Unit: Oceanography
Program: Global Environmental Science (BS)
Degree: Bachelor's
Date: Wed Oct 30, 2013 - 4:18:24 pm

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

Students completing the Global Environmental Science degree program will be able to:

1. Define and explain the basic principles and concepts of chemistry, physics, biology, calculus, geology, geophysics, meteorology, and oceanography.

2. Apply their understanding of the fundamentals of science and mathematics to the description and quantification of the interactions of the atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere, and biosphere, including humans.

3. Employ the scientific approach to problem solving, and hypothesis formation and testing.

4. Conduct scientific research, and analyze and evaluate results.

5. Demonstrate information literacy by collection and evaluation of scientific literature.

6. Express themselves clearly and concisely in written form.

7. Demonstrate skilled delivery of well organized informal and formal oral presentations.

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

Department Website URL: http://www.soest.hawaii.edu/oceanography/GES/
Student Handbook. URL, if available online:
Information Sheet, Flyer, or Brochure URL, if available online:
UHM Catalog. Page Number:
Course Syllabi. URL, if available online:
Other: In program office (MSB 205D)
Other:

3) Select one option:

Curriculum Map File(s) from 2013:

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, 2012 and September 30, 2013? (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 June 1, 2012 to September 30, 2013: State the assessment question(s) and/or assessment goals. Include the SLOs that were targeted, if applicable.

Based on student comments, and instructors assessments of student skills, we decided that both writing and oral presentation skills should be introduced earlier in the curriculum.  SLOs 6 and 7. 

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.

Essays from OCN 401 and oral presentations from OCN 490 were evaluated by the course instructors. Student comments from class evaluations were also considered.

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

4 instructors (informal discussions) and approximately 25 students (course evaluations).

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.

Progress on writing and oral presentation skills was substantial during the semesters that OCN 401 and OCN 490 were taught.  It was felt that studetns would benefit greatly from introduction to these skillsat an earlier point in there college careers.

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

We decided to incorporate a writing module in our introductory course, OCN 100.  Students are presented with the writing rubric used in our upper division courses.  They apply the rubric to writing samples in class, then as homework, compose an essay which is then evaluated with the rubric in a peer review process.  Students are also presented with a rubric for evaulation of oral presentations which is utilized in final group presentations.

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.

Discussions involving instructors of several core classes helped to identify issues to address. We should plan more frequent, informal, small discussions of the curriculum.

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.