Assessing capstone

experiences: an example from field methods

Bill HartMiami University

In response to:

1. Our observations and experiences since 1999 in revising, broadening, and strengthening the Miami University capstone field geology course;

2. Renewed recognition that the field course setting is an excellent one for evaluating an array of student proficiencies, and is particularly well-suited to assess student inquiry and critical thinking skills;

3. University-wide assessment workshops and projects sponsored by the Miami University Assessment Office, Office of Liberal Education, most specifically a) the Assessing Critical Thinking Project and b) the Outcomes in the Major Project; and

4. Our frustration with aspects of the “established” field teaching/learning environment and a notion that student learning, faculty teaching, and student outcomes would all improve with the application of rubric-based expectations and assessment …

… we began testing various rubric formats for the evaluation of student mapping projects. While only three years old and in a constant state of modification, the following general rubric format has proven valuable and highly usable.

General understanding of problem; Basic geological background; Design and approach; Sense of product quality

Geological knowledge; Creation of a research plan; Primary data gathering and critical analysis; Hypothesis creation and testing; Perseverance and teamwork

Broader context of primary data; Data interpretation; Additional hypothesis testing; Inferences, conclusions and critical thought processes

• Primary tools: hand lens; rock hammer; compass/pocket transit; topographic maps, air photos, satellite imagery, hand-held radios, GPS receivers, and limited computer lab resources for GPS data downloads, simple GIS applications, and print outs of working field base maps.

• Initial two weeks: regional geology portion of course including Snake River Plain-Yellowstone and southern Canadian Rocky Mountains.

• Final three weeks: northwestern Wind River Basin region based out of Timberline Ranch, Dubois, WY.

Program Overview

Note: traditional is hereafter used to refer to an extended, immersion field experience with bedrock mapping as a central theme.

• A traditional * 5-week immersion experience with bedrock geologic mapping as the central theme and regional Cordilleran geology as the sub-theme.

Student contributions; the traveling portion …• Interpretations of basalt-rhyolite stratigraphy on the eastern Snake River

Plain.

• Geologic map of Craters of the Moon NM basalts and underlying units.

• Geologic map of a portion of Lewis & Clark Caverns State Park, MT.

• Geologic strip map through multiple thrust sheets, Sun Canyon, MT.

• Presentations on the geologic and structural development of the southern Canadian Rockies during a two-day transect.

• Generalized geologic cross-section of the Canadian Rockies from Banff through the Western Main Ranges.

Student contributions; the ranch portion …• One-day mapping project (team effort).

• Three-day mapping project in Precambrian through Paleozoic sequence with minor structural complexity (team mapping and final materials).

• Four-day mapping project in Precambrian through Paleozoic sequence with minor structural complexities (team mapping and final materials).

• One-day individual mapping project (only logistic assistance given by instructors).

• Four-day mapping project in Mesozoic sequence with substantial structural complexity (team mapping and individual final materials) [Final Project]

The Final Mapping Project (Little Horse Cr.; 4-days)

Describe and map in Mesozoic sedimentary units. Considerable structural complexity in a small area (folds and

faults). Difficult unit identifications; overturned beds; many covered

contacts.

An Example Application of the MUGFS Mapping Rubric:

4 Highly Competent; 3 Competent; 2 Minimally Competent; 1 Not Competent

Project-specific grading elements adapted to rubric categories

E1a General InformationE1b Lithologic DescriptionsE2 Presentation and

LegibilityE3 Primary Geologic

InformationE4 Geologic Cross-

Section(s)

4 Highly Competent3 Competent2 Minimally Competent1 Not Competent

How is it working?

There is qualitative evidence (instructor/student feedback) that improvements in teaching methodology, clarity of expectations, various aspects of field learning, student inquiry and critical thinking skills, and quality of final mapping project products have resulted. The small, but growing quantitative dataset illustrated below reaffirms these assertions.