GENERAL EDUCATION ASSESSMENT AND REVIEW FORM – NATURAL SCIENCE (GROUP XI, N)
5/15
Please attach/ submit additional documents as needed to fully complete each section of the form.
I. COURSE INFORMATION
Department:
Applied Computing & Engineering Technology
Course Title:
Lab Status:
Introduction to Sustainable Energy I
With Lab
✔
Course Number: NRGY
101
Without Lab
Type of Request: ✔ New
One-time Only
Renew *
Change
Remove
Rationale: This course has been gaining interdisciplinary momentum since its inception in 2007. We enroll business students, EVST students, Climate
Change students, and a growing number of international students. The course focuses on historical perspectives on prominent scientists and
technologists, as well as on the fundamental physics and engineering principles central to conventional energy production.
*If course has not changed since the last review and is taught by the same tenure-track faculty member, you may skip sections III-V.
JUSTIFICATION FOR COURSE LEVEL
Normally, general education courses will not carry pre-requisites, will carry at least 3 credits, and will be numbered at the 100-200
level. If the course has more than one pre-requisite, carries fewer than three credits, or is upper division (numbered at the 300 level
or above), provide rationale for exception(s).
Students enrolling in NRGY 101 Introduction to Sustainable Energy I, need only have a modest
familiarity with algebra. Students work on four to five quantitative problem sets with an engineering
technology focus, five 300-word summaries of timely peer-reviewed articles, and take seven exams
based upon the textbook featured in the attached syllabus.
II. ENDORSEMENT / APPROVALS
* Instructor:
Bradley Layton
Phone / Email:
Program Chair:
Dean:
Digitally signed by Bradley Layton
DN: cn=Bradley Layton, o=Missoula
College, ou,
email=bradley.layton@umontana.edu, c=US
09/30/2015
Signature _______________________ Date____________
x7865/bradley.layton@umonana.edu
Steve Shen
Shannon O'Brien
Digitally signed by Xueying Steve Shen
DN: cn=Xueying Steve Shen, o=Missoula
College, ou=ACET,
email=steve.shen@umontana.edu, c=US
09/30/2015
Signature _______________________ Date____________
Signature _______________________ Date____________
*Form must be completed by the instructor who will be teaching the course. If the instructor of the course changes before the next
review, the new instructor must be provided with a copy of the form prior to teaching the course.
III. DESCRIPTION AND PURPOSE
General Education courses must be introductory and foundational within the offering department or within the General Education
Group. They must emphasize breadth, context, and connectedness; and relate course content to students’ future lives: See
Preamble
NRGY 101 Introduction to Sustainable Energy I is a survey of traditional energy systems and
technologies. The course introduces conventional primary energy sources—coal, oil, gas, nuclear—
and examines the technologies used to capture, convert, distribute, store, and utilize these energy
sources. Consideration is given to the physical and engineering aspects, as well as economic, social,
environmental, and political factors that affect the sustainability of these sources.
IV. CRITERIA
BRIEFLY EXPLAIN HOW THIS COURSE MEETS THE CRITERIA FOR THE GROUP.
1.
Courses explore a discipline in the natural sciences and demonstrate how the scientific method is used within the discipline to
draw scientific conclusions:
Several scientific disciplines are covered including physics, chemistry, and to some extent biology.
One feature of the course is Summary 3, where we have students pull data from
www.worldometers.info plot the data, then use linear, exponential, and quadratic models to predict
future values. Hypotheses are formed around which model is most valid, and these results are
compared to actual values at the end of the semester.
2.
Courses address the concept of analytic uncertainty and the rigorous process required to take an idea to a hypothesis and then
to a validated scientific theory;
As another aspect of Summary 3, we deal extensively not only with the validity and assumptions built
into the three analytical models used for extrapolation, but also with how to properly apply significant
digits in both engineering and scientific notation. In addition to this summary, we also focus on papers
that explore quantitative climate change models and compare this to historical data and physical
models.
3.
Lab courses engage students in inquiry-based learning activities where they formulate a hypothesis, design an experiment to
test the hypothesis, and collect, interpret, and present the data to support their conclusions.
NRGY 101 Introduction to Sustainable Energy I is a course that is offered in both online and
face-to-face format, making laboratories a challenge. That said, we do have local hands-on activities
such as servicing our mobile wind turbine trailer. Again, our Summary 3, which is a computer-based
experiment, students do hypothesize which of the three analytical models is likely to be most accurate
and compare their hypothesis with the actual outcome at the end of the semester. F
V. STUDENT LEARNING GOALS
BRIEFLY EXPLAIN HOW THIS COURSE WILL MEET THE APPLICABLE LEARNING GOALS.
1. Understand the general principles associated with the discipline(s) studied;
Newton’s laws, the ideal gas law, thermodynamics laws, stoichiometry, and global consumption rates
of natural resources are all covered in sufficient detail to prepare students for subsequent courses.
2. Understand the methodology and activities scientists use to gather, validate and interpret data related to natural processes;
These principles are covered in each of the five summaries, and covered in detail in the course
textbook.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zYca7vTUo_4
3. Detect patterns, draw conclusions, develop conjectures and hypotheses, and test them by appropriate means and experiments;
Summary 3, our most quantitative summary covers these concepts, as do our four to five problem
sets.
4. Understand how scientific laws and theories are verified by quantitative measurement, scientific observation, and logical/critical
reasoning; and
The work of scientists such as Newton, Watt, Boyle, Kelvin, Pauli, Einstein, Hooke, Edison, Tesla and
Joule to name a few are reviewed. Students become familiar with the technologies available to these
scientists, work with the equations they developed, and examine data presented in peer-reviewed artic
5. Understand the means by which analytic uncertainty is quantified and expressed in the natural sciences.
This is addressed through the use of the appropriate use of significant digits, the appropriate
application of predictive analytical models: linear, exponential, parabolic.
VI. ASSESSMENT
A. HOW ARE THE LEARNING GOALS ABOVE MEASURED? Describe the measurement(s) used, such as a rubric or specific test
questions that directly measure the General Education learning goals. Please attach or provide a web link to the rubric, test
questions, or other measurements used.
1.
Six or seven exams assess students’ comprehension of the textbook material.
2.
Three or four problem sets assess students’ ability to reach quantitative answers to engineering and
scientific questions.
3.
Five summaries assess students’ abilities to comprehend peer-reviewed articles in energy and
climate.
A General Education Assessment Report will be due on a four-year rotating cycle. You will be notified in advance of the due date.
This will serve to fulfill the University’s accreditation requirements to assess general education and will provide an opportunity to
connect with your colleagues across campus and share teaching strategies. Items VI.B- D will be helpful in compiling the report.
B. ACHIEVEMENT TARGETS
[This section is optional. Achievement targets can be reported if they have been established.]
Describe the desirable level of performance for your students, and the percentage of students you expected to achieve this:
1.
We expect all students to spend 3-6 hours per week on this course and to have over 80% of them
achieve a score of 80% or greater on their exams.
2.
All students must complete all of the problem sets in order to pass the course. See syllabus for
weighting.
3.
All students must complete all of the summaries to pass the course. See syllabus for weighting.
C. ASSESSMENT FINDINGS
[This section is optional. Assessment findings can be reported if they are available.]
What were the results/findings, and what is your interpretation/analysis of the data? (Please be detailed, using specific
numbers/percentages when possible. Qualitative discussion of themes provided in student feedback can also be reported. Do NOT
use course grades or overall scores on a test/essay. The most useful data indicates where students’ performance was stronger and
where it was weaker. Feel free to attach charts/tables if desired.)
We have found that most students perform well on exams as the majority of the questions are
specifically from the textbook. Where we find most (> 50%) of students struggling are to quickly and
efficiently work quantitative exam questions. We have therefore supplemented the course with
problem sets. The skills required to complete these problem sets are covered extensively in class. For
the five summaries, we frequently find that while some (~30%) of students struggle with grammar,
syntax and punctuation, the majority of students demonstrate good interpretation of the data and ideas
presented in the papers, and are able to integrate this with their own opinions and values.
D. ASSESSMENT FEEDBACK
[This section is optional. Assessment feedback can be reported if it is available.]
Given your students’ performance the last time the course was offered, how will you modify the course to enhance learning? You
can also address how the course could be improved, and what changes in the course content or pedagogy you plan to make, based
upon on the findings. Please include a timeframe for the changes.
This semester, we will do more “flipped classroom” work where rather than students spending the
majority of the time listening to lecture, they will instead listen to three 5-10 min summaries of the
chapter, then begin delving into the quantitative skills necessary for completing problem sets.
Additional time will also be spent discussing the readings as well as reviewing individual student’s
work in class.
VII. SYLLABUS AND SUBMISSION
Please submit syllabus in a separate file with the completed and signed form to the Faculty Senate Office, UH 221. The learning
goals for the Natural Science Group must be included on the syllabus. An electronic copy of the original signed form is acceptable.