Unit: Earth Sciences
Program: Earth and Planetary Sciences (PhD)
Degree: Doctorate
Date: Thu Oct 13, 2011 - 10:33:02 am

1) Below are your program student learning outcomes (SLOs). Please update as needed.

  1. Satisfy the SLOs for the M.S.
  2. Comprehensively synthesize, evaluate, and interpret the fundamental knowledge in her or his sub-discipline.
  3. Independently construct scientific hypotheses and design and carry out research to evaluate them.
  4. Critically analyze and synthesize the results of their research, derive conclusions which advance the field, and be capable of writing a manuscript describing these in the peer-reviewed literature.

2) Your program's SLOs are published as follows. Please update as needed.

Department Website URL: NA - in process of being added
Student Handbook. URL, if available online: http://www.soest.hawaii.edu/GG/resources/gg_documents.html
Information Sheet, Flyer, or Brochure URL, if available online:
UHM Catalog. Page Number:
Course Syllabi. URL, if available online: NA - in process of being added
Other:
Other:

3) Below is the link(s) to your program's curriculum map(s). If we do not have your curriculum map, please upload it as a PDF.

No map submitted.

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) For the period June 1, 2010 to September 30, 2011: State the assessment question(s) and/or assessment goals. Include the SLOs that were targeted, if applicable.

6) State the type(s) of evidence gathered to answer the assessment question and/or meet the assessment goals that were given in Question #5.

Every student is assessed by a committee of mentors every semester

Oral defense is part of assessment

Annual departmental meetings

GG610 assesses oral communication skills

For PhD students without an MS there is a qualifying exam, and all PhD students must pass a comprehensive exam (usually after 2 years in program). These are all documented

There are a series of milestones in the graduate program, along with course wor, that contirbute to the assessment process.

7) State how many persons submitted evidence that was evaluated. If applicable, please include the sampling technique used.

8) 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:

9) 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:

10) For the assessment question(s) and/or assessment goal(s) stated in Question #5:
Summarize the actual results.

11) State how the program used the results or plans to use the results. Please be specific.

12) Beyond the results, were there additional conclusions or discoveries?
This can include insights about assessment procedures, teaching and learning, program aspects and so on.

13) Other important information.
Please note: If the program did not engage in assessment, please explain. If the program created an assessment plan for next year, please give an overview.

For the past year, the curriculum committee focused its efforts on the BS degree and assessment needs.