Developed by: DAS Committee to Assess Student Outcomes (CASO)

DAS Faculty: Donna Charlevoix, Larry Di Girolamo, Robert Rauber

DAS Graduate Student Representative: Adam Houston

Date: March 9, 1999

Department Approval: __________________________ Date: _________________

CAC Approval: ________________________________ Date: _________________

I. Brief description of the process followed to develop this plan

The Department of Atmospheric Sciences offers graduate level degree programs in the Atmospheric Sciences and provides undergraduate survey courses to the University community. The mission of the Department of Atmospheric Sciences at the graduate level is to provide students with 1) a broad base of knowledge in the Atmospheric Sciences that will allow them to communicate with colleagues at a professional level across the disciplines of Atmospheric Science; 2) expertise in their chosen area of study so that, at the time of graduation, colleagues will have access to and/or recognize their work nationally and internationally; 3) an appreciation for the interdisciplinary applications of our science, and, for those who wish to pursue interdisciplinary work, the skills required to enter this growing employment sector; 4) opportunities to develop excellent writing, presentation, analysis, and computing skills. Our goal is to provide students with an education that will insure a competitive edge in the job market at the time of graduation, and continued success as professionals over their careers. Our mission at the undergraduate level is to motivate students to take an active interest in science, to obtain a basic understanding of the workings of their atmospheric environment, to appreciate the technological and scientific advances that have led to our ability to predict the future behavior of the atmosphere, and to develop educated opinions concerning the environmental issues facing the world.

As part of the student outcome assessment, the Department is evaluating our academic program to insure we continue to meet these goals in our rapidly evolving field. We have developed an assessment plan that involves four stages. These stages are:

1. Preliminary planning: Faculty retreats, faculty meetings and CASO meetings were held during spring and summer of 1998 to discuss the overall scope of the assessment and to develop a general plan to move forward in the evaluation of our curriculum and graduate program. The purpose of these early meetings was to focus the goals of the CASO and to poll the faculty concerning their perceptions of the current state of our academic program and needs for the future of the program.

2. Data gathering: From the preliminary planning meetings, the CASO concluded that quantitative information was required to make informed decision concerning future directions in our academic program. We began assembling this data base in Fall of 1998. The data collection phase will be completed in May 1999. The types of data are described in section III.

3. Student outcome evaluation: In this phase of the outcome assessment, we first plan to critically evaluate student outcomes based on our understanding of a) the career needs in the fields of the Atmospheric Sciences, b) the expected professional performance of graduates entering the employment sectors within the Atmospheric Sciences, 3) the level of knowledge both inside and outside of Atmospheric Sciences needed in order to succeed in professions within the Atmospheric Sciences. With this information we will then determine if it is necessary to redefine our vision of the ideal student outcome.

4. Academic program evaluation: We will then use these student outcome evaluations along with the original or revised student outcome archetype to appraise the success of our curriculum and general program in preparing graduates for the professional environment.

5. Academic program modification: Based on the evaluation above, we plan to introduce into our curriculum and general program those changes required to insure that our program continues to maintain the successes of our past and achieve the desired student outcomes in the future. We anticipate that some of these changes will be implemented quickly, while others may occur over several years.

II: Student Learning Outcomes

At the M.S. level, our students should possess the following upon graduation:

1. a broad base of knowledge in the Atmospheric Sciences that will allow effective communication with colleagues at a professional level across the disciplines of the Atmospheric Sciences;
2. a sufficient expertise in their chosen area of study so that professional employers and colleagues will recognize and seek their expertise;
3. an appreciation for the interdisciplinary applications of the Atmospheric Sciences and the skills to take advantage of opportunities in this growing sector;
4. a sufficient flexibility in their training so that they can adapt to the changing opportunities presented to them in their careers;
5. an ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing;
6. superior computing skills across a broad range of platforms and software.

At the Ph.D. level, our students should possess the following upon graduation:

1. all of the skills expected of Masters students;
2. the ability to perform novel and independent research;
3. the ability to instruct effectively at the University level.

III: Measures and methods

The data we are gathering to conduct the assessment includes the following:

1. A demographic member survey published by the American Meteorological Society (AMS).

The AMS is the professional organization of atmospheric scientists, professional meteorologists, and others involved in government, private sector and academic work related to the atmosphere. Contents of the AMS demographic survey include summary data from all universities with Atmospheric Science programs, national employment statistics for the atmospheric sciences, and many other statistics important to our assessment.

2. The most recent AMS survey of private sector employers

This survey provides information concerning the skills and qualifications required for private sector employment in the Atmospheric Sciences. For example, the survey describes typical tasks performed by employees in the private sector, skills required for advancement, and non-meteorological skills that employers consider a plus in a candidate. The survey provides private sector advice to universities on student preparation for employment and contains recommendations concerning curricula.

This document examines the evolution of the society, current trends in science and operations, and likely trends in our profession and in society at large. This document is useful in long range planning, and to help us position our Department as a center of academic excellence in the coming decade.

A survey is being sent to alumni who graduated in the last decade, which solicits their candid assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of their education at the University of Illinois. This survey will also allow us to document the outcomes of the department’s graduates. We are specifically seeking information that can be used to target areas of our program that need improvement.

The AMS publishes monthly employment announcements. We have analyzed these announcements to determine the most important skills and requirements as perceived by potential employers of our students.

We are comparing our course offerings with those of our peer universities to determine those areas of our academic program that may require stronger emphasis.

We are comparing our degree requirements with those of peer universities.

Following the data gathering phase, the results of the surveys and other information will be condensed into a concise initial evaluation of the Department curriculum and program and how well we currently achieve desired student outcomes. We, as a department, will then revisit and refine our vision of desired student outcomes based on our latest understanding of the career needs in the fields of the Atmospheric Sciences, the expected professional performance of graduates entering the employment sectors within the Atmospheric Sciences, and the level of knowledge both inside and outside of Atmospheric Sciences demanded to succeed in professions within the Atmospheric Sciences.

We then intend to introduce into our curriculum and general program those changes required to insure that our program continues to maintain the successes of our past, achieve the desired student outcomes, and position our Department as a recognized educational leader in the Atmospheric Sciences well into the future. Implementing these changes will require serious debate of the issues involved. We plan to do this during faculty retreats and meetings and by working closely with our graduate students through their representatives on our committees.

As a last step, we plan to establish a regular review procedure, so that student outcomes can be evaluated on a continuing basis to insure our program evolves with the changing needs of the Atmospheric Science community.

V. Timeline for implementation

Initiation of student outcome evaluation: May, 1998

Preliminary planning phase: June-August 1998

Data gathering phase: August 1998-May 1999

Academic program evaluation phase: May 1999-May 2000

Academic program modification phase: January 2000 – several years

6. Resources and support needed

To carry out our evolving plan, we will need faculty and support resources, primarily for the development of new courses that will help us achieve our future goals. To do this we anticipate needing both summer (1 month) and 1 semester of faculty release time. In addition we will need 2 months of secretary time and approximately $5,000 for miscellaneous supplies and travel to peer universities to discuss their curricula.

Time off for faculty to develop new courses $29,300

Summer month for faculty 6,500

2 months of secretary time 6,660

Travel and miscellaneous expenses 5,000

TOTAL $47,460