Abstract
ABSTRACTWe describe the rationale and process for the development of a new hybrid Earth and Space Science course for elementary education majors. A five-step course design model, applicable to both online and traditional courses, is presented. Assessment of the course outcomes after two semesters indicates that the intensive time invested in the development of the course results in a manageable workload during the semester for faculty with an already full teaching load. We also found that average scores in proctored online exams for this cohort of students are identical to the average scores of students from the same major enrolled in a face-to-face (F2F) course. Exam scores significantly improved in the second semester after adjustments to the workload and the introduction of explicit test-taking tips at the beginning of the semester. We found that our students, at all stages of their studies, were not used to the self-guided instruction required for success in online courses, and were often not as comfortable using Web-based technology for instruction as we expected.
Highlights
In this paper we describe the process that has led to the creation of a new hybrid Earth and Space Science (E&SS) course for elementary education (ElEd) majors at Iowa State University (ISU), and describe some of the lessons learned from the first two semesters of teaching the course
We examined two hypotheses related to the creation of a new E&SS hybrid course for ElEd majors at ISU
We found that a hybrid course did have a lower in-semester workload for supervising faculty compared to a similar F2F introductory science course
Summary
In this paper we describe the process that has led to the creation of a new hybrid (online plus face-to-face [F2F] instruction) Earth and Space Science (E&SS) course for elementary education (ElEd) majors at Iowa State University (ISU), and describe some of the lessons learned from the first two semesters of teaching the course. We describe results from the first semester of teaching, looking at the effect on the teaching load for the faculty involved and how students in this course compared in learning science content with those in a more traditional course. Teachers to the essentially full teaching load of the E&SS faculty involved To meet this challenge and ensure student engagement with the material, we designed a hybrid course model consisting of a two-credit online course incorporating multiple active learning opportunities and a one-credit (twohour) F2F inquiry-based lab designed for ElEd majors. The team explored the larger landscape of elementary and early childhood teacher preparation, and issues surrounding professional careers of new science teachers
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