Assessment : 2013 - 2014 : Educational Programs :
Geographic Information Systems MS
1 Goal 1 Objective 1 Indicator 1 Criterion 1 Finding 1 Action
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GOAL: Deliver A Curriculum With Appropriate Discipline Specific Knowledge
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Objective
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Demonstrate Advanced Applied GIS Knowledge And Skills
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Each student will demonstrate the ability to communicate knowledge of advanced applied GIS.
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Indicator
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Mastery Of Advanced Applied GIS Knowledge - Written Comprehensive Exams
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All graduate students will demonstrate a mastery of applied GIS knowledge through a set of written graduate comprehensive examinations, administered by a faculty committee. The examination will consist of questions about the practical and theoretical basis for the application of Geographic Information Systems and Remote Sensing techniques to real world problems. A committee of faculty members with expertise in the subject areas will evaluate students’ performance and give a mark of Fail, Pass, or High Pass in each examined area.
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| Criterion |
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80% First Time Pass Rate For Written Comprehensive Exams
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Each student needs to earn at least a "Pass" mark in each examined area to pass the written comprehensive exams. Each student is allowed two attempts. Faculty expect that at least 80% of graduate students will pass their exam on their first attempt. 100% will pass on their second attempt.
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| Finding |
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Written Comprehensive Exams
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Comprehensive Examinations (Fall 2013): 6 graduate students were scheduled for examinations. All six students passed the exam for a 100% success rate. Three students scored "High Pass" in at least one examined field.
Comprehensive Examinations (Spring 2014): 9 graduate students were scheduled for examinations. Eight students passed the exam for a 89% success rate. One student failed one examined field and has planned to retake the Examination in Fall 2014. Seven students scored "High Pass" in at least one examined field.
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Actions for Objective:
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Comprehensive Examinations
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Compared to past years, fewer students scored "High Pass" on comprehensive exams. In addition, one student did not pass the exam on the intitial try. It would appear that there is a particular subject matter that students seem to be less than proficient with (generally, related to skills associated with Digital Image Processing). However, a new faculty member, hired in 2013, possesses a high degree of expertise in that particular area. Based on these results, we plan to more clearly designate this subject matter as an explicit component within future comprehensive exams.
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Previous Cycle's "Plan for Continuous Improvement"
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The Applied GIS faculty will work diligently to improve the quality of the program. Three new graduate courses will be developed and offered in the coming school year. Together they will make significant contribution to the existing curriculum.
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Update on Previous Cycle's "Plan for Continuous Improvement"
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Two new graduate courses have been added to the curriculum and a third one will be introduced in Spring 2015.
A new GIS faculty joined the program in the Fall of 2013. The new faculty brought in new expertise and will introduce more courses in the coming semesters.
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Plan for Continuous Improvement
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The Applied GIS faculty has continued to work to improve the quality of the program. The addition of a new faculty member in 2013, and the addition of new courses, have offered the opportunity to expand the scope of expertise available across the curriculum. Accordingly, we plan to broaden the subject matter and the range of skills incorporated within comprehensive examinations. In short, we plan to refine the comprehensive exam so that additional subject matter is explicitly assessed.
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