Communication Skills Student oral and written reports continue to be a standard component of many Earth Sciences classes, including many of the large Core classes. These reports are evaluated by instructors within the classes. On an informal basis, the department tracks the performance of a limited number of undergraduates who give presentations at professional meetings or who write student theses and professional research reports. Problem-Solving Skills Instructors in all Earth Science classes evaluate student assignments. In these assignments, students collect and summarize quantitative data, present the data in spatial images, and analyze the data to solve real world problems.
Evaluation is done by the instructors within each class.
The capstone course in geology and geohydrology is a summer field course, which involves extensive mapping exercises, application of geologic skills, and integration of those skills. The capstone course in geography involves a variety of geographic subsistence within the Montana region. Specifically, students have to provide oral, written, and mapping reports on the linkages between the socioeconomic base and the physical landscape of the region. Based on an informal survey of faculty, the capacity of students in upper level classes to explain discipline-specific concepts is approximately on par with previous years. However, instructors across the board have noted a decline in the ability of 100-level students to grasp key concepts and apply Earth Sciences knowledge.