Weber State University   

Geography

Results of Assessment

2003-2004 (submitted 01/25/05)

This year the department assessed its performance through exit interviews and through a questionnaire circulated among the department’s recent graduates. Departmental strengths noted by students included excellent and knowledgeable instructors (who worked individually with students, and were also very demanding), good variety of courses, ready availability of instructors for consultation and advising, and excellent internships that helped students get jobs. Things students said needed improvement included the department’s GIS lab (which was seen as very small) and GIS software, which is becoming out of date. Partly in response to this, during the Spring semester, Eric Ewert and Mike Hernandez of the geosciences department proposed an extensive campus-wide upgrade of GIS facilities and GIS software with significant funding being provided by the colleges of natural sciences and social sciences (and perhaps several others). This will radically increase the resources at WSU for GIS instruction, both in geography and the geosciences as well as in other programs on campus. Other weaknesses noted by students was the lack of extensive field experiences in the department. The department responded by increasing the number of field trips offered. Attendance at the Spring 2004 field trip into southern Utah was quite high. The expenses (mostly mileage charges on two university vans) were quite high. Because of this, next year the department will have to begin charging lab fees for all field trips.

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