SJSU Annual Program Assessment Form
Academic Year 2013-2014
Department: Geology
Program: B.S. Geology
College: Science
Website: http://www.sjsu.edu/geology/
X Check here if your website addresses the University Learning Goals.
http://www.sjsu.edu/geology/program/undergraduate/bsobjectives/index.html
Program Accreditation (if any): None
Contact Person and Email: Robert B. Miller robert.b.miller@sjsu.edu
Date of Report: May 29, 2014
Part A
1. List of Program Learning Outcomes (PLOs)
There are six Primary Learning Objectives (PLOs) for the B.S. Geology degree. Students who earn a B.S. Geology
degree will possess the ability to:
1. Develop the skill to read and accurately interpret topographic maps.
2. Effectively communicate scientific ideas and results in writing.
3. Use the fundamentals of chemistry, physics, and math to solve geologic problems.
4. Classify and identify geological materials, such as, minerals, rocks, and fossils, and understand their
relationships to each other and interacting earth systems.
5. Visualize and comprehend geologic structures and processes.
6. Understand how geologists measure deep time and reconstruct earth history.
2.&3. Map of PLOs to University Learning Goals (ULGs) and Alignment of PLOs to courses
PLO # Introductory Reinforcement
1
GEOL 1, 7, 28
125*
2
GEOL 1, 7, 28
120, 124*
120*, 122*, 124,
3
GEOL 1, 7
125
120*, 122*,
4
GEOL 1, 7, 28
124*, 125
122*, 124*,
5
GEOL 1, 7, 28
125*
6
GEOL 1, 7, 28
124
Capstone
129*
129
University Learning Goals §
#1
#3
129
#1, #3, #4
129*
#1, #3, #4
129
#1, #3
129*
#1, #2, #3, #4
*Course used for assessment of PLO
§University Learning Goal #5 is addressed through GE offerings. Within the
B.S. Geology degree, Geology 1 and Geology 7 have assignments that
address University Learning Goal #5.
4. Planning – Assessment Schedule
The following table is the Geology Department's six-year assessment schedule for the six PLOs for the B.S.
Geology degree:
PLO #
1
2
3
4
5
6
2013
2014
2015
2016
x
2017
2018
x
x
x
x
x
x
5. Student Experience
PLOs and the ULGs are posted at
http://www.sjsu.edu/geology/program/undergraduate/bsobjectives/index.html and communicated to students
on the course syllabi. They are also discussed in the appropriate class where assessed.
6. Graduation Rates for Total, Non URM and URM Students by Program
Note: URM = African-American, Hispanic, and Americam-Indians; Non-URM = White and Asian/Pacific Islander; Other = Other and Foreign
Academic Programs
Geology
First-time Freshmen: 6
Year Graduation Rates
New UG Transfers: 3 Year
Graduation Rates
Grads : 3 Year
Graduation Rates
Fall 2007 Cohort
Fall 2010 Cohort
Fall 2010 Cohort
Entering
% Grad
Entering
% Grad
Entering
% Grad
Total
2
50.0%
5
20.0%
9
0.0%
URM
0
0.0%
2
50.0%
0
0.0%
Non-URM
1
100.0%
3
0.0%
7
0.0%
Other
1
0.0%
0
0.0%
2
0.0%
Graduation Rates for Total, Non URM and URM Students by Program - Conventional approach
(Major on Graduation)
Academic Programs
Geology
First-time Freshmen: 6
Year Graduation Rates
Fall 2007 Cohort
New UG Transfers: 3 Year
Graduation Rates
Fall 2010 Cohort
New UG Transfers: 3
Year Graduation Rates
Fall 2010 Cohort
Grads : 3 Year
Graduation Rates
Fall 2010 Cohort
Entering
% Grad
Entering
% Grad
Entering
% Grad
Entering
% Grad
Total
4
50.0%
5
20.0%
4
0.0%
6
0.0%
URM
1
0.0%
2
50.0%
2
0.0%
0
0.0%
Non-URM
3
66.7%
3
0.0%
2
0.0%
7
0.0%
0.0%
0
0.0%
0
0.0%
2
0.0%
Other
Very few freshmen enter SJSU as Geology majors, in large part reflecting that few college-bound students are
taught Earth Science in high school. Thus, there are so few students that the graduation rates lack statistical
validity. Fortunately, this should change with the recent adoption by California of Next Generation Standards for
science education which place much new emphasis on Earth Sciences.
Our number of UG transfers is higher than that of first-time freshmen, though getting a statistical graduation
rate is still dubious. That said, we wish to improve the 3-year graduation rates. The low rates probably in large
part reflect that many of the transfers have not taken the necessary classes in calculus, chemistry, and physics
before they arrive here. The Department hosted the local community college Earth Science instructors at a
luncheon in May and discussed transfer issues. We plan future meetings and hope that there will be better
streamlining of the transfer process.
7. Headcount of Program Majors and New Students by Programs and Degree
Note: 1st Fr. = First-time Freshmen; Transf = Transfer Students; UGs = Undergraduate Students; Creds = Credential Students; Grads = Graduate Students
Fall 2013
New Students
Geology
Cont. Students
Total
UG Transf
New Creds
1st Grads
UGs
Creds
Grads
UGs
Creds
Grads
Total
6
0
8
27
0
18
36
0
26
BS
6
0
0
27
0
0
36
0
0
MS
0
0
8
0
0
18
0
0
26
Degree
The number of UG majors has increased in the last few years and the number of accepted students for 2014-15 is the highest
in at least the last 10 years. We are attempting to attract more majors through the outreach to community college instructors
described above and by “advertising” our discipline to GE students, emphasizing what Earth scientists do and the high demand
by employers for majors in Geology. We also had a half-day retreat in September 2013 that focused on how to better market our
department and increase the number of majors. As a result of this meeting, we also decided to request a change in the name of
the department to “Earth Sciences”, as this better reflects the broad scope of our major and faculty.
8. SFR (Exhibit 3) and Average Headcount per Section (Exhibit 2) by Course Prefix
Fall 2013
Student to
Faculty
Ratio
(SFR)
20.4
Average
Headcount
per Section
Lower Division
25.3
35.1
Upper Division
23.1
24.2
Graduate Division
4.0
2.8
Course Prefix
Course Level
GEOL - Geology
Total
22.4
Our average headcount and SFR have also increased. We note that the headcount for graduate students is negatively affected
relative to many departments by the way that we assign credit for supervision courses. That is, individual sections are assigned
to each faculty member to insure proper credit, and we have a significant number of graduate students for the size of
Department. Our formal classes generally have >10 students.
9. Percentage Full-time Equivalent Faculty (FTEF) for tenured/tenure-track instructional faculty by Department
Fall 2013
Geology
% Tenured/Prob
Tenured
Temp Lecturer
Probationary
54.2%
4.649
3.933
0
Part C
10. Closing the Loop/Recommended Actions
The Department has devoted significant time in faculty meetings in the Spring semester during the last two
academic years to discuss assessment. We go over the assessment reports for the specific PLOs evaluated that
year and then discuss the PLOs in general. In our Spring 2014 meeting, we continued to evaluate the writing
skills of our students and decided that there should be more technical writing in the required curriculum. As a
result, Geol 120 (Mineralogy) will be increased from 3 to 4 units and a major report will be required in the class.
The SLOs were simplified and reduced in number in Spring 2013 in response to the comments of the external
reviewer for our program plan.
Related to our assessment of the lower-division classes that are required of our majors, and also taken by GE
students, we have increased our training of graduate teaching assistants. This training included an expanded
orientation meeting in Fall 2013 and more “hands-on” direction by the lab coordinators (tenured faculty). These
improvements were in part in response to comments by the external reviewer of our program plan.
11. Assessment Data
The following PLOs were assessed for this report:
PLO 3: Use the fundamentals of chemistry, physics, and math to solve geologic problems.
PLO 4: Classify and identify geological materials, such as minerals, rocks, and fossils, and understand their
relationships to each other and interacting earth systems.
12. Analysis
Initial Evidence of Student Learning:
SLO 3
The most systematic and thorough assessment of SLO3 takes place in Geology 122 (Petrology), a required class
for the major, which is offered once a year. In two laboratory exercises for this class, students apply physical
chemistry principles to the investigation of processes that form igneous and metamorphic rocks. In the first lab,
students used simple phase diagrams to describe the melting and crystallization behavior of igneous rocks. In
spring 2014, 12 of 12 students demonstrated a satisfactory to excellent understanding of binary phase equilibria;
the majority of students (11 of 12) earned a score of 80% or better on this assignment. A second lab exercise
focusing on metamorphic composition diagrams required students to use chemical analyses for rocks and mineral
formulas, and to assess and graphically portray equilibrium mineral assemblages for different grades of
metamorphism. In spring 2014, 11 of 12 students demonstrated at a satisfactory to excellent understanding of
these principles, with the majority of students (9 of 12) earning a 90% or better on this lab.
SLO 4
The classification and identification of geological materials is treated in several classes in the major, but is most
directly addressed in Geology 120 (Fundamentals of Mineralogy) and Geol 129 (Field Geology), both of which
are required classes . Mineralogy is offered once a year and is one of the first upper division Geology courses
taken by students pursuing the BS degree. Students in this course are expected to identify ~ 75 minerals based
on their physical properties seen in hand sample and are required to recognize a smaller subset of minerals
using properties observed under the polarizing microscope. Students study minerals based on their
classification into chemical groups such as sulfides, oxides, carbonates, and silicates and each mineral group is
presented in the context of its occurrence in common rocks and/or in economically important mineral deposits.
In fall 2013, students’ ability to identify minerals was assessed by two quizzes and two comprehensive lab
practicals, one that focused on hand sample mineralogy and a second that involved identification of minerals
using their optical properties. Eighty-six percent (12 of 14) of students demonstrated a satisfactory to excellent
ability to identify minerals on each of the two quizzes. The comprehensive lab practicals proved more
challenging with about 70% of students demonstrating an average to excellent ability to identify common
minerals in hand sample and approximately 80% showing an average or better ability to recognize minerals
under the microscope. The lower scores on the lab practicals may result from students not spending a sufficient
amount of time outside of lab to prepare for the lab test.
Mastering mineral identification is typically challenging for students, as it requires them to spend a significant
amount of time outside of class in order to gain sufficient familiarly with the minerals to perform satisfactorily
on the Geology 120 lab practicals. Mineral identification is reinforced in the Geology 122 (Petrology) and other
majors classes, affording students who may have struggled with identification in the Mineralogy course several
additional opportunities to reinforce and practice this skill.
In Geology 129, all students must prepare a comprehensive geologic report, which is the primary assessment
tool used in the course. The report includes: rock descriptions, stratigraphy, geologic maps and geologic crosssections of the map area. Students must first identify and classify all of the rock units that are in their map area.
The disposition of the rock units (i.e. their relationship to each other) is accomplished by the mapping of the
rock units in the field and identifying the types of contacts between them (e.g. faulted, depositional). Students
must also understand and be able to evaluate how lithospheric processes interact with the hydrosphere and
atmosphere, (i.e. interacting earth systems) through the weathering cycle and modification of the land surface.
The report is scored and evaluated using a standardized rubric that assesses how well the students perform on
each individual part of the report as well as the writing. In Fall 2013 (instruction took place in summer 2013)
there were 14 students who took Geology 129. Of these, 7 scored as good or excellent in meeting the PLO, and 6
scored as satisfactory to good.
13. Proposed changes and goals (if any)
No changes have been made in Geology 120.
We did not change the curriculum or pedagogy in Geology 129 since the last time this PLO was assessed. In the
future, Geology 129 will be taught as a 2+(2 or 4) unit sequence with all students taking an introductory 2-unit
section (Geol 129A) in the spring prior to the summer field course. This will be followed by the summer course
where students can earn either 2 or 4 units of additional credit toward their degree, depending on whether they
complete 1 or 2 geologic mapping projects with accompanying geologic reports. Four units of Geology 129 are
required for the B.S. degree and 2 additional units may be counted as Geology elective units.