GIS Concentration Assessment Report, September 20, 2013
Stella Todd
Assessment Methods
The Advanced GIS Project senior experience course along with curriculum mapping is our current
approach to assessment of the GIS Concentration within the Land Use Program. First the GIS
Concentration goals were mapped to student learning objectives (SLOs) for required GIS courses. Then
student success in completion of the senior experience was evaluated. Areas of strength as well as
deficiencies were determined.
Course Mapping
Our GIS Program is comprehensive with seven goals and numerous courses addressing those goals. For
most goals more than one course reinforces those goals. Repetition and elaboration on key concepts and
skills help students gain a good deal of proficiency in GIS in the areas of data models, cartography,
remote sensing, data management, data analysis, and the application of scientific methodology (Table 1).
Table 1: GIS Concentration Goals Relative to SLOs of GIS Course Requirements
GIS Concentration Goals
GIS
2250
1. Understand GIS principles including
raster and vector data models and
formats, map projections, and analysis
functions and demonstrate proficiency
in their application to geospatial
problems
x
2. Create quality cartographic products
3. Understand remote sensing principles,
photogrammetry and image
interpretation, and image processing and
demonstrate proficiency in their
application to geospatial problems.
x
6. Design and troubleshoot spatial
databases to meet enterprise objectives.
7. Initiate, manage, and evaluate GIS
projects using scientific methods
GIS
2710
GIS
4840
GIS
4850
GIS
4960
x
x
x
GIS
4870
GIS
4890
x
x
x
x
x
x
GIS
4880
x
x
4. Create spatial data and metadata,
determine analysis needs, and conduct
spatial analysis
5. Model spatial processes
GIS
3250
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
Senior Experience
The senior experience is an important course in a student’s academic training. Many of the duties
specified for GIS students could apply to other concentrations within the Land Use Program. The
development of a uniform set of core duties and proficiencies related to scientific inquiry is a critical
component of this experience in addition to communication and demonstration of discipline-specific
skills. Senior experience student expectations are to:
A. Demonstrate the ability to focus a scientific research topic, organize information, design a study,
analyze data, and evaluate a unique study or application
B. Demonstrate communication skills through writing (scientific format with correct citations),
speech (well-designed presentation with clear delivery), and graphics (maps and other
visualizations).
C. Reinforce and demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities learned within a program of study
Student proficiencies were evaluated using a rubric based on scientific reports, writing, and visualization
objectives (Table 2). Other GIS skills were evaluated on an individual basis with creativity, effort,
analytic reasoning, and project difficulty being evaluation elements. As Table 2 indicates most students
were successful at framing a research problem. They were somewhat successful determining research
objectives and methods sequences to achieve those objectives. Some students had difficulty describing
the results of the methods sequence verbally, although they were proficient at producing visualizations of
those results with cartographic products. In other words they had trouble verbalizing what the maps
communicated. General writing skills and paragraph construction was excellent within this group of
students. Previous assessments revealed difficulty with clarifying objectives. In response, the course was
modified to require mapping objectives to methods and mapping results to objectives but this change had
limited success. Further instruction and development of scientific thinking and structure is warranted.
Table2:: Senior Experience (GIS 4890) Assessment Based on Key Course
Objectives, 2013
Mean
percent
of
possible
Specific Scientific Paper Content
Grade
points
Objectives
Category
Introduction
and
Introduction section explains context of
Background
VG
0.88
problem and relevant studies
Topic,
Question,
Objectives clearly state of the purpose of a
Problem
S
0.73
well-focused project
Methods are very clear so another person
Methods
S
0.77
could duplicate them
Results include verbal descriptions of the
spatial characteristics of features on the
maps as well as information about the
Results
P
0.68
features
Std
dev.
1.02
1.55
1.46
2.27
Discussion of results and conclusions
covers usefulness and limitations of
methods to achieve purpose
Conclusions
VG
0.83
1.84
Discussion of project
Discussion
VG
0.83
1.71
Specific Writing and Construction
Objectives
Sentences and paragraphs are wellconstructed with consistent tense
Category
Paragraph
Construction
E
0.90
1.02
No spelling errors
Methods are written in narrative form (in
paragraphs not bulleted)
Figure headings below figures and table
headings above tables
Mechanics
E
0.99
0.27
Structure
E
0.95
0.53
Structure
E
0.95
0.53
Figures and tables properly cited in text
Structure
E
0.96
0.80
Tables summarize data when appropriate
Specific Cartographic Product
Objectives
At least 2 maps are included in the project
with elements below
Structure
E
0.96
0.27
Visualization
E
0.98
0.27
Map Elements
Good choice of symbols and/or colors to
show spatial variances
Visualization
E
1.00
0.00
Content
E
0.96
0.53
Good overall composition
Visualization
E
0.89
1.09
Category
Overall students were excellent in meeting the student learning objectives for the Program as well as
performing the duties and tasks associated with their senior experience project. As for the paper content
most students were adept at determining and executing methods and examining results. They were able
to instigate a project of their own imagination, find the appropriate data and literature, develop methods
and execute them. Their cartographic products were mostly excellent.
Some areas need further improvement. Several students had difficulty articulating their project in the
scientific format required with clear objectives, methods, results, and conclusions. These are areas where
more time and effort need to be focused.
In future assessments more content and skill assessments are needed within other GIS courses as
independent measures of meeting GIS Concentration goals.