Pacific Northwest Two-year, Community College Geoscience Transfer Survey SURVEY BACKGROUND SURVEY BACKGROUND

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1 Pacific Northwest Two-year, Community College Geoscience Transfer Survey Buddington, A.M., Science Department, Spokane Community College Hull, J., Science and Mathematics, Seattle Central Community College SURVEY BACKGROUND Informal written survey Sent to 3 two-year PNW community colleges Sent to earth science instructors SURVEY BACKGROUND Pacific Northwest Community Colleges: WA, ID, OR, BC, W. MT, N.CA, UT Electronic Addresses and URLS for Western College Geo-faculty Joseph Hull, 3 mail.html 1

2 SURVEY BACKGROUND Surveys sent included postage paid return addressed envelopes 35 total responses out of 3 sent SURVEY OBJECTIVES Focus on two main groups of information 1. Geoscience course offerings & frequency offered. Geoscience majors and transfer trends SURVEY OBJECTIVES Geoscience Offerings: Courses & groupings A. Traditional Core B. Atmospheric C. Geography D. Regional/Field E. Miscellaneous F. Telecourse/Online

3 GEOSCIENCE COURSES Frequency of Courses Offered 1 time per year times per year 3 times per year 1 time every other year GEOSCIENCE COURSES Traditional Core Courses Intro to Earth Science 1 Physical 11 Physical 1 Historical Environmental of the Pacific Northwest GEOSCIENCE COURSES Oceanography Meteorology Ocean and Atmospheric Intro to Astronomy Astronomy II 3

4 GEOSCIENCE COURSES Geography Physical Geography Limnology Intro to Maps & Cartography Intro to GIS Geography of Natural Disasters GEOSCIENCE COURSES Regional & Field Related Field of Montana Oregon of California of the Clear Lake Volcanics of Mt. Shasta of Medicine Lake Volcano of the North Coast Ranges GEOSCIENCE COURSES Miscellaneous of National Parks Cascade Volcanoes Glacial EQ s & Plate Tectonics History of Life Geologic Hazards Georesources Rocks & Minerals Minerals Petrology Hydrology & GW Geomorphology

5 GEOSCIENCE COURSES Telecourses & Online Intro to Telecourse Meteorology Online Intro to Oceanography Telecourse Astronomy Telecourse Core Classes # of Schools Physical 1 1 Hist orical Pacific NW Environment al Intro to Earth Sci Physical 1 1 * Sur f ace Frequency of Offerings 1/ YEAR / YEAR 3/ YEAR 1 EVERY YEARS # of Schools 1 Phys ical 11 Historical Pacific NW Environmental Intro to Earth Sci 1 Phys ical 1* Surface 5

6 Frequency of Offerings Physical Hist o r ical Pacific NW Environmental # of Schools /YEAR 3/YEAR EVERY 1/YEAR 1 YEARS Offered per Year Average Enrollments Physical 1 Historical 1 11 # of Schools < # of Students Average Student Age 7 7 # of Schools Age

7 GEOCIENCE MAJORS & TRANSFER Degrees Offered Associate of Science Degree Associate of Science Technology Associate of Environmental Science Associate of Applied Science Degrees Offered 1 1 Associate of Science Degree Associate of Science Tecnology Associate of Environmental Science Associate of Applied Science TRANSFER FACTORS (weighted sum) 7--Cost of Schooling 1--Proximity to City/Region 3--Quality of Program 3--Distance to Home/Family --Availability of Courses/Programs 1--Reputation of College/University 15--Acceptance Rate/Ease 7

8 % of Out-of-State Transfers Frequency % 1-% -3% 3-% >% local vs distant -year choice frequency 1 some cc's don't have -yr nearby 1-% -% -% -% -% WHY NOT GEOSCIENCE? (responses) 17--Inadequate Aptitude for Sci/Math 9--Other Interests Stronger 7--Perceived Lack of Jobs --Lack of Information --Too Many Prerequisites 1--No Interest, No Courses, Cost

9 # of Earth Science Majors/Year Frequency 1 not normalized to school size 15/year >1 COUNSELING TOPICS 1-Advice About Employment 1-Math/Science Prerequisites 1-Diversity of Opportunities -Transfer/College Information -Courses in Earth Science -Pursue Passion 3-Get Involved in Research CONCLUSIONS Wide variety of ES offerings regionally Physical & Historical : offered most often, highest enrollments Historical, Pacific NW & Environmental : indicators of ES degree majors and/or success of institution? 9

10 CONCLUSIONS Transfer factors: cost, proximity, & quality Why not ES?: science=too hard, no interest, no jobs USE OF SURVEY Accreditation of College/Program Support Hiring of New Faculty Developing New Courses Developing New Programs Complementing Nearby Schools 1