Assessing links between climate, active deformation, & geomorphology

Aaron Yoshinobu
,
Texas Tech University

A two-part pre-curriculum assessment is utilized to evaluate intuitive and learned knowledge of concepts relating to tectonic geomorphology, climate studies, and the formation of active geologic structures. Part 1 asks the student to rank their understanding of various concepts; Part 2 engages the students in a group activity to brainstorm correlations between various tectonic and geomorphic indices.

What learning is this evaluation activity designed to assess?

The evaluation (and the course) is designed in part to assess the types of learning (graphical, spatial, verbal, oral, etc.) that upper-level undergraduate and graduate students have accomplished as they matriculate through the geoscience curriculum. The evaluation provides the teacher with a reference point to begin discussion.

What is the nature of the teaching/learning situation for which your evaluation has been designed?

The content of the course and the method of evaluation spans multiple course curricula. As such, the the ability of the students to integrate diverse datasets and concepts learned over multiple semesters may be assessed.

What advice would you give others using this evaluation?

Are there particular things about this evaluation that you would like to discuss with the workshop participants? Particular aspects on which you would like feedback?

How to create mid- and post-curriculum assessments that may be perceived as learning tools rather than tests.
How do results regarding assessment of previous courses reflect on learning and teaching style?
How does a department integrate assessments that are pyramidal, rather than linear in form?
Are numerical rankings an accurate portrayal of student knowledge?