Portfolio Assessment/Program Review …...Geology/Earth Science Program 2012 The mission of the...

Portfolio Assessment/Program Review Geology/Earth Science Program 2012

The mission of the Santa Ana College Earth Science/Geology Department is to provide students with an understanding of and appreciation for the physical processes that occur within and on the Earth by providing an educational experience that promotes critical thinking and intellectual development.

The department strives to

encourage active engagement and ethical decision making in regards to the environmental, scientific, and societal issues

improve teaching and learning through the implementation of the student learning outcomes assessment cycle

encourage student attainment of the college’s general education student learning outcomes provide courses that meet a wide variety of general education requirements prepare students for more advanced coursework at four year institutions

Goals and Objectives 1. What are the department’s annual goals?

In support of the Santa Ana College Strategic Plan and the college mission statement, the Earth

Sciences/Geology Department will focus on the following in 2012-2013:

2. What progress has been made towards the department’s goals in the Past four years?

Progress Towards Goals; 2011/2012

GOAL/ACTIVITY PROGRESS REPORT COMPLETION DATE

1. Transfer degree (AS-T) for Geology

Paperwork for State has been completed. Next step is to propose and process the new course through SAC Curriculum Council

Spring 2013

2. Restore Field Studies Courses to long term level of 2/semester

Goal partially met; 1 trip was offered to Joshua Tree

Fall 2012 (partial)

3. Computer upgrade needed in R-111 (new computer)

Work order was submitted to ITS over Summer 2012.

Completed Fall 2012

4. Create/Maintain Department Facebook page as a means to connect with current students and alumni

P. Hughes developed page and Hughes/Coyne regularly update information on the page

Completed



1. Conduct a program of class reviews and study sessions in R-111 to improve student success.

Goal completed; Sessions held Fall

2010 and increased in Spring 2011

May 2011

2. Maintain currency in the field

of Geology by attending at least

one conference or professional

field trip.

Phil Hughes attended a workshop on

Geology of Catalina Island funded by

Wiley Publishers. Claire Coyne was

unable to obtain funding to fulfill goal.

Ongoing

3. Maintain adequate safety and learning environment with proper lighting in R-111

Funding was not available to meet this

goal

Not completed

GEOLOGY/EARTH SCIENCE GOALS

Goal/Activity WHO is Responsible

Completion Date

Resources Needed

1. Research and apply for alternate sources of funding to offer field courses

Chair/Faculty Spring 2012 Faculty time

2. Upgrades to classroom maps used in lectures

Chair/Administration Fall 2013 Funding

3. Restore Field Studies Courses to long term level of 2/semester

Chair/Administration Fall 2013 Funding

4. Maintain currency in the field of Geology by attending at least one conference or professional field trip.

All Faculty Fall 2013 College or Division funding for conferences



1. Develop a new Earth

Science AA degree program to

articulate with the new Earth

Science BA program being

developed at CSUF.

New AA degree was approved by

Curriculum Council and will be included

in the 2011/2012 catalog

December 2010

2. Restore Field Studies Courses to one per semester

Dept. Chair met with Division Dean to discuss this goal. Budget cuts and lack of information regarding actual cost for offering the field courses are leading causes for the failed completion of this goal

Ongoing

3. Revise Geology laboratory assignments

Hughes/Coyne met throughout semester to update laboratory assignments addressing areas students have had difficulty with over the past few semesters

Ongoing



1. Increase course enrollments by increasing advertising and networking with counseling staff.

Enrollments for all courses have increased and with addition of large group instruction introductory Earth Science course enrollment numbers should continue to increase over coming semesters

Ongoing

2. Revise Dana Point Field Trip materials

Revisions made by Hughes/Coyne to incorporate more content discussed in lectures

December 2008

3. Do goals need to be restructured, eliminated or pursued with different activities?

The Geology Department Goals are reviewed and revised

on an ongoing basis. A goal that continues to not be met is

the reinstatement of field trips courses. Lack of funding has

been the response given when discussed with administration

regarding this goal. Full time faculty members sought

answers to questions surrounding what the exact cost of

running a field trip course would be so that outside funding

could be requested for the necessary funds. Unfortunately,

no direct answers were provided. The use of school vehicles

did not render a specific cost, only if rental vehicles were

used would a cost be furnished. A grant was received to

fund a field course for Fall 2012 but without an actual cost

applying for additional funding has been difficult. Faculty

will continue to lobby for the reinstatement of field courses

as well as locate outside funding sources.

4. What are the proposed goals for next year?

DEPARTMENT GOALS FOR 2013/2014

Goal/Activity WHO is Responsible Completion Date

Resources Needed

1. Computer upgrade needed in R-111 (new computer)

Administration Spring 2013 Funding

2. Transfer degree (AS-T) for Geology

Hughes/Coyne Spring 2013 Faculty Time and College Articulation Officer

3. Restore Field Studies Courses to long term level of 5/year

Chair/Administration Fall 2013- Spring 2014

College Vehicle Use/Funding for transportation

4. The AV systems in our lecture/lab room should be upgraded to the level of the systems that are installed in other classrooms

Administration/ Facilities

Spring 2013 Funding

5. Maintain and update our laboratories and equipment to match the types of experiments and field experiences the 4 year schools provide for their lower division students.

Administration/ All Faculty

Spring 2013 Funding

6. Controllable lighting (dimmer switch) to enhance learning environment and remove hazards associated with cords and temporary lighting

Facilities Fall 2013 Funding

7. Develop online meteorology course for earth science department

Coyne/Hughes Fall 2014 Faculty Time

Student and Program Success 5. What are the strengths of the program? What improvements does it need?

The Earth Science/Geology program primarily serves the population filling the general education

physical science requirement for A.A. degree-seeking students who will be transferring to a four-

year institution. As such, our program’s success is based heavily on the retention and overall

success of the students so that they may eventually transfer.

Student Retention

Fall

2009

Fall

2010

Fall

2011

Semester

Average ERTH110 76% 76% 83% 78.3%

ERTH115 83% 92% 87% 87.3%

ERTH150 77% 86% 85% 82.7%

GEOL101 67% 67% 76% 70.0%

GEOL101L 80% 87% 79% 82.0%

GEOL140 83% 83% 89% 85.0%

GEOL150 83% 68% 78% 76.3%

AVG ALL

COURSES

78.4% 80% 82.4%

Student Retention for the Fall 2009-Fall 2011 semesters has ranged from 70% to 87.3% over the

course offerings within the program. Average student retention over all the course offerings for

that time period rendered a +4% increase in student retention. These positive trends support the

College Strategic plan and the President’s goal of increasing successful students by 2015.

FTES Generated By Semester

Fall 2009 Fall 2010 % Change Spring 2010 Spring 2011 % Change

Earth

Science

47.86 53.20 + 11.1% 45.44 46.98 + 3.4%

Geology 32.20 33.77 + 4.9% 32.69 32.07 -1.9%

Totals 80.06 86.97 +8.6% 78.13 79.05 +1.1%

The increases in FTES generated over the academic years (Fall 2009-Spring 2011) has been an

strength for our program. A goal for our program in the upcoming semester will be addressing

the drop in FTES seen within Geology by replacing the now canceled Earth Revealed TV course

with an additional on-site section of Geology 101.

Student Success (Grade C or better)

Fall

2009

Fall

2010

Fall

2011

Average

ERTH110 59% 55% 58% 57.3%

ERTH115 75% 84% 73% 77.3%

ERTH150 36% 39% 33% 36%

GEOL101 43% 39% 48% 43.3%

GEOL101L 66% 71% 66% 67.7%

GEOL140 55% 69% 51% 58.3%

GEOL150 64% 37% 53% 51.3%

AVG ALL

COURSES

56.5% 56.5% 54%

Student success, measured as a Grade C or better, has ranged from a low of 36% to a high of

77.3% over all the course offerings within the program. Student success averaged 55.7% over the

three semesters data was collected. A -2.5% decrease in student success was measured between

Fall 2010 and Fall 2011, this negative trend will need to be addressed as the President’s goal is to

increase student success to 74% college-wide. One strategy that is being utilized for Spring 2013

is Supplemental Instruction. Our hope is that the 6-hours of Supplemental Instruction will

increase student success for the coming semester.

The commitment of the faculty to the overall success of the students remains one of our

programs strengths. Our faculty will address the decrease in student success by collaborating

with other faculty as well as attend professional development courses with the intent on

implementing new techniques and strategies into the classroom that will bring about a positive

trend in student success. Another area that the faculty would like to see improvement would be

in the offering of field courses. Prior to budget constraints, two field courses had been offered

every semester. These field courses had been a strength to the department as it diversified our

curriculum, aided in student success and encouraged further interest in the subject matter but

with budget cuts and lack of administrative support these field courses have been cut

indefinitely.

The involvement of our full-time faculty in outside activities related to the curriculum brings

real-world experiences into the classroom. Phil Hughes leads Docent training sessions and acts

as a tour guide at Upper Newport Bay for Newport Bay Conservancy. Claire Coyne has

volunteered to teach earth science/geology content at local schools as well as at an academy for

orphans from the townships outside of Cape Town, South Africa.

Full-time faculty participates in campus-wide governance in a variety of capacities. Phil Hughes

has been an active member in the Academic Senate, Curriculum & Instruction Council and

Facilities Committee. Claire Coyne also served as a Senator on the Academic Senate and has

been involved with the Basic Skills – Strand B Committee.

Another area of improvement remains to be that of our current facilities. As we serve a large

population of general education students, our current facilities do not allow for additional

sections to be added or for higher student enrollment. Department participation in design and

planning of the new Science building has resulted in a dedicated classroom space, suitable for

active learning, however, we did lose a significant amount of storage space which will be

problematic given the large number of mineral, rock and fossil samples we currently possess.

Further discussions regarding this concern will be addressed with administration as plans move

forward.

6. What are the faculty’s perceptions of the success of the program?

While the department has made considerable progress towards meeting many of its previous

goals, little progress has been made to meet its resource needs. Lack of funding has been a major

road block to meeting Department Goals. Lottery funds were allocated to our Division and our

program was able to purchase many needed samples and supplies for our lab classes, however,

outdated equipment continue to provide less than optimal learning conditions for our students.

The faculty’s perception is that the program was more effective in the past when administrative

support for the program was stronger. Although faculty recognizes that some of the issues are

budget related they believe that the deterioration of the facilities and the cutting of all field

studies classes have all had a strong negative impact on the quality of the program. With the

State’s balanced budget and the passing of key initiatives in the last election, the faculty is

hopeful that the negative trends experienced over the last four years will bring about a period of

positive trends in the coming semesters.

7. What are opinions of students regarding the program’s quality? Upon what variables is

this based?

The Geology Faculty’s Student evaluations are consistently very positive with most sections

receiving an average score above 4/5 in overall effectiveness of the instructor. The enrollments

in all of our 100 level general education courses are consistently strong in nearly all sections.

For many students the highlight of the introductory courses is the half-day field trip taken to

Dana Point Harbor. Students comment that more field trips should be taken as they add to overall

understanding of the topics discussed in class. Following are several comments offered by

alumni students that answered an informal survey regarding the effectiveness of field trips in

understanding course topics with geosciences.

“Geology is one of those subjects that you can't learn simply by reading a book or watching a

video. Those things help, but what works best is seeing these things in the real world and even

touching them. I don't think I would have gotten 1/10th as much from my Geology classes without

the Newport Back-bay trip, the Dana Point trip or the Rainbow basin overnight trip.”

Breck Rockwell

“It's important to see these structures to have a frame of reference to develop a mental image. It

doesn't matter how many models or diagrams of a fault I looked at, it took seeing actual faults to

fully grasp the concept. Many of the concepts I struggled with were cleared up on the field trips.”

Angela Mauro, alumni and former Instructional Assistant for Department

“The human element of the field studies is also critical. Students from different backgrounds,

cultures, regions or interests bond on these trips creating lasting friendships. I am still friends

with people I met on a trip to Joshua Tree several years ago” Susan Stoffel

8. What, if appropriate, are employer attitudes towards the program?

Primarily students in the geosciences earn bachelors or masters degrees and therefore we do not

interact with outside employers regarding student successes or failures due to the program.

9. What successes may be identified?

a. Increased FTES (Fall 2009 – Spring 2011)

b. Increased Student Retention (Fall semesters 2009 to Fall 2011)

c. SAC Foundation Grant for $1000 to offset cost of GEOL174 field course offered Fall 2012

d. ASG Grant for $800 to purchase minerals and rocks for in-class identification activities

Curriculum, Pedagogy and Innovation 10. Describe the curriculum offerings, their relationship to the discipline and substantive

curriculum changes.

Earth Science 110: Introduction to Earth Science. This is our most popular general

education, 3 unit lecture class. This course covers the basic introductory material in the

fields of Geology, Oceanography, Meteorology, and Astronomy. This course is offered

every semester.

Earth Science 110H: Honors Introduction to Earth Science. This is the honors version of

our Introduction to Earth Science class. This course has been offered during Spring

semesters for the last two years, however, due to enrollment restrictions this section of

Earth Science will not be offered during Spring 2013, as the course barely makes the 20

student enrollment requirement and with the additional need of space for non-Honors

students to take this course.

Earth Science 115: Earth Science for Educators. This class is a 4 unit integrated lab-

lecture course that covers the same material as Earth Science 110 but with a laboratory

component and a greater emphasis on active learning and updated methods of pedagogy.

This course was developed in conjunction with CSUF to fit in with their teacher

education program but also serves as an excellent general education science course for

any student. This course is offered every semester, however, the past few semesters has

seen a decline in the number of students interested in pursuing degrees in education. The

majority of students taking the course over the last two semesters have been those that

require a lab science for transfer. In discussions with the Center for Teacher Education,

the number of education majors has declined due to the low number of jobs within

education as of late. In response to the decrease in education majors, we will be starting

Fall 2013 only be offering this course once a year.

Geology 101/101L: Introduction to Geology. This course covers Earth materials

(minerals and rocks), the processes that shape the Earth’s surface (such as rivers and

glaciers), and the processes that are driven by forces within the Earth (such as

earthquakes and volcanoes). The lecture section is 3 units and the 1 unit lab that goes

along with this course is optional. This course is offered every semester and also meets

all general education requirements.

Geology/Environmental Studies: 140 Environmental Geology. This 3 unit lecture course

also meets AA, CSU, and UC general education requirements and is a suggested elective

in our geology major. This course covers an overview of Geology with emphasis on the

areas of natural hazards, geologic resources, and pollution and waste disposal. This

course is offered every fall semester but enrollments have been so strong that the

department has been offering it every semester since Fall 2009.

Geology/Earth Science 150: Introduction to Oceanography. This 3 unit lecture course

also meets AA, CSU, and UC general education requirements and is a suggested elective

for our geology majors. In the past this course has been offered every semester but it

was pulled from the schedule for Spring 2008, Fall 2008, Spring 2009, and Summer

sessions.

Geology/Earth Science 150H: Honors Introduction to Oceanography. This 3 unit lecture

course is the honors version of our Oceanography class. This course is not offered every

semester.

Geology 112: Earthquakes This is a one unit general interest class in the topic of

earthquakes. It serves as a recommended elective for geology majors and it meets the

needs of students who need one additional unit of general education science credit. Not

offered every semester and was last offered during Spring 2009.

Geology 161-173,176,180: Geologic Field Studies (Various Locations within CA)

These one to two unit field studies class that gives students vital exposure to actual real

world geology and increases the interest of students in the discipline. It is not offered

every semester and our department has been told that we will not be allowed to offer this

course in the immediate future due to budgetary issues.

Geology 174: Geologic Field Studies of Joshua Tree National Park. This is a one unit

field studies class that gives students vital exposure to actual real world geology and

increases the interest of students in the discipline. It is not offered every semester and

our department has been told that we will not be allowed to offer this course in the

immediate future due to budgetary issues.

Geology 201 Introduction to Historical Geology. This four unit course covers how the

Earth has changed over time and how we know about those changes. This course is the

second course in the normal sequence for Geology majors and it also can serve as a

general education course for the AA degree or transfer. It is offered during Spring

semesters.

11. Describe the program’s relationship to student services and its offerings to the students

served.

The Geology Department has encouraged students to utilize the Physical Science Study Center

(PSSC) where they can get help from tutors (paid & volunteers) & Geology faculty. A STEM

grant has provided funding for Supplemental Instructional hours to be offered for Earth Science

110 and Geology 101. Additionally, informal review sessions are frequently conducted on a drop

in basis for students in afternoons in R-111 before exams.

The past two summers, Claire Coyne has partnered with Counseling and the Transfer Center in

offering an Earth Science 110 course as part of the Summer Student Transfer Institute held at

University of California, Irvine. This intensive 10-day full semester course allows students from

both Santa Ana College and Rio Hondo College to experience life on a college campus. Students

and faculty live in campus dormitories, eat at dining halls and attend classes in university lecture

halls for the ten days. Funding is available for a continued collaboration with the Transfer Center

for this summer course offering. An additional collaboration within the Counseling division has

been the offering of Geology 101 (Hughes) and Earth Science 110 (Coyne) as a U-Link course.

U-Link is transfer program that has guaranteed admissions to UCI.

As we offer a course for future educators it is important to maintain close relations with the

Center for Teacher Education. Students are consistently encouraged to utilize the resources

within at the center.

Full-time faculty has participated in the Career/Job Resource Center workshop series by offering

two workshops: Careers and Environmental Science and What to do with a major in Geology.

Faculty also works with Disabled Students Programs and Services by determining the

appropriate academic accommodations for all students identified as having a disability.

Additionally, faculty have identified students with learning disabilities and referred them to the

DSPS office. Faculty has also referred students to the Financial Aid office, the Counseling

Center, the Health Center and the Honors Program.

12. Describe the use of technology.

All full-time faculty and most of our adjunct faculty make use of Blackboard for their classes.

Most of the faculty uses PowerPoint, although until this semester they were forced to use their

personal laptop computers to run the presentations since the primary classroom was lacking an

adequate computer.

All courses make use of exercises based on students obtaining current earthquake and volcanic

eruption information from the United States Geological Survey (USGS) natural hazards web

page. Our lab courses use a computer tutorial for topographic maps that has proved to be very

effective in helping students learn basic map reading skills.

Fall 2013 was the final semester in which two courses offered in the distance learning telecourse

format were offered. One of our goals for the upcoming year is to generate an online meterology

course that could be added to the general education requirements.

13. What changes have been made in pedagogy?

There has been an increase in the use of technology. Almost all of our instructors are using the

Blackboard system in their courses. Several instructors use power point in their

lecture/laboratory presentations. There has been a push to increase active (student) learning in all

of our courses.

The Earth Science 115 course uses an integrated lab/lecture format with an emphasis in active

learning processes. Exercises are refined each semester with the goal of decreasing the reliance

of traditional lecture format to relay pertinent information. Currently techniques are being

developed to incorporate a seminar-style approach to presenting and retaining course material.

Within the Large Group Instruction section of Earth Science 110 group activities continue to be

incorporated into the course as a means of providing an environment that facilitates active,

concept-based learning as well as to foster communication and encourage the free exchange of

ideas between students.

14. What grants has the program been involved with? How has this changed the program?

The department has also been an active participant in Project GPS2, a Department of Education-

funded initiative to increase student success in Science, Technology, Math, and Engineering

(STEM), and to recruit underrepresented students to the sciences. Project activities include

Career events, where students can learn about STEM careers; as well as mentoring opportunities

to help students develop educational plans and resumes. Funding is also available for tutoring

and supplemental instruction for students. Through Project GPS2 mini-grants, department faculty

collaborated with geology and biology faculty at CSUF. In addition to strengthening professional

relationships, these interactions have produced information for development of an Earth Sciences

AA which will be sent off for State approval by the end of Spring 2013 semester.

The department has been working with Steve Bautista and the Engage in STEM grant to promote

a pathway to the AA degree in Earth Science. This AA degree is in the final stages of being

implemented at the college and this STEM grant will provide a number of opportunities for

students to learn more about obtaining a degree in Earth Science.

Assessment of Conclusions and Recommendations 15. What research has the department conducted?

As part of the Student Learning Outcome assessments, data has been collected regarding students

prior knowledge with regards to careers within the geosciences and natural hazards within the local

area. Data collected was analyzed and discussed in the SLO Assessement reports.

16. What resources has the department explored to ascertain the status of the

discipline/program in other arenas?

Our program continues to maintain good communication with local four-year institutions to facilitate

articulation and to better prepare our students.

No funding has been available for faculty to attend local and regional conferences which would

allow for open dialogue regarding that status of their programs.

17. Please summarize findings of direct SLO assessment. How has this informed future plans

for the program?

This is the required form that Program/Department Chairs must use to record the department assessment results

and plans to improve teaching and learning. It is included in the Department Planning Portfolio and attached to

the Portfolio Assessment/Program Review when the department is in a PA/PR quadrennial cycle year.

Department Earth Science/Geology

Meeting Date 8/24/12

Number of

faculty/staff in

attendance

2 full-time

Course SLOs

measured

By the end of the semester in all of the courses offered within the Department students will be able to assess and evaluate the impact of natural processes (earthquakes, mass wasting) on the human environment.

What core

competency do the

SLOs relate to?

Civic Responsibility – Students will take personal responsibility for becoming informed, ethical and active citizens of their community, their nation and their world.

Assessment Tools

(Give examples of

major assignments

used to measure

SLO/core

competency)

Dana Point Field Trip Assignment Students enrolled in Geology 101, Earth Science 110 (Coyne sections), Geology/Earth

Science 150 (Oceanography), Geology/Environmental Science 140 (Environmental Geology) and Geology 201 (Historical Geology) complete a 4-page assignment during a half-day trip to Dana Point Harbor.

Four questions were chosen from this assignment as they relate to the SLO/Core competency measured

o Describe the measures that have been taken to stabilize the cliff under the restaurant. (#4)

o There are small faults visible. Sketch one. Be sure to label the hanging wall and the footwall and show which way the fault moved. Are the faults, normal or reverse faults? (#16)

o What is the angle of repose of a rock unit? (#19A) o What is the angle of repose in the case of the Capistrano Formation? Are the

cliffs steeper than the angle of repose? How can this be possible? (#19B/C) Assessment used for this core competency was the following rubric.

Rubric for Evaluation of Field Trip Questions

Outstanding 3 pts Proficient 2 pts Limited 1 pt Unacceptable 0 pt Used proper spelling and grammar Demonstrated complete understanding of geological concepts Diagram is complete and accurate

Contains some grammatical or spelling errors Uses complete sentences Demonstrates fundamentally correct but incomplete understanding of geological concepts Diagram is missing minor components or contains minor inaccuracies

Does not answer in complete sentences Answers reference geological terminology but demonstrates little understanding of geological concepts Diagram is missing key features

No attempt is made to answer the question or the answer is factually incorrect. No diagram was present or diagram fundamentally misrepresents geologic concepts

Assessment

Results

(Summarize

overall results of

the department)

What student

needs and issues

were revealed?

Were there any

areas where

student

performance was

outstanding?

Any areas where it

can be improved?

Next Steps in

Classroom to

Improve Student

Learning

(check all the

Question 4: Describe the measures that have been taken to stabilize the cliff under the restaurant.

Course Outstanding Proficient Limited Unacceptable

ERTH110 (n=60) 3 (5%) 8 (13%) 48 (80%) 1 (2%)

GEOL101 (Coyne) (n=28) 8 (29%) 6 (21%) 12(43%) 2 (7%)

GEOL101 (Hughes) (n = 39) 21 (54%) 13 (33%) 5 (13%) 0 (0%)

GEOL/ENVR140 (n=30) 6 (20%) 9 (30%) 12 (40%) 3 (10%)

GEOL/ERTH150 (n=27) 5 (19%) 11 (41%) 11 (41%) 0 (0%)

GEOL201 (n=12) 6 (50%) 4 (33%) 2 (17%) 0 (0%)

Total Students: 196 49 (25%) 51 (26%) 90 (46%) 6 (3%)

Fifty-one percent of the students who completed this question did so without any or only minor omissions (outstanding or proficient score). The majority of those students (48) that scored at “limited” were from the Earth Science 110 course. A possible explanation for this finding is that due to the large amount of content the course must cover over the semester limited time is spent on discussing solutions to mass wasting problems. Also, many students received this score because they did not answer the question in complete sentences.

Question 16: There are small faults visible. Sketch one. Be sure to label the hanging wall and the footwall and show which way the fault moved. Are the faults, normal or reverse faults?


ERTH110 (n=60) 0 (0%) 13 (22%) 20 (33%) 27 (45%)

GEOL101 (Coyne) (n=28) 0 (0%) 7 (25%) 10 (36%) 11 (39%)

GEOL101 (Hughes) (n = 39) 10 (26%) 2 (5%) 24 (61%) 3 (8%)

items faculty/staff

felt would help

them address the

needs and issues

revealed by the

assessment)

How might student

performance be

improved

GEOL/ENVR140 (n=30) 7 (23%) 5 (17%) 15 (50%) 3 (10%

GEOL/ERTH150 (n=27) 8 (30%) 5 (19%) 11 (41%) 3 (11%)

GEOL201 (n=12) 4 (33%) 6 (50%) 2 (17%) 0 (0%)

Total Students: 196 29 (15%) 38 (19%) 82 (42%) 47 (24%)

Thirty-four percent of the students who completed this question did so without any or only minor omissions (outstanding or proficient score). As earthquakes are an important topic covered in all earth science and geology courses the low percentage of students scoring at least proficient is not acceptable. A possible reason for the higher percentage of students receiving a limited or unacceptable answer would be that the students were not able to see the faults in the natural environment. Fault identification is discussed in class but images of faults in the natural environment (either within the text or in lecture) are not shown or limited. This issue can be resolved by incorporating more images/illustrations of actual faults in the natural environment and allowing students the opportunity to identify what type of fault it is they are observing. Many students received a limited score because their diagram was missing key features, such as, labeling the blocks as hanging wall or footwall.

Question 19a: What is the angle of repose of a rock unit?


ERTH110 (n=60) 2 (3%) 3 (5%) 38 (63%) 17 (28%)

GEOL101 (Coyne) (n=28) 6 (21%) 6 (21%) 16 (58%) 0 (0%)

GEOL101 (Hughes) (n = 39) 12 (30%) 10 (26%) 10 (26%) 7 (18%)

GEOL/ENVR140 (n=30) 3 (10%) 2 (7%) 1 (3%) 24 (80%)

GEOL/ERTH150 (n=27) 5 (19%) 8 (30%) 14 (52%) 0 (0%)

GEOL201 (n=12) 5 (42%) 2 (17%) 5 (42%) 0 (0%)

Total Students: 196 30 (15%) 35 (18%) 79 (40%) 52 (27%)

Thirty-three percent of the students who completed this question did so without any or only minor omissions (outstanding or proficient score). The high percentage of students receiving a limited or unacceptable score (67%) was due to misreading of the question. Many of the responses were the actual angle measurement of the slope that is shown on one of the handouts the students received in the packet. We are asking for the definition of the term “angle of repose”. We will reword the question to ask, “Define the term angle of repose.” This change will reduce the number of answers that would receive a limited score. The high percentage (80%) of unacceptable answers for GEOL/ENVR140 was due to a question numbering issue on that version of the assignment.

Question 19b/c: What is the angle of repose in the case of the Capistrano Formation? Are the cliffs steeper than the angle of repose? How can this be possible?


ERTH110 (n=60) 0 (0%) 20 (33%) 26 (43%) 14 (23%)

GEOL101 (Coyne) (n=28) 1 (4%) 20 (71%) 6 (21%) 1 (4%)

GEOL101 (Hughes) (n = 39) 17 (43%) 10 (26%) 10 (26%) 2 (5%)

GEOL/ENVR140 (n=30) 0 (0%) 9 (30%) 16 (53%) 5 (17%)

GEOL/ERTH150 (n=27) 0 (0%) 11 (41%) 14 (52%) 2 (7%)

GEOL201 (n=12) 7 (58%) 3 (25%) 0 (0%) 2 (17%)

Total Students: 196 25 (13%) 73 (37%) 72 (37%) 26 (13%)

Fifty percent of the students who completed this question did so without any or only minor omissions (outstanding or proficient score). The most common reason for those that received a limited score was due to the lack of answering the questions in complete sentences.

Student improvement can be accomplished by 1. Stating the goals and objectives of the assignment/activity more explicitly. 2. Revising the questions of the assignment 3. Revising lecture content leading up to the field trip 4. Increasing in-class discussion and activities related to what will be asked of the students on the field trip 5. Encouraging student collaboration and/or peer review within the lectures and on the field trip 6. Increasing guidance for students as they work on the assignment on the field trip

Next Steps in the

Department to

Improve Student

learning

1.Offer/encourage attendance at seminars, workshops or discussion groups about teaching methods 2. Consult teaching and learning experts about teaching methods 3. Encourage faculty to share activities that foster competency 4. Analyze course curriculum to determine that competency skills are taught so that the department can build a progression of skills as students advance through courses

Priorities to

Improve Student

Learning

(List the top three-

six things

faculty/staff felt

would most

improve student

learning)

1. Incorporate more in-class discussion/activities that relate to the natural environment so that the field trip is not the student’s first exposure to making correlations between knowing a definition and identifying the feature(s) defined. 2. Incorporate into assignments/quizzes/tests more opportunities for the students to practice their writing skills (focusing on writing complete sentences). 3. Update grading rubric to emphasize areas of weakness found from this assessment.

Implementation

(List the

department plans

to implement these

three-six

priorities)

1. Department will address with agenda items at all upcoming meeting of full-time and adjunct faculty. 2. Begin and continue discussions with other Division faculty about what they are doing/planning to improve writing and determine the feasibility of the larger coordinated dlivision efforts in the future. 3. Revise assignment to address deficiencies described through data findings.

Timeline for

Implementation

(Make a timeline

for

implementation of

the top priorities)

1. Fall 2012 (revisions and discussions with other faculty) 2. Spring 2013 (revisions based on faculty discussions completed, implementation of additional in-class discussions/examples) 3. Fall 2013 (continuation of new methods from Spring 2013 and collection of new data to be used as a measurement tool of student success based on the recommendations from the findings of this assessment ( Spring 2012 Appendix C). Communication within the department/division regarding the findings will be continuous and on-going as to better serve the students.

18. What changes are recommended for the program?

The Geology Department will continue to explore new methods to improve student learning

outcomes. A change that would require administration support would be the reimplementation of the

field courses as the faculty sees this as vital to the improved successes of our students. More research

related to student success should be conducted as a means to improve student success (grade C or

better). The department will be tracking those students who identify themselves as potential majors

as well as identifying those students who have the potential to be successful as geology or earth

science majors.

19. What issues have emerged that requires interdisciplinary dialogue and possible inclusion in

overall college planning?

The faculty of the Geology Department has increasingly found that basic skills (reading, writing, and

basic math) are underdeveloped. With the current basic skills initiative, these areas may be addressed

within each of the disciplines. Faculty has attended basic skills workshops as part of Staff

Development opportunities during Flex Week. These workshops have delivered useful techniques

that can be used in the classroom to promote development of basic skills. Basic skills, however,

continues to be an area that needs faculty attention.

This report was created and approved by Geology/Earth Science department on February 13,

2013.

Department meetings with full time and adjunct faculty were held the Thursday evenings before

the first day of classes. Full-time faculty meetings were held the 3rd

Thursday of the month at

1:30pm.

Members of the department who contributed to the Direct-SLO Assessment Spring and Fall and

the 19QT: Phil Hughes, Claire Coyne, Dan Eastmond, Richard Greenwood

The mission of Santa Ana College is to be a leader and partner in meeting the intellectual,

cultural, technological and workforce development needs of our diverse community. Santa

Ana College provides access and equity in a dynamic learning environment that prepares

students for transfer, careers and lifelong intellectual pursuits in a global community.

SANTA ANA COLLEGE

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