Geology and General Science Program Review Portland Community College 2016 Prepared by: Andy Hilt - SAC Chair Melinda Hutson Eriks Puris 2016 Geology and General Science Program Review 1. The Program/Discipline Overview……………………………………………………………………………………. 1 A. Introduction and Educational Goals ………………………………………………………………………. 1 B. SAC Changes……………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 3 2. Outcomes and Assessment……………………………………………………………………………………………… 7 A. Course Level Outcomes……………………………………………………………………………………………… 7 i. Review Process for Assessability……………………………………………………………………………… 7 ii. Instructional Changes…………………………………………………………………………………………….. 8 B. PCC Core Outcomes…………………………………………………………………………………………………… 9 i. Mapping Matrix……………………………………………………………………………………………………… 9 C. Core Outcome Assessment………………………………………………………………………………………… 10 i. Last Five Years………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 10 ii. Evidence of Effectiveness………………………………………………………………………………………. 11 iii. Assessment Cycle Process…………………………………………………………………………………….. 12 iv. Challenges……………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 13 3. Other Curricular Issues……………………………………………………………………………………………………. 14 A. Distance Learning……………………………………………………………………………………………………… 14 B. Curricular Changes to Address College Initiatives………………………………………………………. 16 C. Dual Credit………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 18 D. Course Evaluations……………………………………………………………………………………………………. 19 E. Curricular Changes……………………………………………………………………………………………………. 19 4. Student & Community Needs………………………………………………………………………………………….. 20 A. Effect of Student Demographics on Instruction………………………………………………………….. 20 B. Facilitating Access for Students with Disabilities………………………………………………………… 21 C. Instructional and Curricular Changes based on Student and Community Groups……….. 23 5. Faculty……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 23 A. Diversity and Cultural Competency……………………………………………………………………………. 23 B. Instructor Qualifications……………………………………………………………………………………………. 24 C. Professional Development………………………………………………………………………………………… 25 6. Facilities & Support…………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 28 A. Classrooms and Laboratory Space……………………………………………………………………………… 28 B. Library………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 35 C. Instructional Support for Students…………………………………………………………………………….. 36 8. Recommendations for Improvement…………………………………………………………………………….... 38 A. Areas in Need of Improvement………………………………………………………………………………….. 38 B. Recommendations for Administration……………………………………………………………………….. 45 Appendixes ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… A‐1 1) CCOGs ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… A-2 2) Core Outcomes Mapping Matrix & Legend …………………………………………………………………….. A-61 3) Mass Wasting Assessment Project …………………………………………………………………………………. A-64 4) Rubric for the Mass Wasting Assessment Project ………………………………………………………….. A-69 5) Pre-test & Post-test Survey - Internal Processes (GS 106, G 148, G 201, G 207, & G 208). A-78 6) Pre-test & Post-test Survey - Surface Processes (G 202) ……………………….…………………………. A-88 7) LAC Awards for Exemplary Assessment of Student Learning (2014 & 2015) …………………. A-99 8) 8) Geology Advising Session Flyer …………………………………………………………………………………….. A-102 9) SAC Survey Results for 2016 Program Review ………………………………………………………………. A-104 10) Table of G/GS face to face, DL, and Hybrid courses …………………………………………………….. A-130 1. Program/Discipline Overview: A. What are the educational goals or objectives of this program/discipline? How do these compare with national or professional program/discipline trends or guidelines? Have they changed since the last review, or are they expected to change in the next five years? The Geology &General Science (G/GS) SAC spans a wide range of subject areas and is the second smallest LDC science SAC at the college with a campus wide FTE of 217.4 in 2014-2015. We are a growing SAC; our FTE has increased by over 100% since 2000-2001. When the senior full time instructor began teaching at PCC in fall 1996 2 full time instructors and 1 part time instructor were sufficient to teach all the G & GS courses at PCC, in spring 2010 2 full time instructors and 14 part time instructors were required to teach all the G & GS courses at PCC, and now in 2016 3 full time instructors and 15 part time instructors are needed to teach our SAC courses. The percentage of course sections taught by full time faculty fell from 70% in 1996 to 20% in 2010, and is currently between 22 and 25%, despite the addition of a third faculty member after the previous program review. We cover the largest disciplinary range of any science SAC; the subjects we teach include astronomy, geology, meteorology, and oceanography, and are listed under two course codes (G for Geology and GS for General Science). Our courses support several different groups of students. We offer access to science for students who feel that biology is too squishy and that physics and chemistry are too sterile and abstract. We help prepare LDC students for transfer to four year institutions and for further study in the fields of astronomy, geology, meteorology and oceanography. We support the CTE programs in Aviation Science, Emergency Management and GIS. Finally, our courses promote student engagement in sustainability, sense of place and lifelong learning. However, geology and general science have an undeserved reputation as being a “soft” science, and somehow not as important as the other sciences. Yet the opposite is true. Many of the major policy issues today involve a component of geology or general science. This has been recognized by the National Science Foundation (NSF) in their document entitled Earth Science Literacy (http://www.earthscienceliteracy.org/es_literacy_6may10_.pdf), which states “We need governments that are earth science literate”. The American Geosciences Institute published a document in 2012 outlining eight critical needs for the 21st century (http://www.agiweb.org/gap/criticalneeds/CriticalNeeds2012.pdf). These eight needs are: 1. Energy and Climate Change: Ensure reliable energy supplies in an increasingly carbon- constrained world 2. Water: Provide sufficient supplies of water 3. Oceans, Atmosphere, and Space: Sustain ocean, atmosphere, and space resources 4. Waste Treatment and Disposal: Manage waste to maintain a healthy environment 5. Natural Hazards: Mitigate risk and build resilience from natural and human-made hazards 6. Infrastructure Modernization: Improve and build needed infrastructure that couples with and uses earth resources while integrating new technologies 1 7. Raw Materials: Ensure reliable supplies of raw materials 8. Geoscience Workforce and Education: Inform the public and train the geosciences workforce to understand earth processes and address these critical needs The G/GS courses cover all of these needs and focus on personal responsibility in areas where human intervention has either exacerbated or mitigated damage and/or deaths related to a geologic process such as landslides, floods or earthquakes. We feel that it is particularly important that students have some exposure to the geosciences. As the AGI publication makes apparent, too few students are graduating from high school with any exposure to a G/GS course – see their figure 8B below. Additionally, by getting students interested in field research and independent study, we hope to entice students to major in a G/GS field. The geotechnical and environmental fields are expanding today, while the workforce is shrinking. As the AGI publication’s figure 8A makes clear, there are far fewer students receiving geoscience Bachelor’s or Master’s degrees today than in the past. These are the students who join the geotechnical workforce. Doctoral students go on to join colleges and universities as teachers and researchers. 2 The goals of the G/GS SAC as stated in our 2010 program review were as follows: 1. Make science and scientific thinking accessible to students. 2. Introduce students to the scientific understanding of their physical environment (earth, atmosphere, ocean and space). 3. Engage students in active learning by requiring students to make their own observations and measurements in the classroom and field, use this information to develop and test concepts and then apply this learning to problem solving. 4. Promote scientific literacy and application of scientific information to solving societal issues related to the earth sciences (e.g. geologic hazards, earth resources, and global change). 5. Develop a sense of place for the lands, waters, and skies of the Pacific Northwest. 6. Prepare students for future success in college level courses. Since the 2010 program review, there has been a national-level recognition that students need to develop higher-order critical thinking skills. There is a new emphasis on metacognition, as well as on visualization skills. At this point there are new plans for changes in the goals of our discipline. Future avenues of development for our SAC include: 1) placing a greater effort on the exploration and use of learner based pedagogies (active learning); 2) integrating the earth systems approach to earth science into the curriculum (stressing the connectedness of the different areas); 3) stressing how understanding past global change provides a context for achieving future sustainability; 4) exploring the role of and interaction between humanity and the earth sciences ; and 5) incorporating STEM relevant curriculum to enhance students opportunities in future science careers. B. Briefly describe changes