Earth System Science Education Research Articles

Society needs experts with climate change competencies – what is the role of higher education in atmospheric and Earth system sciences?

The urgent societal need for climate action requires climate change expertise. But who is a climate change expert? What is the role of atmospheric and Earth system science education? In this study, we examine what competencies do atmospheric and Earth system scientists teach in selected programmes in seven European countries, and how they view the importance of various competencies for the students to learn. We also asked about teacher experiences and wishes related to teaching collaboration. We found that the atmospheric and Earth system scientists taught and valued the highest the traditional academic competencies related e.g. to critical thinking and applying knowledge. The normative, strategic and interpersonal competencies of sustainability were generally less valued and taught. The largest teaching gaps were found in competencies such as developing new ideas, interpersonal competency, making arguments and looking for solutions, critical thinking, collaboration and communication skills. Preferred collaborators for atmospheric and Earth system scientists were scientists from their own field or from other natural sciences, while collaborators from other sciences and wider society were less popular choices. The atmospheric and Earth systems scientists in our study did not see themselves as climate change experts. We foresee here a need to define climate change competencies.

Educator Perspectives on Earth System Science Literacy: Challenges and Priorities

ABSTRACTThe challenges and priorities of defining and achieving Earth System Science (ESS) literacy are examined through surveys of geoscience educators attending a professional geological meeting. Two surveys with Likert-style and free-response questions were distributed to geoscientists and K–12 teachers to elicit what instructors think are important concepts, experiences, and hurdles to ESS literacy. Survey 1 asked participants open-ended questions about the challenges and priorities of ESS literacy. Survey 2 asked participants to evaluate the importance of various concepts for nonscience majors taking an ESS course. Survey 1 results indicate that the geoscience professors and K–12 teachers place emphasis on the relevance of Earth Science for public decision-making and regard formal education as having an important role in building Earth Science literacy. Respondents identified weaknesses of K–12 ESS education and the lack of respect for the geosciences as substantial hurdles for ESS literacy. Survey 2 results reveal that respondents highly value integrated Earth Systems concepts, such as, Earth systems involve complex interactions between rock, water, air, and life. Less value is placed on fact-like statements that cover a narrow range of content, such as the age of the Earth and that Earth is mostly covered by an ocean. Results from both surveys indicate that K–12 teachers value teaching the interconnectedness of humanity and the Earth more so than do professors. This study identifies geoscience educators' perspectives of Earth Systems Science Principles and reveals the need for a more cohesive movement to promote the importance of ESS and develop ESS literacy in the general public.

Earth remote sensing as an effective tool for the development of advanced innovative educational technologies

Current educational system is facing a contradiction between the fundamentality of engineering education and the necessity of applied learning extension, which requires new methods of training to combine both academic and practical knowledge in balance. As a result there are a number of innovations being developed and implemented into the process of education aimed at optimizing the quality of the entire educational system. Among a wide range of innovative educational technologies there is an especially important subset of educational technologies which involve learning through hands-on scientific and technical projects. The purpose of this paper is to describe the implementation of educational technologies based on small satellites development as well as the usage of Earth remote sensing data acquired from these satellites. The increase in public attention to the education through Earth remote sensing is based on the concern that although there is a great progress in the development of new methods of Earth imagery and remote sensing data acquisition there is still a big question remaining open on practical applications of this kind of data. It is important to develop the new way of thinking for the new generation of people so they understand that they are the masters of their own planet and they are responsible for its state. They should desire and should be able to use a powerful set of tools based on modern and perspective Earth remote sensing. For example NASA sponsors “Classroom of the Future” project. The Universities Space Research Association in United States provides a mechanism through which US universities can cooperate effectively with one another, with the government, and with other organizations to further space science and technology, and to promote education in these areas. It also aims at understanding the Earth as a system and promoting the role of humankind in the destiny of their own planet. The Association has founded a Journal of Earth System Science Education. Authors describe an effective model of educational technology developed in the Center for Earth Remote Sensing of Bauman Moscow State Technical University and based on scientific and educational organizations integration in the field of applied studies. The paper also presents how students are being trained to acquire and process satellite imagery data from Terra and Aqua satellites. It also reveals the results of space monitoring for Russia's ecologically complex regions conducted by Bauman Moscow State Technical University students in cooperation with specialists from the Laboratory for Aerospace Methods of Moscow State University named after M. Lomonosov.

Development of online instructional resources for Earth system science education: An example of current practice from China

Educators around the world are striving to make science more accessible and relevant to students. Online instructional resources have become an integral component of tertiary science education and will continue to grow in influence and importance over the coming decades. A case study in the iterative improvement of the online instructional resources provided for first-year undergraduates taking “Introductory Earth System Science” at Nanjing University in China is presented in this paper. Online instructional resources are used to conduct a student-centered learning model in the domain of Earth system science, resulting in a sustainable online instructional framework for students and instructors. The purpose of our practice is to make Earth system science education more accessible and exciting to students, changing instruction from a largely textbook-based teacher-centered approach to a more interactive and student-centered approach, and promoting the integration of knowledge and development of deep understanding by students. Evaluation on learning performance and learning satisfaction is conducted to identify helpful components and perception based on students’ learning activities. The feedbacks indicate that the use of online instructional resources has positive impacts on mitigating Earth system science education challenges, and has the potential to promote deep learning.

Experiential Discoveries in Geoscience Education: The EDGE Program in Alaska

Alaska's students directly observe their high-latitude landscape changing in response to both active tectonics and warming temperatures. Alaska's secondary school teachers must increasingly provide Earth systems science education that integrates these personal observations with geospatial datasets and satellite images using Geographic Information System (GIS) technology. Alaskan job opportunities requiring Earth science and GIS training are increasing, yet less than 1% of Alaska's university students choose geoscience-related majors. The EDGE (Experiential Discoveries in Geoscience Education) program provides a year of Earth science college courses, geologic field experiences, GIS instruction, and technical support for groups of Alaskan high and middle school teachers and their students. Since 2005 EDGE has increased the Earth science content knowledge and GIS and computer skills of 34 Alaskan teachers and facilitated the transfer of their knowledge and skills into Alaska's science classrooms. More than 500 middle school students have learned GIS from EDGE teachers and 30 EDGE high school students have conducted original research utilizing GIS related to landscape change and its impacts on their own communities. Long-term EDGE goals include improving student performance on the newly implemented (2007) 10th grade standards-based science test scores, recruiting first-generation college students, and increasing the number of Earth science majors in the University of Alaska system. More information on EDGE programs is available at <www.edge.alaska.edu>.

Causality in Complex Dynamic Systems: A Challenge in Earth Systems Science Education

The understanding of the mechanisms underlying processes such as self-organization, adaptation, emergence, which are characteristics of complex systems, is of paramount importance when teaching and learning science. Preliminary research on student understanding of complexity indicates that students tend to conceptualize dynamic systems in static disjointed terms, utilizing a linear-mono-causal approach which impedes a conceptual understanding of complex causal relations. Hypothesizing that student understanding of the principles of causality plays a fundamental role in the understanding of complexity, undergraduate science majors have been interviewed to explore their approaches to complex natural phenomena and document changes that occur in reasoning when a modified Aristotelian framework of causality principles is introduced. Results indicate that the understanding of emergence, downward causation, and self-organization are better conceptualized when students utilize the modified Aristotelian framework of causality principles.

A new generation of cyberinfrastructure and data services for earth system science education and research

Abstract. A revolution is underway in the role played by cyberinfrastructure and modern data services in the conduct of research and education. We live in an era of an unprecedented data volume from diverse sources, multidisciplinary analysis and synthesis, and active, learner-centered education emphasis. Complex environmental problems such as global change and water cycle transcend disciplinary and geographic boundaries, and their solution requires integrated earth system science approaches. Contemporary education strategies recommend adopting an Earth system science approach for teaching the geosciences, employing pedagogical techniques such as enquiry-based learning. The resulting transformation in geoscience education and research creates new opportunities for advancement and poses many challenges. The success of the scientific enterprise depends heavily on the availability of a state-of-the-art, robust, and flexible cyberinfrastructure, and on the timely access to quality data, products, and tools to process, manage, analyze, integrate, publish, and visualize those data. Concomittantly, rapid advances in computing, communication, and information technologies have revolutionized the provision and use of data, tools and services. The profound consequences of Moore's Law and the explosive growth of the Internet are well known. On the other hand, how other technological trends have shaped the development of data services is less well understood. For example, the advent of digital libraries, web services, open standards and protocols have been important factors in shaping a new generation of cyberinfrastructure for solving key scientific and educational problems. This paper presents a broad overview of these issues, along with a survey of key information technology trends, and discuses how those trends are enabling new approaches to applying data services for solving geoscientific problems.

Symphony of the Spheres: Perspectives on Earth System Science Education

Welcome to this Special Issue of the Journal of Geoscience Education, dedicated to discussing Earth system science education: its present state and future directions. Due to the diversity and complexity of Earth system processes, scientists and educators commonly are required to comprehend and apply knowledge of the atmosphere, biosphere, geosphere, hydrosphere, and anthroposphere in their research and in the classroom. The exciting and integrative aspects of Earth system science enter with the recognition that none of these spheres occurs in isolation; instead, they interact to produce the Earth system, in a grand of the spheres. The symphony metaphor can be used to describe the concordant physical, biological, chemical and social processes that define conditions on our planet. Just as each instrument in a symphony works in concert with the others to make polyphonic music, so to do elements of air, water, land and fife act and interact to create the Earth system that operates in harmony on a planetary scale. Whether symphony or planet Earth, the ensemble of interrelated states ana processes produces a complexly woven music that collectively makes the group far more interesting and dynamic than any of the parts. Of course the metaphor has limitations, and there are important differences between a symphony and the Earth system, including issues of direction (e.g., lack of a score in the Earth system), scale and complexity. A student of the symphony has a fundamentally finite task when listening and examining the musical score to extract a theme, a melody or a variation. A student of music can even experiment with the score to examine the effect of individual instruments or sections on the final symphonic performance. The student of the Earth system, however, has a much more daunting task. The nearly infinite combined effects of a myriad of complex processes defy simple analysis, and direct, controlled experiments upon the system as a whole are impossible. Yet, careful observation of the Earth system coupled with an understanding of physical, chemical and biological principles has given rise to complex models of air, water, land and life processes that can be used to predict the state, process and evolution of the system overall. Indeed, the study of Earth system science can be considered exploration in itself as deeper or more subtle relationships and dependencies within and among the spheres emerge. Developing student understanding of these spheres and their linkages is a central focus of Earth system science. Hence, at its finest, Earth system science education engages scientists and educators in the collaborative interdisciplinary development and offering of courses and learning resources focused on understanding and application of Earth system and global change science in the classroom and laboratory. This special issue focuses on exploring exemplary courses, curricula, degree programs, learning resources and programs centered on Earth system science education. Papers include demonstration of effective technological tools, techniques facilitating systems thinking, and pedagogical approaches. Authors address diverse topics and questions including: How is Earth system science defined and what are appropriate strategies for conveying this concept to students? What are the most productive instructional technologies, and how and when are they best applied? What are effective means to teach students of the connectivity among spatial and temporal scales and on linkages among the spheres? Our solicitation expressed special interest in papers describing lessons learned in: developing and sharing content; utilizing Earth system science topics to engage students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) learning; and in building working interdisciplinary partnerships, as well as papers that pursued formal evaluation of Earth system science learning materials and programs overall. …

Earth System Science: A Model for Teaching Science as State, Process and Understanding?

An overview of the events and activities leading to the NASA/USRA sponsored Earth System Science Education (ESSE) Program initiated in 1991 with continuation through 2006 as ESSE 21 is presented. The overview includes the rationale for seeking support from NASA for the initiation of interdisciplinary courses and collaborative efforts in the creation and sharing of interdisciplinary educational resources within the ESSE Program. The immediate motivation in 1991 for initiating the ESSE Program stemmed from the vision expressed by NASA's Earth System Sciences Committee in its presentation document, “Earth System Science, A Closer View,” which is turn was part of the Nation's 1980's focus on Global Change. Several key events and capabilities that emerged during the last century which led to and enabled the focus on Global Change nationally and internationally are summarized. Besides society's concern over the environment, for the first time satellites and computers in combination with communications provided humankind with the capability to observe the state of the system globally, regionally, and locally. A key theme of this overview in conjunction with ESSE's Overview Schematic is to emphasize three inseparable elements in the presentation and learning of science in the classroom: state, process and understanding. The classroom is where ideally the student encounters the open ended nature of the multi-interdisciplinary framework of ESS and in turn learns to appreciate the interplay of disciplines involved including the importance of all in societal decision making leading to action.

Earth System Science Education Alliance: Online Professional Development for K-12 Teachers

Colleges and universities across the U.S. are offering online Earth system science courses for K-12 teachers through NASA's ESSEA program. The three available courses-for teachers of grades K-4, 5-8, and 9-12-are delivered online and feature student-centered, knowledge-building virtual communities. The courses were developed for NASA within the Center for Educational Technologies (CET) at Wheeling Jesuit University. The Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES) and CET managed ESSEA through NASA funding. Twenty participating colleges, universities, and education organizations were competitively selected to receive funding and training for running the courses and continuing support from IGES and CET. From 2000–2006, 1,707 teachers from across the U.S. completed a semester or quarter long ESSEA course from one of the participating institutions. Pre- and post-course surveys, follow-up surveys, and case studies with course participants show that the courses have had a significant impact on teachers' content knowledge, attitudes and practices. ESSEA has also shown that the courses are capable of being sustained beyond the original NASA funding. Seventeen of the participating schools report that they will continue offering the courses and many have developed new programs that incorporate the courses or foster continued Earth system science education opportunities for teachers.

Developing an Archetype for Integrating Native Hawaiian Traditional Knowledge with Earth System Science Education

There is a recognized need by educators to increase interest in the sciences among underrepresented minority groups, and thus increase the number of minorities (including indigenous peoples) going into geoscience-related professions. For example, populations on Pacific islands are one of the most vulnerable to climate change; yet they often lack the “in-house” scientific expertise to monitor their local environments. We believe that the weaving of Western science ideals with traditional knowledge through a culturally appropriate curriculum can be a highly effective way to convey Earth system science topics to indigenous peoples, such as Native Hawaiians. We developed a curriculum which emphasized the integration of traditional knowledge, geospatial technologies, and Earth system science. The resulting summer institute course, Kaha Ki‘i ‘Aina, was ranked highly by the Native Hawaiian students. Further integration of traditional knowledge with Western science in the curriculum should create a pathway to attract more indigenous peoples, like the Native Hawaiians, into the geosciences.

Implementing Earth Systems Science Curriculum: Evaluating the Integration of Urban Environments for an Urban Audience

This paper presents an evaluation of the implementation of Earth system science curriculum in a large format introductory course oriented for an urban audience. Similar to most universities, the University of Missouri-Kansas City's Department of Geosciences is located in an urban setting. Supported by NASA's Earth System Science Education Program (ESSE 21), the UMKC team developed and revised course content and teaching strategies by integrating a focus on urban environments as a key curriculum component. In an era of greatly expanding urban landscapes, growing resource pressures, and increasing societal impacts of natural hazards, engaging students in urban issues and the importance of Earth science is critical. Curriculum design is make strong connections to our students' sense of place- the urban environment. The curriculum relates Earth systems to human constructed landscapes. It also provides a range of assessment options maximizing student flexibility. Comparing performance results from the original course to two years of the restructured course demonstrates increases in performance. Curriculum changes in the restructured course are further evaluated through a broad range of assessments at different time scales. Assessments measure student content knowledge, a variety of active learning activities, and student self-efficacy. Finally, the success of impact of curriculum change and methods is evaluated. Student responses are favorable, and performance increases with time-on task activities such as pre-quizzes and weekly assignments. Alternative grading strategies such as in-class topical modules and Academic Service Learning increase student engagement and understanding. Students also demonstrate significant increases in the self-efficacy of their science knowledge.

Geology, Resources and Environment of Latin America: Incorporating Earth Systems Science Education in an Undergraduate Science Service Course Intended for Hispanic Students

With NSF funding, we have developed, taught, and evaluated a new lower-division science course for non-science majors, entitled “Geology, Resources, and Environment of Latin America” (GRELA). GRELA is intended to attract Hispanic undergraduates to science and to increase awareness among non-Hispanic students about challenges facing our neighbors to the south. GRELA is an interdisciplinary exploration of how the physical and biological environments of Mexico, Central America, and South America have influenced the people who live there. The course consists of 22 lectures in four modules (Background; Minerals; Energy and Natural Hazards, and Water and the Environment). Presentation of ESS topics dominates the last part of the class and includes lectures on El Niño, glaciers, the Amazon, rain forests, and coral reefs; a final set of lectures focuses on challenges facing the US and Mexico over shared water resources. Grades are based on two mid-term exams, a final exam and a report developed in partnership with correspondents in Latin American universities. Evaluations indicate this course positively impacts student interest in science, although some of the favorable comments may result from small class size. We encourage adaptation of our course materials at other community colleges and universities and will share these with other instructors on request.

From the Ground Up: Building an Undergraduate Earth Systems Curriculum

It is rare that an interdisciplinary group of educators has the opportunity to design a science curriculum without the constraints of pre-existing academic departments. In 1994, California State University Monterey Bay (CSUMB) acquired 1,387 acres from the U.S. Department of the Army and began construction of a new campus. CSUMB was developed as a four-year undergraduate university distinctive in its mission to serve the diverse people of California. Inspired by the Earth System Science Education program initiated by NASA and the Universities Space Research Association, CSUMB embarked upon the development of an interdisciplinary Earth systems curriculum that placed a strong emphasis on experience-based learning; integration of science, technology, and policy; outreach to minority students; and partnerships with the local community. Our cornerstone program is the Bachelor of Science in Earth Systems Science & Policy. It is built on a pyramid-style framework that includes integration, a systems approach, and applied technologies (base of the pyramid); a junior entry course, case studies, concentrations, service learning, student internships, and research experiences (middle of the pyramid); and senior capstone projects (apex of the pyramid). However, to succeed, new and innovative programs must constantly evaluate where they have been, where they are, and where they need to go to meet the needs of their students today and their students of the future.

Earth System Science and the Internet

In 1991, NASA and the Universities Space Research Association (USRA) initiated a program to introduce college undergraduates to the interdisciplinary challenges of an emerging Earth system science approach to understanding our planet. Earth system science views the Earth as a synergistic physical system of interrelated phenomena, processes and cycles which remain largely unexplored in traditional disciplinary Earth science course offerings. The ongoing Cooperative University-based Program for Earth System Science Education (ESSE) challenges colleges and universities to develop and offer classroom courses which examine the Earth as a system and to share their progress, course materials and learning modules. Concurrent with the development of the ESSE community and its shared learning resources has been the exponential growth of the Internet and its suite of communication tools, which are a central resource for the ESSE Program. The Internet has enabled the rapid deployment of information and resources through shared repositories of learning materials and general Earth system science knowledge, all of which serve to create and maintain an active informed education community. ESSE participants are organizing to develop a suite of web-based Earth system science learning modules and sharing course materials and learning resources via the ESSE web site. The modular approach more easily assimilates peer-reviewed learning resources into a wide range of classroom environments. A web-based peer-reviewed Journal of Earth System Science Education is proposed to provide educators with quality classroom materials addressing the Earth as a system and to reward ESS resource developers with citable references. More sophisticated web search and retrieval functions, as well as advanced communication tools will be needed to maintain automated databases of networked resources and an informed user community as Earth system science and the Internet enter the new millennium.

Implementing K-12 Hypermediated Earth System Science Activities Based on World-Wide-Web Resources

Gigabytes of earth-science digital images and database information sources are readily accessible by K-12 teachers through the Internet and the World Wide Web. These resources are only limited by the modifications necessary for immediate classroom use. Advances in user-friendly hypermedia software, increased accessibility to computers, and the WWW as an instructional tool for earth system science education provide a mechanism for implementing user-friendly classroom lessons, laboratories, and units based on easily downloadable data, current images, supercomputer models, seismic networks, and radiosondes. Three models proposed for materials development that are grounded in constructivist instructional theories are the Learning-Cycle Model, Investigation/Experimentation Model, and a Role-Playing Model. Educational research is still needed in the areas of efficacy of these models for hypermediated instruction. Hypermediated assessment strategies are available but are currently undergoing rigorous development and validation. Hypermediated activities can be constructed which allow learners to conduct authentic scientific inquiry using the same data sets as professional scientists use.

Two Models for K‐12 Hypermediated Earth System Science Lessons Based on Internet Resources

An immense collection of daily and archived earth and space science digital images and database information sources are readily accessible to K‐12 teachers through the Internet and the World Wide Web. However, these abundant electronic resources are designed for scientists and often need to be modified to benefit students. Advances in hypermedia as an instructional tool for earth system science education provide a mechanism for designing user‐friendly and structured classroom units based on this available data. Two models proposed as a foundation for materials development are the Learning Cycle Model and the Investigation/Experimentation Model. A high demand for Internet‐based curricular materials development to take advantage of the current technology suggests an educational research agenda to determine which lesson formats are most effective for learners.