GG Assessment

1
GG Assessment

• WASC accreditation and Hawaii Hall requirement
• What is assessment?
• Develop explicit statements of what GG students
  should learn (SLOs)
• Verify that the program is designed to foster
  this learning (alignment)
• Collect empirical data that indicate student
  attainment (assessment data)
• Use these data to improve student learning (close
  the loop)

To move the program from being teaching-centered
to being learning-centered
2
GG Student Learning Outcomes

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.
2. Students can apply technical knowledge of
   relevant computer applications, laboratory
   methods, and field methods to solve real-world
   problems in geology and geophysics.
3. Students use the scientific method to define,
   critically analyze, and solve a problem in earth
   science.
4. Students can reconstruct, clearly and ethically,
   geological knowledge in both oral presentations
   and written reports.
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.

Ideally these should appear in course syllabi,
and be introduced, developed, and mastered
throughout the entire curriculum
Mastery Demonstrated at the Mastery level
appropriate for graduation
3
Course SLO 1 Relevance SLO 2 Technical knowledge SLO 3 Scientific method SLO 4 Oral and written SLO 5 Evaluate phenomena
GG1XX GG101L I I I   I
Geological Inquiry GG 200/200L   D D   D
Matlab Programming GG 250   D D    
Mineralogy GG 301   D D   D
Petrology GG 302(W) D D D D D
Structure GG 303   D D   D
Geophysics GG 304/450   D D   D
Field Methods GG 305(W)   D D D D
Sed/Strat GG 309(W)   D D D D
Geochem GG 325 D       D
UG Seminar GG410       M (oral)  
Electives Hydrogeology Volcanology Earthquakes Remote sensing Geospatial Climate change Coastal Energy/Mineral Geospatial Remote sensing Geomath  Data analysis Geomath Data analysis Undergraduate Thesis Hawaiian geology Volcanology Coastal Plate Tectonics Env Geochem Marine Geology Hydrology Data analysis Geomath
Not targeted in mandatory curriculum
4
GG Alignment

• Strengths
• Technical knowledge (SLO 2)
• Scientific method (SLO 3)
• Evaluating complex phenomena using core
  principles (SLO 5)
• Challenges
• Scientific writing is never introduced and never
  mastered
• No true capstone course
• GG410 underutilized opportunity
• SLO mastery not compulsory, not purposeful

5
Assessment Plan

• Align Program
• Reassess SLOs?
• Target syllabi to SLOs
• Repair challenges
• Collect Assessment Data
• Every semester the graduating seniors grades are
  averaged under each SLO
• Collect these data for 3 yrs
• Scoring rubric
• Below expectation (C or less)
• Satisfactory (C to B)
• Exemplary (B to A)
• Close the Loop
• Weak/strong learning under certain SLOs?
• Consider new assessment tools (student survey,
  exit exam, student interviews, assessment test,
  student portfolio, etc.)
• Assess the assessment plan
• Seek UH expertise