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HideSnuff bottle collection from the American Museum of Natural History.
Collections & Case Studies
These web pages were written by Carol Ormand.
Geoscience departments have much to teach and learn from each other about building thriving programs. The examples listed below, gathered from geoscience departments across the country, are intended to facilitate the sharing of this collective wisdom. These resources are scattered throughout the Building Strong Geoscience Departments website. You can find them by looking within each of the topical sections of the site, or by following the links below. To suggest topics for additional collections or case studies, please contact Carol Ormand.
Jump down to Program Assessment * Curricula and Programs * Preparing Students for Professional Careers * Student Recruitment
Making a Case for Your Department
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Queens College, CUNY
In the late 1990's, the Geology Department at Queens College, CUNY, chose to restructure and redefine their programs to focus on environmental issues. Since then, enrollments have grown significantly and the School has forged a multitude of alliances. - Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Rutgers University, Newark
The Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences (DEES) at Rutgers University, Newark, focuses on applied earth sciences, primarily serving students who want to pursue careers in the growing environmental consulting sector in New Jersey. This focus is a strategic choice, taking advantage of the department's location in one of the most polluted regions of the U.S. - Department of Geological Sciences, University of Florida
The Department of Geological Sciences at the University of Florida was nearly eliminated for budget reasons in 2009, in spite of an excellent external review in 2006. Here's how they responded. - School of Earth, Society, and Environment, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
At the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, the Geology, Geography, and Atmospheric Sciences departments banded together in 2007 to form the School of Earth, Society, and Environment, resulting in a remarkable influx of majors.
Program Assessment
- Mission or Vision Statements
Mission or vision statements from geoscience departments - Student Learning Goals or Outcomes statements
Student learning goals or outcomes statements for geoscience degree programs - Program Assessment Planning Documents
Institutional guidelines for reviews, assessment plans, and other assessment documents - Program Assessment Instruments
Alumni surveys, student surveys and exit interviews, other surveys, course evaluations, rubrics, portfolios, exams, and other instruments - Program and Department Profiles
Each program profile details a single program. Department profiles include information about departmental demographics; efforts at student recruitment and retention; research, teaching, and internship opportunities for students; mentoring and career advising; departmental involvement in the institution; and participation in interdisciplinary or multidisciplinary programs on campus.
Curricula & Programs
- Curriculum Profiles
Geoscience curricula, including course sequences and contextual information - Course Profiles
Geoscience courses that are interdisciplinary, focus on societally relevant applications of geoscience, feature an emerging topic or field of study, or develop skills that are becoming increasingly important in geoscience research - Interdisciplinary Programs at McMaster University
Case study of integrating interdisciplinary programs into the School of Geography and Geology at McMaster University - Beyond Earth System Science: MIT's Terrascope
Case study of an interdisciplinary, year-long problem-based geoscience course at MIT - Integrating Professional Preparation into Your Program
Examples of how to integrate aspects of professional preparation into geoscience programs
Preparing Students for Professional Careers
- Employer and Employee Perspectives
Interviews of geoscience employers and employees, focusing on the knowledge, skills and abilities needed in their careers - Integrating Professional Preparation into Your Program
Examples of how to integrate aspects of professional preparation into geoscience programs
Student Recruitment
- Recruitment Strategies
The best recruitment strategy ideas from our workshop participants - Videos about Recruitment Strategies
Videos of presentations at the 2007 workshop on Strategies for the Successful Recruitment of Geoscience Majors. Chris Keane (AGI) presents national trends, and speakers from a wide variety of institutions talk about what has worked well for their departments. - Recruitment Posters
Geoscience recruitment posters from departments across the country
