Geography Department Annual Assessment Report to the College 2017-2018

Abstract

The Geography department (B.A./M.A.) 2017-18 annual assessment report to the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences for the Office of Academic Assessment and Program Review. Participating in the GE Natural Sciences assessments, the department assessed GEOG 101, 150, and 103, thus dovetailing its GE assessments with its ongoing efforts to reduce high DFU rates in identified GE courses. GE-NS-SLOs 1, 4, & 6 were assessed via final exam questions in GEOG 101 in both the Fall 2017 and Spring 2018 semesters, with improved outcomes reported from Fall to Spring after pedagogical interventions were implemented between terms, though mean scores remain in the C to D range. In addition the departmental faculty learning community discovered “that students are less likely to fail 101 when they are simultaneously enrolled in 102 (a required lab course),” concluding that making 101 and 102 co-requisite ought to lower DFU rates in 101. High student course loads (16-18 units) were also found to contribute to high DFU rates, while mock quizzes given in GEOG 150 were found to improve subsequent quiz scores, but not scores on examinations covering a wider range of course material.