Unit Strategic Plan
2012/2013
Outcome Assessment Report
Geological Sciences Department
Page 1
AY 2012/2013
Unit Strategic Planning Report
Unit: ____Geological Sciences Department______
Reporting Authority: _____Dr. Carey Gazis, Chair______
Date: ______November 1, 2013______
A: Please complete the column titled “Outcome Assessment” on your own Unit Strategic Plan. Complete with as much detail as you can provide.
Strategic Plan for 2012 with Outcome Assessment is attached.
B. Please summarize each of the University’s Five Core Themes from your Unit Strategic Plan Outcome Assessment report.
University Core Theme I (Teaching and Learning) –The outcomes in this area are related to maintaining our programs. The outcome assessment provides baseline data in enrollments and faculty scholarship. Faculty activity in scholarship is considered to be crucial for quality instruction. Although our enrollment and scholarship appear strong, our department had to supplement the Goods and Services budget with ≈$16,000 from our indirect returns from grants.
University Core Theme 2 (Inclusiveness and Diversity) – We do not currently have departmental outcomes in this area in our Strategic Plan. We will expand into this theme once we have a better idea of the baseline data in the other themes.
University Core Theme 3 (Scholarship and Creative Expression) – Our outcome assessments in this area relate to resource needs for scholarship, including graduate assistants, a Laboratory/Instrument Technician, and a new Science facility. The assessments indicate that we are losing quality students to competing programs. We think that this is because we are very late in getting our offers out and the graduate stipends are very low. In addition, we now have evidence of our need for a Laboratory/Instrument Technician: at least two of our instruments are not operational for more than 20% of the time that we are attempting to operate them. In addition, faculty members have spent many hours repairing and maintaining instruments. The Science facility, Science Phase II, has been funded. In our outcome assessment, we have baseline data on proposals for comparison to our productivity once we have occupied the new building.
University Core Theme 4 (Public Service and Community Engagement) – We were not able to obtain any quantitative data to assess our outcome in this area.
University Core Theme 5 (Resource Development and Stewardship) – The outcomes in this area relate to two resource needs: a Laboratory/Instrument Technician and a new Science facility. The outcome assessment related to the Laboratory/Instrument Technician is the same as that described in University Core Theme 3. Science Phase II has been funded and will be occupied in less than three years.
Toward which theme(s) did you make progress, and how are students benefitting from this?
We made the most progress towards Themes 1, 3, and 5 because of the funding of Science Phase II. The students are not yet benefitting from this but will once the building is occupied.
Which theme(s) deserve special attention next year?
Themes 1 and 4 deserve special attention next year. Related to Theme 1, Teaching and Learning, we would like to examine our programs, particularly our B.A. in Geology, and improve them so that students are better prepared for the work force or graduate school. In the area of Theme 4, Public Service and Community Engagement, we will work on supplementing the Science Phase II FF&E budget so that the new building best serves our needs in terms of educational equipment and displays and classrooms.
C. How do you intend to utilize the data gathered this year to assist you in developing stronger programs?
We will use the enrollment data we have been given combined with our internal tracking of students to get a better picture of what the longer term trends are in our majors. Based on these trends, we will continue to try to increase enrollment in our programs, particularly in the B.A. Geology, as much as our classes and staffing will allow. Data on research productivity of faculty (peer-reviewed publications and abstracts) will serve as baseline data and ultimately will help define our expectations for productivity of the department as a whole. Data related to our need for additional support staff will be gathered and presented to the administration.
D. Based on your learning from this first year report, what parts of your strategic plan will you modify, add to, or omit for next year?
Strategic Plan for 2013 with explanation letter is attached.
Page 1
UNIVERSITY CORE THEME: 1. TEACHING AND LEARNING
UNIVERSITY OBJECTIVE 1.1 Enhance student success by continually improving the curricular, co-curricular, and extracurricular programs.Unit Outcomes / Indicators / Expected Performance
Level
(Criterion) / Responsible Reporting Unit / Key Strategies/ Initiatives / Budget/Resource
Analysis / Outcome Assessment
Maintain a department profile that supports quality instruction in the core disciplines of Geological Sciences with faculty who are active in scholarship / SEOI scores
Enrollment in majors
Peer-reviewed publications and presentation of abstracts at professional meetings / Dept average within one standard deviation of college average (if below, can be higher if above average)
Enrollment steady to increasing
Steady to increasing numbers for department as a whole / CWU Assessment Department
Geology department faculty (activity reports) / Professional development in teaching
Reassigned workload for funded grants / Maintain existing level of support including staff and faculty
Buyout of classes with grant funding
Use of indirect returns towards adjunct faculty / SEOI baseline data yet available
Enrollments for 2012-3: Undergraduate – 74
Post-bac – 1
Graduate – 27
Faculty scholarship: From Sept. 16, 2012 to Sept 15, 2013 faculty in our department produced the following:
•12 peer-reviewed publications
•52 abstracts for professional meetings
Obtain adequate and stable resource base to support classes and basic operation of the department / Amount of indirect funds and summer profits used to support classes and operation of department / $0, Department operations should be supported entirely by goods and services budget / Geology department secretary / Goods and Services budget restored and brought to $25,000 / Goods and Services budget has not increased. In 2012-2013, ≈$16,000 from the department indirect account was used to maintain basic operation of the department
Inquiry-based projects and mentored research: Increase opportunities for class and individual projects that rely on instrumentation for data / Amount of time that each instrument is not working
Percentage of instrumentation-dependent student projects that have complete intended data set / Less than 10% of the time
95% or more / Department faculty: Instrument log books
Geology department faculty (mentors for projects) / Regular maintenance of instruments and performance tests
Consistent training of students on standard operating procedures for instruments / New Support Staff Position: Laboratory/Instrument Technician for Geological Sciences / IRMS ≈30%
ICP-MS ≈20%
Data is hard to collect. At least one M.S. student (in REM program) was delayed in his progress due to a vacuum leak in the IRMS
UNIVERSITY OBJECTIVE 1.1 continued
Employ modern science teaching methods across the curriculum / Percentage of class time in which faculty use alternative modes of teaching / Increasing / Geology department / Professional development in teaching
Classroom layout and flexibility of space / Science Phase II facility / From faculty estimates, we spend ≈47% of our class time lecturing
Science Phase II has been funded. We expect that our percentage of class time spent lecturing will go down once we occupy that building because of improved teaching space and equipment
Improve accessibility of faculty to students / Percentage of time when classroom is in same building as faculty office / 95-100% / Geology department
secretary / Consolidate department faculty, staff, grad students, and classrooms in single building / Science Phase II facility / In 2012-3, 50% of our classes were not taught classrooms in the same building as the instructors office. Science Phase II has been funded. We expect to see department reunited and teaching in same building as their offices in 2015
UNIVERSITY CORE THEME: 3. SCHOLARSHIP AND CREATIVE EXPRESSION
UNIVERSITY OBJECTIVE 3.1 Increase the emphasis on and the opportunities for students, faculty and staff to participate in research, scholarship, and creative expression activities.Unit Outcomes / Indicators / Expected Performance
Level
(Criterion) / Responsible Reporting Unit / Key Strategies/ Initiatives / Budget/Resource
Analysis / Outcome Assessment
Strengthen graduate program through recruiting and consistent availability of competitive stipends / Average number of offers made per assistantship
Timeliness of assistantship offers / Less than 1.5
First set of offers made within two weeks of application deadline / Geology Graduate Program Coordinator / Recruiting at national meetings / Fifteen graduate assistantships including tuition waivers in base budget
Increased graduate stipends to at least $15,000 / eleven offers were made for six assistantships
11/6 = 1.83
This is typical to good compared to recent years
Due to administrative turnover in the graduate office and uncertainty about graduate assistantships, 2013 was a particularly bad year for getting out timely assistantship offers. The number of assistantships available to each department were not known until over a month after the application deadline.
Improve productivity of instrumentation in Geological Sciences / Amount of time that each instrument is not working / Less than 10% of the time / Department faculty: Instrument log books / Regular maintenance of instruments and performance tests
Hiring of new support staff / New Support Staff Position: Laboratory/Instrument Technician for Geological Sciences / IRMS ≈30%
ICP-MS ≈20%
Reduce faculty time spent on instrument maintenance and repair / Amount of time spent repairing and maintaining instruments by tenure-track faculty / Less than 2 hours per week / Geology department: instrument log books / Hiring of new instrument support staff in Geological Sciences / New Support Staff Position: Laboratory/Instrument Technician for Geological Sciences / Based on a survey of faculty, we estimate that as a whole, we have spent 235 hours maintaining or repairing instruments, well over two hours for week for the faculty involved.
Expanded research capabilities through improved facilities and new instrumentation / Research proposals that represent new methods of data collection at CWU and/or new collaborations / Increasing number / Department faculty: activity reports / New facilities (e.g. ice core lab) and instrumentation (e.g. SEM) / Science Phase II facility / Members of the department submitted eight research proposals that represent new methods of data collection and/or new collaborations. We expect this number to go up when we move into Science Phase II
UNIVERSITY OBJECTIVE 3.2 Increase the external funding received for research, scholarship, and creative expression by faculty, staff, and students.
Unit Outcomes / Indicators / Expected Performance
Level
(Criterion) / Responsible Reporting Unit / Key Strategies/ Initiatives / Budget/Resource
Analysis / Outcome Assessment
Obtain staff needed to sustain a high level of grant-writing and research activity, including support for the new analytical geochemistry facilities. / Amount of time spent repairing and maintaining instruments by tenure-track faculty / Less than 2 hours per week / Geology department: instrument log books / Hiring of new instrument support staff in Geological Sciences / New Support Staff Position: Laboratory/Instrument Technician for Geological Sciences / Based on a survey of faculty, we estimate that as a whole, we have spent 235 hours maintaining or repairing instruments, well over two hours for week for the faculty involved.
Expanded research capabilities through improved facilities and new instrumentation / Research proposals that represent new methods of data collection at CWU and/or new collaborations / Increasing number / Department faculty: activity reports / New facilities (e.g. ice core lab) and instrumentation (e.g. SEM) / Science Phase II facility / Members of the department submitted eight research proposals that represent new methods of data collection and/or new collaborations. We expect this number to go up when we move into Science Phase II
UNIVERSITY CORE THEME: 4. PUBLIC SERVICE AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
UNIVERSITY OBJECTIVE 4.1 Enhance the commitment and the level of cooperation between the university and external communities.Unit Outcomes / Indicators / Expected Performance
Level
(Criterion) / Responsible Reporting Unit / Key Strategies/ Initiatives / Budget/Resource
Analysis / Outcome Assessment
Increase and improve geological and environmental science outreach activities in K-12 schools and community / Number of K-12 students attending on-campus activities / Increasing number over the course of five years / Geological Sciences and CESME: tracking of on-campus visits / K-12 outreach events (e.g. Expanding Your Horizons) in collaboration with CESME / Science Phase II facility / Outreach events:
Expanding Your Horizons, Science is Central
Number of K-12 students not available
UNIVERSITY CORE THEME: 5. RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT & STEWARDSHIP
UNIVERSITY OBJECTIVE 5.3 Ensure the University has human resources necessary to accomplish all university objectives.Unit Outcomes / Indicators / Expected Performance
Level
(Criterion) / Responsible Reporting Unit / Key Strategies/ Initiatives / Budget/Resource
Analysis / Outcome Assessment
Obtain staff to support instruction and research that involves instrumentation / Amount of time spent repairing and maintaining instruments by tenure-track faculty / Less than 2 hours per week / Geology department: instrument log books / Hiring of new instrument support staff in Geological Sciences / New Support Staff Position: Laboratory/Instrument Technician for Geological Sciences / Based on a survey of faculty, we estimate that as a whole, we have spent 235 hours maintaining or repairing instruments, well over two hours for week for the faculty involved.
UNIVERSITY OBJECTIVE 5.4 Provide the facility and technology infrastructure and services appropriate to meet the university objectives, while maximizing sustainability and stewardship.
Unit Outcomes / Indicators / Expected Performance
Level
(Criterion) / Responsible Reporting Unit / Key Strategies/ Initiatives / Budget/Resource
Analysis / Outcome Assessment
Improve facilities in support of scholarship and instruction
Reunite department faculty, staff, and students in a single building. / Years until new facility is built / Three / Facilities Management / Advocate for Science Phase II in state legislature / Science Phase II facility / Science Phase II has been funded and should be built within three years.
11/7/18, p. 1
November 1, 2013
To: Dr. Kirk Johnson, Dean COTS
From:Dr. Carey Gazis
Chair, Department of Geological Sciences
Subject:Strategic Plan for Geological Sciences
Attached is the Unit Strategic Plan for the Department of Geological Sciences. Included is an assessment of the 2012 Strategic Plan and a modified 2013 Strategic Plan (with differences from the 2012 plan shown in bold text). The 2013 Strategic Plan is similar to the 2012 plan with the following changes (colors of budget/resource items are the same as in table):
1. No reduction of current resources, including faculty and staff positions – Same as 2012 Plan. We were told that our plans could assume that the current resources are available. This strategic plan includes a row that explicitly states this assumption.
2. Restore and increase department goods and service budget – Same as 2012 Plan, but amount was changed to reflect what was spent this year on basic goods and services.
3. Lab/instrument technician dedicated to our department – Same as 2012 Plan.
4. New instructional technician dedicated to our department – A new outcome was added to University Objective 5.3 (Human Resources) to reflect this need. The new support staff position would serve two purposes: 1) to help our department transition to Science Phase II by archiving our collections, helping to research and order teaching equipment and supplies, and preparing and moving teaching equipment and collections; 2) to support our upper-level curriculum by maintaining teaching collections and assisting with logistics for field trips.
5. Increased number of graduate assistantships and higher graduate student stipends – Same as 2012 Plan
6. Science Phase II FF&E budget – Now that Science Phase II has been funded by the state, our focus has shifted from obtaining funding for Science Phase II to supplementing funding in order to increase the FF&E budget. Because of the level of funding which was designated, it is likely that we will not have adequate funds to obtain all of our desired equipment and educational displays. We plan to work with the CWU Development Office and write external grants in order to supplement the state FF&E budget in order to maximize the benefits of the new building.
7. Three more new outcomes were added: one to reflect efforts we are making to re-envision our B.A. Geology degree; a second related to improving our General Education offerings; and a third to articulate further strategies that we are using to increase opportunities for research. In addition, one outcome (improve accessibility of faculty to students) was removed. This outcome has been addressed by the funding of Science Phase II because faculty offices will be in the same building as the majority of our classes.
8. A number of indicators and strategies have been added to the 2013 Plan.
11/7/18, p. 1
UNIVERSITY CORE THEME: 1. TEACHING AND LEARNING
UNIVERSITY OBJECTIVE 1.1 Enhance student success by continually improving the curricular, co-curricular, and extracurricular programs.Unit Outcomes / Indicators / Expected Performance
Level
(Criterion) / Responsible Reporting Unit / Key Strategies/ Initiatives / Budget/Resource
Analysis
Maintain a department profile that supports quality instruction in the core disciplines of Geological Sciences with faculty who are active in scholarship / SEOI scores
Enrollment, graduation rates in majors
Peer-reviewed publications, presentation of abstracts at professional meetings and external grant proposals / Dept average within one standard deviation of college average (if below, can be higher if above average)
Enrollment steady to increasing
Steady to increasing numbers for department as a whole / CWU Assessment Department
Institutional Research
Geology department faculty (activity reports) / Professional development in teaching
Curriculum retreat
Reassigned workload for funded grants
Academic workload in grants to buy out classes / Maintain existing level of support including staff and faculty
Maintain level of research funding through external grants
Obtain adequate and stable resource base to support classes and basic operation of the department / Amount of indirect funds and summer profits used to support classes and operation of department / $0, Department operations should be supported entirely by goods and services budget / Geology department secretary / Goods and Services budget restored and brought to $30,000
Re-envision Geology B.A. major so that it serves students with an interest in careers in earth science communication / Enrollment, graduation rate in Geology B.A. / Increasing enrollment reaching total of approximately 10 per year / Institutional Research / Curricular changes to emphasize Earth Systems approach more
Recruiting students who express an interest in science communication
Increase availability of General Education offerings, particularly courses which are in high demand / FTES in General Education courses / increasing / Institutional Research / Increase on-line offerings, particularly of high-demand courses such as GEOL 302
Allign courses with new Gen Ed outcomes
Work with student advising to determine best timing of Gen Ed offerings / Additional graduate teaching assistant so that class sizes for online courses can be increased
UNIVERSITY OBJECTIVE 1.1 continued
Unit Outcomes / Indicators / Expected Performance
Level
(Criterion) / Responsible Reporting Unit / Key Strategies/ Initiatives / Budget/Resource
Analysis
Inquiry-based projects and mentored research: Increase opportunities for class and individual projects that rely on instrumentation for data / Amount of time that each instrument is not working
Percentage of instrumentation-dependent student projects that have complete intended data set / Less than 10% of the time
95% or more / Department faculty: Instrument log books
Geology department faculty (mentors for projects) / Regular maintenance of instruments and performance tests
Consistent training of students on standard operating procedures for instruments / New Support Staff Position: Laboratory/Instrument Technician for Geological Sciences
Employ modern science teaching methods across the curriculum / Percentage of class time in which faculty use alternative modes of teaching / Increasing / Geology department / Professional development in teaching
Classroom layout and flexibility of space / Science Phase II FF&E, classroom furniture and teaching technology, instrumentation, and educational displays
UNIVERSITY CORE THEME: 3. SCHOLARSHIP AND CREATIVE EXPRESSION