Geoscience employers find dispositions such as a willingness to learn and initiative to be as critical in hiring as geoscience knowledge and skills. Ten dispositions are frequently mentioned by geoscience employers in job ads and interviews about hiring, however, little research exists on how these dispositions are incorporated into geoscience curricula. We conducted a preliminary study of instructors in two geoscience departments to understand the extent to which instructors integrate the development of dispositions into their teaching. We used a mixed methods approach including a quantitative survey followed by a semi-structured interview to investigate the strategies instructors use to help students develop these ten dispositions. Nineteen instructors completed the survey for 36 undergraduate geoscience courses; thirteen participated in follow-up interviews. Instructors reported providing opportunities for students to develop one or more dispositions in 32 out of 36 courses; they feel that dispositions are important and envision themselves in a range of roles in supporting students’ disposition development. They use a variety of strategies that we categorized as active/passive and direct/indirect, which provides a framework for effective disposition development. Instructors largely described indirect and active strategies and described few strategies for assessing students’ dispositions. Instructors also recognized that subtle adjustments to their teaching could better emphasize dispositions. Our results suggest that instructors are addressing dispositions but mostly not using evidence-based strategies, including transparency, active engagement, and assessment. Our new framework provides guidance for instructors and lays the groundwork for future research on incorporating dispositions into geoscience courses and degree programs.

This paper examines the benefits of a transdisciplinary team in making “geological deep time” accessible through outdoor education. Makhtesh Ramon is a national park in Israel, situated in the Negev Desert. It is an eroded monocline that reveals 245 million years of geological history, offering a unique outdoor learning environment. We employed a transdisciplinary action research approach to develop a geological trail along the makhtesh rim, integrating the natural setting with mobile technology. In this second-order action research, we analyzed transcripts from our planning meetings, including reflections after receiving feedback from multi-age users. This process helped us identify interactions that fostered innovative and demonstrative methods. To help visitors grasp the vastness of time, we used learning strategies such as observational and discovery-based activities, along with visualization, simplification, and abstraction techniques. The interdisciplinary team developed accurate, informative texts accompanied by diverse illustration methods. The resulting model could be adapted for outdoor learning at other geological sites worldwide.

This study, conducted at a small undergraduate institution, compares the use of a three-dimensional (3D) printed model, a two-dimensional (2D) photo printed on paper, and an interactive computer model in the understanding of geoscience concepts. First-year undergraduate students were divided into four groups, each corresponding to a different instructional modality used to study a training terrain: (1) the paper group viewed a 2D photo of the terrain, (2) the computer group interacted with a digital display of the terrain, (3) the 3D group examined a 3D-printed model of the terrain, and (4) the integrated group had access to all three learning formats. Participants completed a knowledge test and learning experience survey immediately after studying the training terrain, and again two weeks later. All groups showed declines in knowledge test performance over time. Although differences between groups were not statistically significant, the integrated group demonstrated numerically higher knowledge test scores. Regarding students’ perceived learning, those in the 3D-printed group reported more positive experiences compared to the paper and computer groups. Statistical analyses confirmed the differences, but no effects of session or interaction were found. While this study did not directly investigate student experiences with the integrated use of all modalities, the findings suggest that each format offers advantages that together may enhance knowledge retention and the overall learning experience. Given the small effect and sample size, these findings merit further investigation with higher statistical power.

Despite significant investment in developing and distributing free online curricular materials or open education resources (OERs), relatively little research examines how educators, particularly in higher education, actually utilize these resources. In addition to developing undergraduate-oriented OERs focused on using geodesy data to address societally critical topics—from natural hazards to water resources—the GEodesy Tools for Societal Issues (GETSI) program assessed faculty use of the materials to better understand OER adoption. Evaluation data included pre-program surveys, website analytics, instructor-only resource requests, and post-teaching surveys. GETSI modules were grounded in student-centered, evidence-based practices and designed for easy instructor adoption, drawing on a history of other OERs and web hosting prominence from the Science Education Resource Center (SERC) and National Association of Geoscience Teachers (NAGT) collections (e.g., InTeGrate). Instructors from a wide range of institutions perceived GETSI OERs as high quality and intended to use them again. This held true whether or not users participated in formal professional development, modified the resources significantly, or were new to the subject. Flexibility was a key ingredient with nearly all implementors adapting the resources to fit particular teaching needs. Instructors greatly valued the quantitative skills development, as well as both the “data-rich” and “societal-focused” aspects. The authors posit that GETSI module design achieves a “sweet spot” for curricular adoption that reflects a successful geoscience example of Roger’s Diffusion of Innovation “perceived attributes,” which are relative advantage, compatibility, complexity, trialability, and observability. Other science curriculum developers—including science data providers—are encouraged to apply these principles in future efforts.

Hydrogeology is a sub-discipline of geoscience that is highly spatial. The goal of this study was to quantify the relationship between spatial thinking skills, experience, and performance on an assessment of hydrogeology content knowledge. We categorized items from the hydrogeology content knowledge assessment as spatial or non-spatial in order to investigate whether spatial thinking skill affects performance on both sets of items. Undergraduate students, graduate students, and professional hydrogeologists (N = 72) completed two measures of spatial thinking skills, the hydrogeology content assessment, and a domain and experience questionnaire. We performed Pearson’s correlations between the measures, hierarchal regression analysis using spatial thinking skills and experience as predictor variables for performance on the spatial and non-spatial items from the knowledge assessment, and PROCESS macro to perform moderation analysis. On spatial items, experience predicted 20.3% and spatial thinking skills predicted 11.2% of the variance in performance. On the non-spatial items, experience predicted 28.0% and spatial thinking skills predicted 5.4% of the variance in performance. The moderation analysis revealed that the effect of spatial thinking skills on performance on spatial items was higher at average and higher levels of experience, implying that experience provides an advantage in knowing when and how to use spatial thinking skills. This study suggests that researchers and educators need to consider how content assessment items are written, as successful performance may require spatial thinking skills in addition to knowledge.

As neurodivergent paleontologists, museum practitioners, and allies, we recognize that the museum world is not always welcoming to neurodivergent needs and perspectives. Science museums have made attempts to change this trend, providing sensory hours and other accommodations for neurodivergent and disabled people to participate more fully in museum spaces. However, museum-based change efforts focused on disabled and neurodivergent people do not always meaningfully include people from these communities. We build on a literature of inclusive practices for neurodivergent geoscientists and within museums, and the perceived barriers for neurodivergent people in geoscience, to embrace neurodivergent perspectives as central to the development of paleontology museum educational materials. We center this work in the social-relational model of disability, reflecting upon our rich intersectional identities as neurodivergent paleontologists, allies, and museum practitioners, and providing a theoretical framework for encouraging neurodivergent perspectives in paleontology museum education in tandem with critical disability studies. We provide preliminary reflections on neurodivergent-centered paleontology museum educational materials from our narratives of two public events which centered disabled/neurodivergent participants as full partners in the creation of a mini-museum at their adult day program center, and as partners in the co-creation of materials on a well-trafficked paleontology museum website. We conclude with recommendations and ways of incorporating neurodivergent perspectives into geoscience and paleontology museums, and geoscience as a whole.

Citizen science projects have the potential to connect learners with science by immersing them in issues of local and personal interest. We launched and evaluated the outcomes of a co-created, classroom-based citizen science program around air quality in Alaska at the middle school level. Specifically, students were introduced to the larger topic of indoor air quality in the north, an important area in the geosciences that is studied by the partner scientist in the project. The students then developed and answered their own questions about air quality using sensors that they built, with mentorship from the scientist and their teacher. Findings suggest that there was growth in three interrelated areas: science identity (qualitative data), science interest (qualitative data), and perceived science competence (qualitative and quantitative data). The analysis also revealed that building the air quality sensors was the aspect of the project that students found most enjoyable, and the one that most made them feel like scientists. Our study illustrates the importance of incorporating tool construction and use into classroom citizen science projects.

Historic sites offer valuable opportunities for experiential learning but are often underused in social studies education. This practitioner study explored how secondary social studies teachers—including those who teach geography—and historic site supervisors from an upper Midwestern U.S. state prefer to collaborate and which informal learning resources they find most effective. Using survey data from 136 middle and high school teachers and interviews with eight historic site supervisors, the study found that teachers prefer brief, flexible pre- and post-visit lesson materials, such as 10–15-minute activities and videos. Both groups expressed strong interest in collaborating to develop student-centered learning experiences beyond the classroom. Teachers preferred electronic resource distribution and suggested summer institutes, online collaboration, and graduate credit as ways to incentivize the co-creation of materials. Site supervisors emphasized the importance of tailoring visits to student backgrounds and highlighted the role of educational outreach teams. The study concludes with practical recommendations for resource design and collaboration models, such as developing site-specific lesson materials and establishing teacher–supervisor summer institutes. These initiatives can strengthen partnerships between teachers and historic sites and support informal learning in social studies classrooms, particularly focusing on enhancing geoscience education.

The hidden curriculum, or unwritten rules and expectations of students as they apply to graduate school, prevents many individuals from historically underrepresented backgrounds from accessing graduate school and STEM careers. This can be especially important for geoscience, as it remains one of the least diverse fields in STEM. This study presents results from a pilot program designed for undergraduate students and faculty in the Guam community to address the hidden curriculum and broaden participation in the geosciences on Guam. An external evaluator administered surveys and conducted interviews with student and faculty participants. Data indicated that student participants improved their knowledge of the hidden curriculum and confidence in applying to graduate school. Additionally, students reported feeling more connection with peers and faculty and an increase in confidence working in STEM, sense of belonging, STEM identity, and interest in STEM careers. Most participants in the faculty workshop reported an improved understanding of the hidden curriculum and a commitment to adjusting admission policies and mentoring practices. This study provides support for an intervention that institutions of higher education might consider to address the disparity in graduate admissions for students from historically underrepresented backgrounds, especially within the geosciences.