The Earth's Record of Climate: A Focused-topic Introductory Course

Abstract

The Earth's Record of Climate is an introductory geology course offered at the University of St. Thomas that explores the science of paleoclimatology and its relevance to the climate change of the last century. Most undergraduate students that enroll in the course believe that climate change is a significant concern, but lack knowledge of the scientific basis or express important misconceptions about the problem. Students build the necessary skills to work with different forms of earth science data including oxygen isotopic data, fossils, and sediment descriptions. They also read and respond to articles on climate change. Students demonstrate their learning with: 1) a final project in which they complete a detailed paleoclimate reconstruction 2) a final exam essay in which they respond in a substantive fashion to a climate change skeptic, and 3) the results of a Knowledge Survey. Knowledge Survey results show a significant increase (1.17 points on a 3 pt scale) in student confidence by the end of the course. Representative comments from student reports on teaching suggest that it both challenges them and increases their interest in earth science. Numerical ratings from student reports on teaching are consistently higher (by 5% on average) than those for an introductory physical geology course that I teach.