COURSE ASSESSMENT REPORT (CAR)
Revised 08/01/2011
Course Prefix, Number and Title: GEOG 121-Climate Change: The Science Basis
School/Unit: School of Sciences
Submitted by: Bronwen Haugland
Contributing Faculty:
Academic Year: 2011-12
Complete and electronically submit your assessment report to your Department Chair/Coordinator/Director. As needed, please attach supporting documents and/or
a narrative description of the assessment activities in your program or discipline.
Course Outcomes
In the boxes below, summarize
the outcomes assessed in your
course during the year.
Outcome #1
Students will be able to explain
the key components, interactions,
and concepts that characterize the
Earth-atmosphere system.
Assessment Measures
Assessment Results
Use of Results
Effect on Course
In the boxes below, summarize
the methods used to assess course
outcomes during the last year.
In the boxes below, summarize
the results of your assessment
activities during the last year.
In the boxes below, summarize
how you are or how you plan to
use the results to improve student
learning.
Based on the results of this
assessment, will you revise your
outcomes? If so, please
summarize how and why in the
boxes below:
Several periodic quizzes where
given to evaluate whether
students can identify physical
processes related to the past,
current, and futre Earthatmosphere system.
See attached histogram for
results. Table 1 shows all
students combined scores on 5
quizzes. Nearly 70% of students
performed this outcome at a level
considered satisfactory (>70%)
with all quizzes combined, but
only just over 30% performed at
the “B” level or above.
The material related to the past
I will not revise my assessment
for next time. Instead, I will use
the same assessment methods
to determine how changes in
content delivery and course
activities affect student learning.
If I change the assessment plan,
results will not be comparable to
this year.
The course, however, is divided
in thirds by content. Section 1, at
the beginning of the semester,
covers our current understanding
of the Earth’s modern climates’
controls and processes. Section 2
deals with past climates and
climate reconstruction, while the
third section content is modern
climate history and possible
future trends. When scores are
divided by content, there are
clear changes to the results
Page 1
climate is quite difficult, as they
are many hypotheses for them
to conceptualize. We are also
discussing processes operating at
coarse time scales, which again
is difficult for them to
conceptualize. They also need
practice synthesizing new
information with previously
learned content. I need to look
in to (and implement) different
activities for the students to help
with such conceptual material. It
is important students have an
understanding of hypotheses
related to past climate changes
in order to assess future climate
scenarios.
COURSE ASSESSMENT REPORT (CAR)
Course Prefix, Number and Title: GEOG 121-Climate Change: The Science Basis
School/Unit: School of Sciences
Submitted by: Bronwen Haugland
Contributing Faculty:
Academic Year: 2011-12
Course Outcomes
Assessment Measures
Assessment Results
Use of Results
Effect on Course
(Figure 1). Students tend to have
a better understanding of material
from the last section, while they
clearly struggle most with past
climates and reconstruction.
Figure 1. Student performance quizzes in GEOG 121, Fall
2011. Quiz results are combined by section content.
Table 1. Student performance quizzes in GEOG 121, Fall
2011. The results of all 5 quizzes are combined.
< 60 %
60-69%
70-79%
80-89%
> 90 %
% of quizzes in
grade range
60.0
11.5
19.7
36.1
26.2
6.6
50.0
Section 1
% of quiz scores
Grade range
Section 2
40.0
Section 3
30.0
20.0
10.0
0.0
< 60 %
Page 2
60-69%
70-79%
80-89%
> 90 %
COURSE ASSESSMENT REPORT (CAR)
Course Prefix, Number and Title: GEOG 121-Climate Change: The Science Basis
School/Unit: School of Sciences
Submitted by: Bronwen Haugland
Contributing Faculty:
Academic Year: 2011-12
Please enter your name and date below to confirm you have reviewed this report:
Title
Name
Date
Department Chair/Coordinator/Director
Dave R. Boden
5/18/2012
Dean
Ted Plaggemeyer
6/4/2012
Vice President of Academic Affairs and Student Services
John G. Tuthill
Page 3
8/6/2012