO achievement via surveys, interviews, or focus groups
Use assessment results to make programmatic decisions (e.g., change course content or pedagogy, design new course, hiring)
Investigate other pressing issue related to student learning achievement for the program (explain in question 8)
Other:

8) Briefly explain the assessment activities that took place since November 2018.

X1. Faculty generated BA program SLOs at a workshop led by the UGWG and moderated by Assessment personnel Monica Stitt-Bergh and Yao Hill on 04/08/2019.

X2. See attached pilot data collection exercise.

X3. Observations of BA student performance in ERTH 305 by its instructor led to the creation of new course, ERTH 333, that addresses programmatic learning goals (particularly those embedded in PSLO2).

X4. (a) The department constructed a set of Guidelines for Ethical and Professional Conduct during this assessment period, incorporating informal surveys and direct communication with undergraduates in the BS and BA programs.  (b) The curricular focus of the 2019 departmental Retreat was the BA program. Discussion was facilitated by Monica Stitt-Bergh.

9) What types of evidence did the program use as part of the assessment activities checked in question 7? (Check all that apply.)

Artistic exhibition/performance
Assignment/exam/paper completed as part of regular coursework and used for program-level assessment
Capstone work product (e.g., written project or non-thesis paper)
Exam created by an external organization (e.g., professional association for licensure)
Exit exam created by the program
IRB approval of research
Oral performance (oral defense, oral presentation, conference presentation)
Portfolio of student work
Publication or grant proposal
Qualifying exam or comprehensive exam for program-level assessment in addition to individual student evaluation (graduate level only)
Supervisor or employer evaluation of student performance outside the classroom (internship, clinical, practicum)
Thesis or dissertation used for program-level assessment in addition to individual student evaluation
Alumni survey that contains self-reports of SLO achievement
Employer meetings/discussions/survey/interview of student SLO achievement
Interviews or focus groups that contain self-reports of SLO achievement
Student reflective writing assignment (essay, journal entry, self-assessment) on their SLO achievement.
Student surveys that contain self-reports of SLO achievement
Assessment-related such as assessment plan, SLOs, curriculum map, etc.
Program or course materials (syllabi, assignments, requirements, etc.)
Other 1:
Other 2:

10) State the number of students (or persons) who submitted evidence that was evaluated. If applicable, please include the sampling technique used.

The assessment pilot project included evidence from all 8 students enrolled in ERTH200 and 8 of the 14 students in ERTH 325.

Please see the attached Assessment Report Appendix for details.

11) 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: ad hoc group notes: Three faculty, including the project lead and two selected faculty volunteers, evaluated the materials from ERTH 325. Six faculty, all volunteers, evaluated the materials from ERTH 200.

12) 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:

13) Summarize the results from the evaluation, analysis, interpretation of evidence (checked in question 12). For example, report the percentage of students who achieved each SLO.

ERTH200 final exam short essays: the percentage of students who achieved an average score greater than 3.70 (on 1-5 scale, 5 being the highest) of writing quality is 13. For more details, please see the Appendix.

 

14) What best describes how the program used the results? (Check all that apply.)

Assessment procedure changes (SLOs, curriculum map, rubrics, evidence collected, sampling, communications with faculty, etc.)
Course changes (course content, pedagogy, courses offered, new course, pre-requisites, requirements)
Personnel or resource allocation changes
Program policy changes (e.g., admissions requirements, student probation policies, common course evaluation form)
Students' out-of-course experience changes (advising, co-curricular experiences, program website, program handbook, brown-bag lunches, workshops)
Celebration of student success!
Results indicated no action needed because students met expectations
Use is pending (typical reasons: insufficient number of students in population, evidence not evaluated or interpreted yet, faculty discussions continue)
Other:

15) Please briefly describe how the program used its findings/results.

N/A.  (Evidence has not been brought to the full faculty yet.)

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.

n/a

17) If the program did not engage in assessment activities, please justify.

n/a