Assessment Details
Academic Year: 2020-2021 Level: Undergraduate
Campus Department: Morrissey College of Arts & Sciences [UG and Grad]
Program Type: Core [UG]
Program Name: Earth and Environmental Sciences Core (Link)
Description of Data Collection:
The department faculty meets each spring, after classes are over, to discuss how the changes we implemented based on previous years’ assessment activities have resulted in improved learning outcomes. We also discuss additional changes we would like to make based on what we have learned from the assessment process.
Review Process:
The department full-time faculty meets annually to review all aspects of our program, and to make recommendations to the whole department for improvement. This process is led by the Director of Undergraduate Studies. The conclusions of those discussions are reviewed by all full-time faculty, and presented in department annual reports. This year we met on May 27, 2021 during an all-day, online faculty retreat. Other faculty meetings are held throughout the year (approximately twice per month) in which we continuously work towards gathering and interpreting data for reviewing our core program and how well our curriculum is achieving our learning goals.
Resulting Program Changes:
The following Core Renewal Courses have been added to our Core curriculum:
● Global Implications of Climate Change (Pisani-Gareau, EESC; and Gareau, Sociology), Fall 2015, 2017, 2019
● A Perfect Moral Storm: The Science and Ethics of Climate Change (Wong, EESC; and Storey, Philosophy), Spring 2017
● Building a Habitable Planet: The Origins and Evolution of the Earth: Geoscience Perspectives (Baxter, EESC; and Delong-Bas, Theology), Spring 2017, 2019, 2021
● Living on Water (Kineke, EESC; and Leone, Fine Arts), Fall 2017, 2018, 2020
● Powering America (Ebel, EESC; and Valencius, History), Spring 2019, 2020, 2021
● Making the Modern World (Krones, EESC; and Tonn, History, Fall 2020)
● Crisis and Storytelling in the Age of Climate Change (Palevsky, EESC; and Song, English), Fall 2021
During our May 2021 meeting, Professors Kineke, Baxter and Ebel reported on their experience teaching these courses during this year. They all found that the hybrid format presented additional challenges with interdisciplinary education. During the meeting, we also spent time reflecting more broadly on the full year of online and hybrid teaching during the pandemic. We focused on what we will take with us when we return to normal, in-person teaching in the fall 2021 semester. Faculty spoke about the many new things they brought to classes this year, including: more sophisticated use of Canvas for all course materials, including video lectures (informed by CTE/CDIL workshops and resources); flipped classroom approaches; integrating mindfulness activities; student-made videos; video-based virtual field trips; class “exit ticket” surveys; and the challenges of giving online exams. We discussed extensively that many of us now have greater awareness that students are often struggling with academic and non-academic challenges. We all want to develop better skills to be aware of and support students during times of crisis. We also talked about ways to support first-generation and URM college students. The recent Diversity Summit on campus provided many excellent materials in these areas, which we shared amongst the faculty.
Date of Most Recent Program Review:
The following Core Renewal Courses have been added to our Core curriculum:
● Global Implications of Climate Change (Pisani-Gareau, EESC; and Gareau, Sociology), Fall 2015, 2017, 2019
● A Perfect Moral Storm: The Science and Ethics of Climate Change (Wong, EESC; and Storey, Philosophy), Spring 2017
● Building a Habitable Planet: The Origins and Evolution of the Earth: Geoscience Perspectives (Baxter, EESC; and Delong-Bas, Theology), Spring 2017, 2019, 2021
● Living on Water (Kineke, EESC; and Leone, Fine Arts), Fall 2017, 2018, 2020
● Powering America (Ebel, EESC; and Valencius, History), Spring 2019, 2020, 2021
● Making the Modern World (Krones, EESC; and Tonn, History, Fall 2020)
● Crisis and Storytelling in the Age of Climate Change (Palevsky, EESC; and Song, English), Fall 2021
During our May 2021 meeting, Professors Kineke, Baxter and Ebel reported on their experience teaching these courses during this year. They all found that the hybrid format presented additional challenges with interdisciplinary education. During the meeting, we also spent time reflecting more broadly on the full year of online and hybrid teaching during the pandemic. We focused on what we will take with us when we return to normal, in-person teaching in the fall 2021 semester. Faculty spoke about the many new things they brought to classes this year, including: more sophisticated use of Canvas for all course materials, including video lectures (informed by CTE/CDIL workshops and resources); flipped classroom approaches; integrating mindfulness activities; student-made videos; video-based virtual field trips; class “exit ticket” surveys; and the challenges of giving online exams. We discussed extensively that many of us now have greater awareness that students are often struggling with academic and non-academic challenges. We all want to develop better skills to be aware of and support students during times of crisis. We also talked about ways to support first-generation and URM college students. The recent Diversity Summit on campus provided many excellent materials in these areas, which we shared amongst the faculty.
Attachments (if available)