Reply on RC2

Cristina Wilson

doi:10.5194/se-2021-69-ac2

Abstract

Managing uncertainty is fundamental to geoscience practice, yet geoscience education generally does not incorporate explicit instruction on uncertainty. To the extent that students are exposed to scientific uncertainty, it is through in-person field experiences. Virtual field experiences – which rely on pictures, maps, and previously collected measurements – should therefore explicitly address uncertainty or risk losing this critical aspect of students' experience. In this paper we present a framework for teaching students to assess and communicate their uncertainty, which is grounded in best expert practices for conveying uncertainty and familiar terms-of-art in geology. The starting point of our framework is the recognition of uncertainty in both geologic data and models, the latter of which we use as an encompassing term to refer to potential geological processes and structures inferred on the basis of incomplete information. We present a concrete application of the framework to geological mapping and discuss how it could enhance student learning in both traditional in-person and virtual experiences. Our framework is extensible in that it can be applied to a variety of geologic features beyond those where uncertainty is traditionally assessed, and can also be applied to geological subdisciplines.

Highlights

Capitalizing fully on scientific research requires understanding how much uncertainty surrounds it (Fischhoff and Davis, 2014; Kirch, 2012). In many cases these uncertainties extend beyond those associated with the measurement of observable 25 phenomena and objects. This is true in geoscience, where high levels of uncertainty are the standard, rather than the special case (Bárdossy and Fodor, 2001; Frodeman, 1995)
Most field-based geoscientists are familiar with the limitations on observation imposed by incomplete exposure
Even in cases where exposure is exceptional or complete, geometric and lithologic complexities manifested over a wide range of spatial scales may lead to distinctly different interpretations by individual scientists

Summary

10 Abstract

Managing uncertainty is fundamental to geoscience practice, yet geoscience education generally does not incorporate explicit instruction on uncertainty. To the extent that students are exposed to scientific uncertainty, it is through in-person field experiences. Virtual field experiences – which rely on pictures, maps, and previously collected measurements – should explicitly address uncertainty or risk losing this critical aspect of students’ experience. In this paper we 15 present a framework for teaching students to assess and communicate their uncertainty, which is grounded in best expert practices for conveying uncertainty and familiar terms-of-art in geology. We present a concrete application of the framework to geological mapping and discuss how it could enhance student learning in both traditional in-person and virtual 20 experiences. Our framework is extensible in that it can be applied to a variety of geologic features beyond those where uncertainty is traditionally assessed, and can be applied to geological subdisciplines

Introduction

Uncertainty rating scale

Conclusions

12 Video supplement Not applicable