Annual Student Progress Assessment (MS)
This rubric is to be filled out by all committee members after the student’s annual committee meeting and one final time at the time of the oral defense.  At the time of the defense, the assessment will be based on all interactions the committee has had with the student, including the oral defense and written thesis. It is the responsibility of the primary advisor to ensure that the form is filled out by all committee members.

The purpose of this form is to track our student’s progress across time, thus a first-year student may have very low ratings based on their limited experience, whereas a student in their final year is expected to perform at a higher level.  The ratings by each faculty member is based on their daily interactions with the student and/or their interaction during the committee meeting.  The questions address the student’s achievement towards the MEES Learning Outcomes (LOs) and are scaled from 1 (not begun) to 5 (advanced) and follow the basic scheme below.

1- Student has not begun or not demonstrated proficiency in this LO
2- Students have achieved a basic and/or introductory proficiency in this LO
3- Students have achieved adequate proficiency in this LO
4- Students have achieved good proficiency in this LO
5- Students have demonstrated exemplary achievement in this LO
Sign in to Google to save your progress. Learn more
Email *
Name: *
Choose one: *
Required
Student Name: *
Date of Annual Meeting: *
MM
/
DD
/
YYYY
Is this the student's final assessment (approximately at the time defense)?
Clear selection
Foundation Area: *
Program Learning Outcome 1: Demonstrate working knowledge and comprehension of the fundamentals of environmental sciences within a disciplinary grounding.
This learning outcome is focused on foundational knowledge needed to function as a scientist in a particular discipline. Some of this knowledge is acquired in coursework, but also in other educational activities such as reading papers, discussions with other scientists, independent reading.  Students can demonstrate this knowledge in many ways, including, but not limited to their daily interactions with their mentors, paper discussions, performance in classes, and during the thesis defense process. The expectation for M.S. students is that at the end of their study, they will have had the opportunity to develop their foundational knowledge at a level that enables them to conduct research under some supervision from a more experienced scientist.
For Program Learning Outcome 1:
Program Learning Outcome 2:  Synthesize this disciplinary grounding and apply the resulting knowledge in an interdisciplinary context towards the advancement of science and/or addressing important societal problems.
This learning outcome is focused on being able to apply one’s existing disciplinary knowledge to interdisciplinary problems. Students practice doing this in two require courses, the Applied Environmental Science course and the Issue Study Group course.  As students of Marine, Estuarine and Environmental Science, students’ thesis research is also interdisciplinary, providing a platform for them to learn and to demonstrate to their committee members their skills of synthesizing knowledge to address scientific or societal problems in an interdisciplinary context. Students are expected to be able to analyze and evaluate natural and/or social science evidence relevant to a particular issue and effectively communicate the contribution that scientific evidence makes towards solving the issue.
For Program Learning Outcome 2:
Program Learning Outcome 3: Learn and apply essential professional skills for scientific careers.
This Learning Outcome expresses the desire for all of our students to graduate with a set of professional skills they need for their scientific career goals. Students can acquire these skills in a variety of ways, not limited to: in courses specifically designated as Professional Development courses in the curriculum, in other courses or programs they participate in, and while conducting research. The particular skills expected of each student is a function of their career goals and expectations should be agreed upon between the student, advisor and committee.  These might include skills in: analytical or field data collection techniques, modeling, data analysis, teaching, entrepreneurship, outreach, scientific writing, oral communication, formal peer review, etc. Students demonstrate their skill sets by applying them over the course of their graduate school career.
Program Learning Outcome 3:
Skillsets
Please check what skills the student is learning or has mastered. Not all skills are relevant for all students.
Program Learning Outcome 4: Under supervision, define, conduct, interpret and communicate original research.
This learning outcome is a key part of our research-based graduate program and has thus been broken out into five sub-outcomes.  A key phrase in this section that applies to all M.S. students is “under supervision”. A M.S. degree is a training degree and graduates are expected to be familiar with the scientific research process by having first-hand experience with it, but are not expected to be fully able to conduct research without some guidance.  Many M.S. students may be capable of fully independent research, and may go on to earn Ph.D.s or work in jobs requiring a high degree of independence, but all are required to be able to work successfully in the research enterprise with some guidance.
Research Learning Outcome 4.1: Understand and synthesize pertinent information from the body of published scientific literature A key skill of a scientist is to be able to read the literature and synthesize it for application to your own research or other applications.  We expect our students will have opportunity to learn and to demonstrate this ability in a variety of contexts, including small group discussion of papers, in their writing (e.g., a research proposal, dissertation), during committee meetings, in seminars, and in their interactions with their mentors.
Research Learning Outcome 4.2: Plan, design and conduct original research following scientific principles and protocols. Students acquire this knowledge by reading, observing research, and doing guided research. At the Master’s level, we expect students to participate in the planning, designing and conducting of research with varying levels of guidance and oversight from mentors. Depending on the individuals, funding sources, and research projects involved, this may be done in any number of ways.
Research Learning Outcome 4.3: Analyze and interpret data from an original research project. Data analysis and interpretation are key skills that every scientist needs.  Students acquire these skills in courses, in informal teaching settings with mentors, and by experiential learning.  Students can demonstrate these skills when they analyze the data for their own research, though in many cases early data analysis will be a learning experience and the student’s abilities will mature with practice.
Research Learning Outcome 4.4: Write original research findings for a scientific audience, ideally at a standard suitable for publication in an appropriate, peer-reviewed scientific journal Students acquire basic writing skills throughout their education and often learn the specifics of professional scientific either in a dedicated scientific writing course and/or through the experience of writing closely with a mentor.  Students can demonstrate their abilities in a written proposal, by writing their thesis, and/or writing a manuscript for peer review. It is expected that M.S. students will write their thesis with guidance from collaborators, aiming for a quality suitable for submission to a peer-reviewed journal.
Research Learning Outcome 4.5: Effectively communicate a technical summary of their research effort to a scientific audience in an oral presentation. Scientists often communicate their research in an oral presentation to their peers.  Students practice this skill in their classes and in other presentations they may give on their campus, to their lab group, or to their mentors and committee members.  Each of these venues provide opportunity for practice and for demonstrating skill. A final demonstration of mastery is expected at the oral defense.
Additional Information
A key metric of demonstrated skill in scientific research is publication in the peer-review literature.  Although the MEES program does not require publication, it is a clear metric of student achievement and will be helpful in our assessment of the program. Please indicate the relevant experience of your student by checking all applicable statements below.
If you checked "The student has had other involvement in a peer-review publication," please add your explanation here.
Thank you for filling out this form.
A copy of your responses will be emailed to the address you provided.
Submit
Clear form
Never submit passwords through Google Forms.
reCAPTCHA
PrivacyTerms
This form was created inside of University of Maryland, College Park. Report Abuse
Google Forms