Course Prefix & Number
Course Title:
GEOL 106
Earth Science Inquiry
General Education Outcome and Assessment Form
Natural Sciences
Breadth Area: Patterns and Connections in the Natural World
General Education Outcome
Course Outcome
NS1. Demonstrate how scientific
discovery and research contribute to
our lives.
Students will be able to apply
Earth science concepts and
processes to personal and
societal issues.
NS2. Recognize the natural sciences as
a system in which observations and
measurement must ultimately verify
theories that explain and predict
natural phenomena.
NS3. Distinguish between data and
analysis.
Students will be able to collect,
analyze, and interpret
quantitative and qualitative
data to address questions
about relevant Earth science
concepts.
NS4. Apply mathematical and
quantitative skills to solve problems in
the natural sciences.
NS5. Engage in systematic critical
thinking (analysis, inference,
evaluation, induction, deduction).
Students will be able to collect,
analyze, and interpret
quantitative and qualitative
data to address questions
about relevant Earth science
concepts.
Students will be able to apply
appropriate scientific
Faculty Senate – General Education Committee 2013
How will the course satisfy this
outcome?
How will this outcome be assessed
(summative) and what is the measure
of success?
Regular readings and data analysis
activities will include connections to realworld issues at the intersection of Earth
science and society. Students will identify
societal issues and personal experiences
where Earth science plays a role.
Students will work in small groups
investigating questions via activities that
involve collecting, analyzing, and
interpreting data both based on their own
observations and from remote
instruments (e.g. atmospheric data from
stations around the world). These
investigations will facilitate the derivation
of basic Earth science concepts.
Assessment by written assignments and
reflections on the role that Earth science
plays in society; these will be assessed
with a rubric anchored to a 5-point scale
and 75% should achieve satisfactory or
better.
Students will submit individual write-ups
of small-group work done in class. Writeups will be evaluated with a course rubric
anchored to a 5-point scale; 75% should
achieve satisfactory or better.
Students will work in small groups
investigating questions via activities that
involve collecting, analyzing, and
interpreting data both based on their own
observations and from remote
instruments (e.g. atmospheric data from
stations around the world). These
investigations will facilitate the derivation
of basic Earth science concepts and
Students will submit individual write-ups
of small-group work done in class. Writeups will be evaluated with a course rubric
anchored to a 5-point scale; 75% should
achieve satisfactory or better.
Final projects will be assessed for accuracy
of content and demonstration of analysis,
interpretation, and use of references.
investigative techniques to
address questions about
relevant Earth science
concepts.
Students will be able to apply
Earth science concepts and
processes to personal and
societal issues.
PCNW1. Demonstrate an
understanding of conceptual models of
complex natural systems.
Students will be able to find
and utilize a variety of
resources to learn and
communicate about Earth
science events and processes.
Students will be able to collect,
analyze, and interpret
quantitative and qualitative
data to address questions
about relevant Earth science
concepts.
Students will be able to apply
appropriate scientific
investigative techniques to
address questions about
relevant Earth science
concepts.
PCNW2. Analyze the processes and
cause-effect relationships in complex
natural systems.
Students will be able to apply
Earth science concepts and
processes to personal and
societal issues.
Students will be able to collect,
analyze, and interpret
quantitative and qualitative
data to address questions
about relevant Earth science
concepts.
Faculty Senate – General Education Committee 2013
develop in complexity throughout the
quarter.
They will be evaluated using a rubric; 75%
should achieve satisfactory or better.
Students will develop a final project
investigating a particular concept or
location, seeking out resources, and
conducting data analysis on their own
using the skills they have learned through
previous investigations.
Students will work in small groups
investigating questions via activities that
involve collecting, analyzing, and
interpreting data both based on their own
observations and from remote
instruments (e.g. atmospheric data from
stations around the world). These
investigations will facilitate the derivation
of basic Earth science concepts and have
strong connections to societal issues such
as sea-level rise and flooding or
earthquake hazards.
Small groups will develop a concept
map for each investigation, which will
be assessed based on a 5-pt rubric. A
majority of the groups should achieve
a satisfactory grade or better.
Students will work in small groups
investigating questions via activities that
involve collecting, analyzing, and
interpreting data both based on their own
observations and from remote
instruments (e.g. atmospheric data from
stations around the world). These
In an assessment near the end of the
quarter, students will be asked to analyze
interactions and feedbacks in a particular
component of the Earth system including
a sketch and a written essay. Answers will
be scored according to a rubric that will be
anchored to the 5-pt scale; 75% should be
Students will be able to apply
appropriate scientific
investigative techniques to
address questions about
relevant Earth science
concepts.
investigations will facilitate the derivation
of basic Earth science concepts and
develop in complexity throughout the
quarter, allowing students to build an
understanding of the complex interactions
within the Earth system.
satisfactory or better.
Students will be able to apply
Earth science concepts and
processes to personal and
societal issues.
How will assessment data be collected & how will that data inform course and program review?
Individual scores will be recorded in Canvas and then will be aggregated by section, quarter, or year as needed. On a biannual basis, samples of final
projects will be blind-scored by a group of faculty who teach GEOL 106 and similar courses in chemistry, biology, and physics, using a common rubric. The
results of both sets of scoring will be shared with geology and science education faculty to inform course revision as needed, and to the General
Education Committee as requested for program review.
Faculty Senate – General Education Committee 2013