Student enrollment trends
During the study period (1992-2006) the Geography department experienced a decline in undergraduate majors, followed by a subsequent increase in majors (especially during the last three years) which was coupled with a rise in FTES (see figure). Although it is premature to claim that the trend in decreasing majors has been reversed, the numbers are encouraging especially when considered in the broader context of declining numbers of geography majors nationally as well as at other CSUs. Specifically, a national study conducted by the Association for American Geographers found that between 1993 and 2002 the number of Geography B.A. and B.S. degrees steadily declined from 4,449-3,925 (a drop of X %). An examination of data for CSU campuses that offer geography degrees shows a similar pattern of decline (Chrys put in GRAPH here). In some ways this decline was a surprise given that the study period coincides with a decade when the demand for graduates with geography degrees grew steadily (especially in the area of geotechniques). To understand this trend it is important consider the broader context of geography programs in academia as well as the specific context of the CSU system.
According to a recent study by Estaville and colleagues (2006a) there are two deep-rooted recruiting obstacles for geography departments: (i) a lack of understanding about what geography is about, and (ii) a lack of understanding of how it can lead to a rewarding professional career. In addition to these two long-standing and overarching issues, there is the emerging problem of “turf invasion” by a variety of “studies” programs including environmental studies, urban studies and international studies. The increase in studies programs across the nation explains part of the decline in geography majors (see figure for CSUs Chrys). We expect that two programs at CSULB, Environment Science and Policy and International Studies, will continue to compete with geography for majors in the future. It is critical, therefore, that the Geography Department focuses on developing ways to get the word out on what geography is and what the opportunities are for majors. It is also imperative that counselors and other advisors on campus are made aware that students interested in careers in areas such as environmental management, land use planning, as well as those seeking to travel and/or work abroad are made aware of the opportunities for geographers so that students can make well-educated choices when selecting a major. The two core recruiting obstacles for geography were given consideration during the discussions which led to recent changes in the undergraduate major (see below).
Recruitment
Few students enter university as declared Geography majors. Most exit high school with little knowledge of geography and only become interested after having taking an introductory course during their first two years at university (Estaville et al. 2006a). In our view the situation at CSULB fits this national pattern. As such, recruitment on campus and through the regional community colleges is critical for continued departmental success. The Geography Department has taken several steps to improve recruiting and we offer several suggestions for improvement (below).
The first step taken to improve the recruitment of majors was to explicitly state what geography is (at CSULB) in the undergraduate major program itself. This was accomplished largely by creating concentration areas within the major that effectively promote the different foci of our geography program. As of fall 2004 students were required to select one of three major concentrations: Human Geography, Environmental/Physical Geography and Geotechniques. These three concentration areas reflect not three key areas of interests of the faculty at CSULB as well as Geography departments nationally.
In 2006, the department added the Global and Regional Studies concentration and reduced the number of units required for the major from 45 to 39. Global and Regional Studies complements the existing concentrations while also addressing the university-wide goal of increasing the opportunities for students to explore global issues. There were two motivations behind the drop in the number of required units: first, it was recognized that most students “find” geography only after losing interest in another major, thus they often already have junior or even senior standing when switching to geography; and second, it was hoped that the reduction in required units would result in an increase in students double-majoring in geography.
To counter some concerns that creating a 39 unit major might reduce a students knowledge of the field (and thus perhaps their marketability in some specialty areas), the department actively encourages students to design a degree program that includes additional courses in a students area of interest. For example, students with an interest in geotechniques may choose to take additional courses in this concentration or they pursue a certificate in GIS and cartography in tandem with a B.A. degree. Similarly, those interested in urban studies may take the human geography tract while earning a certificate in Urban Studies, while those interested in environmental fields may choose to minor in or double major with ES&P.
Accompanying these changes to the major, the undergraduate advisor has developed 5-step plans (road-maps) to the major and certificate programs to help guide students to a timely degree. These plans are especially helpful for transfer students who often enter the program with 70 credits and thus need to take a large percentage of courses in the major and have little room for error when planning their schedules.
Curriculum Changes
As noted above, the major change to the curriculum during the study period was the introduction of major concentrations, however, accompanying this broader change were several specifics. The first such change was a restructuring of the suite of junior (300) level courses. At a departmental retreat it was noted that geography students typically go directly from 100 and 200 level courses into 400 level courses. With the exception of Geography 380 (cartography), the concentrations lacked junior level courses. To address this problem two new 300 level courses, Geography 360-Human Geography and Geography 340-Environmental Geography, were created and are now required courses for all majors.[1] Thus there is now a suite of core 300 level courses that introduce majors to the concentration areas which will serve them to assist them in selecting a major concentration while assuring instructors of 400 level courses that they have attained key skills and knowledge in the concentration area..
Geography and General Education
Geography continues to provide an important service to the university in terms of GE courses (see GE table below). There are three 100 level courses formulated for the general student population. Numerous sections of Geography 100--World Regional Geography (D2 and global) and Geography 140--Introduction to Physical Geography (B) are offered each semester. It is highly likely that one of these courses will be the only geography course taken by non-majors during their tenure. Geography 120—Geography of Human Diversity in the U.S. (D2 and human diversity) fulfils human diversity credit. We expect an increase in 120 course offerings due to the number of recent new hires with this specialty area as well as the potential to use this class to attract new majors.
In general, these three 100-level courses play a critical role in attracting new majors and it is important to have enthusiastic and experienced faculty teaching these courses. All three courses were recertified this past year.
[could elaborate on the review and recert of each class if nec.]
Numerous geography courses satisfy the interdisciplinary (i) capstone requirement (see GE table below). A particular strength in this area are the 300 level “regional geography courses” such as The Geography of Sub-Saharan Africa or the Geography of South East Asia. Several of the regional courses also serve programs outside of geography such as…???
Skills????
Critical thinking remains key for 300 level GE
Possible Future Changes in Curriculum
There are several curriculum issues that are currently under consideration and have been discussed at faculty meetings and retreats:
1. The need to introduce a Major Capstone requirement. The idea here is to introduce a 1-unit major capstone course for seniors in which students construct a portfolio that is then evaluated by a team of faculty. One idea is that students enroll in the capstone concurrently with a course in their concentration area and create a senior project for their portfolio.
2. There is a need to revamp or revise the Urban Studies Certificate Program. Several key courses for the Urban Studies Certificate were recently revision and restructured. These changes need to be incorporated into the certificate program. In addition, due to a strong demand from students, there is an interest in creating a second track to the Urban Studies Certificate that has a focus on Land Use Planning.
3. Create a 1-unit laboratory course for Introductory Physical Geography.
4. Develop an introductory GE course with wide appeal such as “Global Environmental Issues” or “Geography of Beaches and Coastlines” to introduce the student body to geography.
Recruiting ideas
1. Continue developing relations with Community Colleges
2. Continue support of GSA and promote student-faculty mixers
3. Develop relations with alumni and create a “job board” where students can contact alumni in the community to discuss different career paths.
4. Student conference and presentation session
5. Brochures (in progress)
Responses of students to our success.
SEE Geography Journal Article
According to a recent survey of geography programs, one of the keys to student retention and success is creating a welcoming learning environment. Aspects that contribute are active student club, social mixing of faculty and students, advising, career planning, and formal recognize of student achievement through conferences and award ceremonies.
GSA
A recent study by Estaville and colleagues (2006b) finds that active student associations are critical to student retention and success. The Geography Department has a very active Geography Student Association that includes both graduate and undergraduate students (63 members in 2006). Their activities revolve around promoting geography and geographical awareness and include fundraising, Geography Awareness Week events, trips abroad, service work such as beach clean-up days, scholarship award sponsorship, and social events such as dinners at international restaurants. The GSA has received funds from the university to sponsor a live band performace during Geography Awareness Week next fall which offers a unique opportunity to raise the visibility of geography on campus.
The department has worked hard to establish a welcome learning environment.
What we do well
1) GSA strength
2) Field outings where faculty and students explore geography together
3) Marketing to community colleges (GDEP etc).
Future Ideas or places to improve recruitment and retention
1) Bigger presence for Geography Week (band)
2) Student conference (perhaps tied to 1-unit projects)
3) A new student fieldtrip at beginning of semester.
4) Kick-off Bon-fire
5) Combine banquet with end of year student party/fundraiser
Assessment
The department recently decided to develop a formal assessment plan for the undergraduate program. The plan received funding from the CLA….
A recent influx of new faculty (the majority of faculty are now assistant professors), recent changes in the discipline, as well as evolving opportunities for geography majors have instigated significant changes to the geography curriculum.
Given these recent changes, there is a need to establish an assessment procedure to determine how effective our program is at developing student skills and how well we are meeting student needs. In addition, we wish to take the opportunity to gather some information on the critical factors that enable or constrain the development of these skills. Finally, because increasing the retention rate and reducing the time to graduate are key issues for CSULB, we seek to design an assessment procedure that will help us understand the factors that contribute to achieving these broader goals.
Goals and Objectives
Our goal is to develop and implement an assessment plan for undergraduates majoring in geography consisting of two assessment components:
1. an entry/exit survey instrument to track student success, skill level and program satisfaction as well as the factors that influence success
2. a 1-unit “capstone” course in which students construct a portfolio that is then evaluated by a team of faculty
The survey we envision will be administered electronically at two points during a student’s career at CSULB: first, at the beginning of the junior year (or at the time of major declaration if a student is already at junior status) and second, at the end of a student’s final semester. The survey will have several components. (1) It will address student perceptions regarding their abilities to perform various tasks involving skills that are specific to geography. The skills chosen for the survey will be derived from the National Geography Standards as well as from our list of departmental goals and objectives. (2) The survey will examine various factors that we suspect may influence student success such as the number of hours working on or off campus, involvement is social clubs such as our Geography Student Association (GSA), faculty contact, advising, or internships etc.. (3) It will assess student satisfaction with the program. And (4) it will generate data on how well the department is promoting itself by asking students why they chose geography.
Two faculty members have recently been awarded a CLA RFP to support work on assessment development beginning in Summer 2006. We will conduct background research to develop the survey instrument and create a prototype electronic survey. We will also conduct some preliminary individual interviews with geography majors to gather information on factors that contribute to student success and/or failure. We will also develop the 1-unit capstone course and standard course outline. During Fall 2006 we will conduct a pretest of the survey with a sample of geography majors. Following the pretest and any necessary modifications, we plan to administer the survey to all new majors beginning in January 2007.
According the College of Liberal Arts website the mission of the College is to offer “a curriculum centered in the study of individuals, societies, and cultural groups, past and present, and in national, regional and global contexts.” The Department of Geography is directly aligned with this immediate and important College mission through its expansive offerings in regional and systematic geography. Faculty members have expertise in a number of global regions and local contexts, ranging from Latin America, the US and Canada, Europe, Africa, Southeast, South, and East Asia. Moreover, the Department of Geography engages our College’s mission by teaching our students how to “acquire skills and knowledge in communication, critical thinking, language and literature, analytical and scientific reasoning, quantitative analysis, and philosophical foundations that enable them to enjoy and understand the rich and dynamic cultural heritage of humanity, lead productive and creative lives, be responsible world citizens, and provide leadership in addressing concerns of society.” Our curriculum engages students in a wide and diverse array of qualitative and quantitative methodologies at the lower, upper, and graduate levels. This includes an expansive program of geotechonological studies (remote sensing, geographic information systems, cartography, qualitative methodologies, and statistics). Moreover, our curriculum includes general education courses that serve the wider university in global issues and human diversity studies. We also offer an array of university-sanctioned “interdisciplinary courses” that challenge students to think across and beyond any one disciplinary position, demonstrating geography’s own internal diversity as a natural and social science.
Overall, therefore, the Department of Geography is well aligned with the overall mission of the College because our “Students gain an understanding of diverse societies and ethnic and gender issues critical to a changing world.” As the College Mission further suggests, our “faculty bring current theories and knowledge to the classroom and create opportunities for students to participate in active and ongoing scholarship.” As is evinced by other aspects of this document, the curriculum of the Department of Geography (and its affiliated faculty) has been diversified dramatically to meet the current standards of our field. In so doing, the Department of Geography, like the College more broadly, “provides quality undergraduate, graduate and professional programs that meet critical regional needs.” We do this through the on-going development of our curriculum at all levels and through the expansion of our coursework to meet the current and growing needs of our students as global citizens. This includes supporting exchange programs in Austria and Russia as well as teaching students how to apply their geographic knowledge to an array of urban and physical geographic issues and concerns through internships in our local community.