OATdb Archive - Sam Houston State University

OATdb Archive

2010 - 2011

Geography And Geology, Department Of

Goal

Quality Faculty

The faculty of the department will provide quality teaching and engage in quality research.

Objective

Quality Teaching

The faculty will provide quality teaching.

Indicator

Effective Teachers

The department utilizes the IDEA system as the teaching evaluation instrument. The IDEA system is a nationally normed, validated and reliable measure of classroom performance. All faculty distribute the IDEA evaluations at the end of their classes each semester. The faculty member's scores are then compared to other faculty across the nation.

Criterion

Effective Teaching

80% of the faculty in the department will meet or exceed the IDEA score of 50 on the Summary Evaluation in at least half of their classes.

Finding

IDEA Summary Evaluation Results

86% of the faculty in the department met or exceeded the IDEA score of 50 on the Summary Evaluation in at least half of their classes.

Action

Evaluation Of Quality Teaching

Only 2 faculty members out of 14 total did not meet this standard. Each of these faculty members taught online courses. The online courses have a very low return rate, to the point where the IDEA scores are rated as being unreliable by the evaluators of the IDEA forms. A way to improve the response rate must be developed. On the bright side, there were several faculty who scored 50 or more on the summary evaluation for all of their courses. Faculty wanting to improve their IDEA scores are encouraged to go to the Professional and Academic Center for Excellence (PACE) Center for workshops and one-on-one help with teaching effectiveness.

Objective

Quality Research

The department faculty will engage in quality, peer-reviewed research.

Indicator

Quality Research

The faculty in the department will publish peer-reviewed books and articles.

Criterion

Quality Research

80% of the faculty in the department will publish at least one peer-reviewed publication per year.

Finding

Peer-Reviewed Publications

73% (8 of 11) of the faculty in the department published at least one peer-reviewed publication over the past year. Two of the faculty in the department each published six peer-reviewed publications over the past year. The remaining faculty members without publications were either on teaching-track appointments or resident for only one semester.

Action

Engagement In Quality, Peer-reviewed Research

Departmental faculty members are encouraged to publish quality, peer-reviewed research. The department will support this by providing time and resources to the faculty members. For example, to help those faculty working on geographic information science, the department is providing a server dedicated to large GIS databases and promoting the growth of the GIS graduate program. The increasing number of graduate students will enhance the number of publication opportunities.

Update to previous cycle's plan for continuous improvement

Plan for continuous improvement During the annual faculty review three areas are addressed: teaching, research, and service. For tenure-track faculty the primary emphasis is placed on teaching and research. The majority of faculty members are doing average or above on the IDEA student evaluations. The only faculty that "appear" to be "struggling" are those teaching a number of online courses. The online courses are notorious for having low return rates and low summary evaluation scores. It is difficult to place much weight on the scores because the return rates are so low that the results are statistically unreliable. A method of improving the return rates is needed. Possibly linking completion of the IDEA evaluation with the ability to access the final exam. Faculty who are looking for ways to improve their teaching methods are encouraged to go to the PACE Center for workshops and/or one-on-one development meetings.

The department is making a big push to increase research output. We have just finished our first year with a graduate program with 7 graduate students. Over 20 graduate students have been admitted for the program in Fall, 2011. Some of the first seven will be working on their theses this coming year (those taking the thesis route). Thesis topics will require input from technically-trained faculty as well as content-oriented faculty. This will result in some collaborative publications. The department is also working on developing a Geospatial Technology Center that will serve the entire campus plus off-campus agencies. This will provide projects for graduate students and faculty. Again, there is high potential for collaborative publications. We also have hired a geologist with ties to the Transportation Institute of Texas. This will also provide opportunities for grants and publications.