Science professor presents study at Malta

The presentation, "Academic Program Assessment in Two Disciplines: Successes and Distresses," grew out of a study Hardy and Dr. Laura Gaudet, CSC professor of psychology, conducted for their disciplines.

Hardy and Gaudet initially presented a proposal to the conference committee. After it was accepted, they prepared a 16-page paper that also was accepted and then developed the power-point presentation. About 80 educators from around the world, including approximately 12 from the United States, attended the conference.

Hardy said assessment has been taking place on college campuses for decades as professors sought to improve their courses and teaching methods, but usually the assessment was informal. It has only been within the last two decades that data has been formally collected and analyzed to help substantiate the effectiveness, or ineffectiveness, of the instructional process, she said.

"Assessment is something faculty members have struggled with for years, but now we record and differentiate our outcomes," Hardy said. "In the past, no one made us substantiate our assessments, but now it is a point of emphasis. The goal is to help us develop the best programs available.

"We gather as much evidence as possible to validate the students' learning and seek to determine where the program is strong, where it is not as strong and what we can do about it."

As an example, the assessment conducted by Hardy and her colleagues in the CSC Science Department led to the development of a new course in evolution, she said.

"We were trying to integrate evolution into our science curriculum, but found that the students were not gaining a complete understanding with this method," Hardy said.

Hardy added that she and Gaudet compared the assessment findings from their departments while preparing their proposals and found some common successes and frustrations that were incorporated into the presentation.

Last year, Chadron State joined the Higher Learning Commission Assessment Institute, which is designed to help colleges and universities improve their assessment processes and share their findings.

Hardy was accompanied to Malta by her daughter, Johannah. The conference took place on Gozo, an island which is just 4.5 by 9.5 miles in size. They also visited the main island of Malta, which is much larger. Both islands have Megalith temples that date back to 5,000 B.C.

In most of the nation, the buildings are tall and the streets narrow, she said. Most businesses are tucked in "nooks and crannies."

Hardy said life on Malta is not easy. While small plots are used to grow vegetables, the soil is rocky and there is a limited water supply. Much of the drinking water has to be desalinated, and people are urged to conserve water and electricity. Gas is nearly $10 a gallon, but Malta is said to have the highest per capita ownership of automobiles in the world.

Tourism is the principle industry and almost all the goods are imported.

Besides the academic presentations, the conference included cultural and ecological tours of the two largest islands of Malta. Hardy said this made the trip special because it provided a chance for her to view the ecological concerns of Malta and also to hear participants from Africa, northern and eastern Europe, the Mediterranean and Japan share their concerns.

"This will allow me to bring first- and second-hand knowledge of environmental issues to my classes," Hardy said. "It helped make the conference very worthwhile."

Malta was a part of the British Commonwealth from 1814 to 1964, and remains in the Commonwealth of Nations. The people speak both English and Maltese. Hardy said the older adults have a strong British accent in their English, but those from the younger generations "speak American English," probably because they listen to music that originates in the U.S.