Geoscience Courses Research Articles

Situated instructional coaching: a case study of faculty professional development

Barriers to reforming traditional lecture-based undergraduate STEM classes are numerous and include time constraints, lack of training, and instructor’s beliefs about teaching and learning. This case study documents the use of a situated instructional coaching process as a method of faculty professional development. In this model, a geoscience education graduate student (the coach) assisted a faculty member in reforming and teaching an introductory geoscience course on dinosaurs using evidence-based teaching strategies. The revision process occurred in three phases to progressively transfer responsibility for lesson design from the coach to the instructor over the length of the course. Data on instructional practices were collected using the Reformed Teaching Observation Protocol (RTOP), and belief changes experienced by the instructor were captured using the Teacher Beliefs Interview (TBI) and Beliefs about Reformed Science Teaching and Learning (BARSTL) survey. RTOP data confirm that the instructor was successful in teaching the lessons as designed and also gained skills in designing reformed lessons. TBI and BARSTL were indicative of a shift in the instructor's beliefs toward a more student-centered perspective. Data collected on instructional practice and teaching beliefs indicate that this model served as an effective method of professional development for the instructor.

Novice Explanations Of Hurricane Formation Offer Insights Into Scientific Literacy And The Development Of Expert-Like Conceptions

The ability to explain scientific phenomena is a key feature of scientific literacy, and engaging students’ prior knowledge, especially their alternate conceptions, is an effective strategy for enhancing scientific literacy and developing expertise. The gap in knowledge about the alternate conceptions that novices have about many of Earth’s complex phenomena (National Research Council, 2012), however, makes this type of engagement in geoscience courses challenging. This study helps to fill this gap by identifying and describing how novices to geoscience explain a complex scientific phenomenon, hurricane formation. Using a pragmatism methodology, 326 students in introductory-level geoscience courses at two public universities in the United States of America, in Georgia (n=168) and Nebraska (n=158), were surveyed. The questionnaire was designed to target and collect novices’ explanations of a single complex Earth phenomenon – hurricane formation. Constant comparative analyses of textual content and diagrams revealed a variety of alternate conceptions. The data suggess that novices seldom invoke scientific first principles, which students matriculating through the education system are expected to learn before college, in their explanations. Two theoretical models synthesize the alternate conceptions and illustrate pathways of conceptual change along which students might move from more novice-like to more expert-like ways of scientific thinking. Our findings provide a basis for the development of instructional activities that aid students in developing more expert-like conceptions of hurricane formation and other complex Earth phenomena.

Conceptual Mobility and Entrenchment in Introductory Geoscience Courses: New Questions Regarding Physics' and Chemistry's Role in Learning Earth Science Concepts

ABSTRACTNationwide pre- and posttesting of introductory courses with the Geoscience Concept Inventory (GCI) shows little gain for many of its questions. Analysis of more than 3,500 tests shows that 22 of the 73 GCI questions had gains of <0.03, and nearly half of these focused on basic physics and chemistry. We also discovered through an assessment of nearly 500 matched pre- and posttests that students were less likely to change answers on basic physics and chemistry questions than they were on those for the geosciences, with many of the low-gain geoscience questions showing switch rates that were similar to that expected for guessing. These results also pertain to the high-scoring pretest students, suggesting that little geoscience conceptual entrenchment occurs for many students enrolled in entry-level courses. Switching rates for physics and chemistry questions were well below the rates associated with geosciences questions, suggesting greater entrenchment. We suggest that students may have difficulty settling on a correct geoscience conception because of the shaky, more entrenched supporting science underpinnings upon which Earth Science ideas are built. These results prompt the following questions: (1) When do our geology majors learn fundamental science concepts if little learning occurs in the introductory courses? (2) What role does the introductory course play in this eventual learning? (3) What strategies can be employed in introductory courses to enhance learning for those students who will only take one college-level geosciences course? We suggest that longitudinal studies of geosciences majors are needed for periods longer than a semester and that more attention be paid to when conceptual change occurs for our majors.

The Math You Need, When You Need It (TMYN): Leveling the Playing Field

The Math You Need, When You Need It (TMYN) is a set of online tutorials designed to help students develop and review mathematical skills that are applied in undergraduate geoscience courses. We present results of a three-year study of more than 4000 students in 106 geoscience courses at a variety of post-secondary schools who were assigned TMYN tutorials as supplemental mathematics instruction. Changes in student scores from preto post-test suggest that the support provided by programs such as TMYN can begin to reduce the gap between mathematically well-prepared and underprepared students; in essence, TMYN levels the quantitative playing field for all geoscience students. On average, both highand low-performing students who fully participated in the use of TMYN as a part of their course showed learning gains, although gains were larger for students who performed poorly on the pre-test. Our findings emphasize the conclusion that students who interact with context-specific quantitative problems can potentially improve their mathematical skills, regardless of initial level of mathematical preparation. We suggest that this type of support could generalize to other science courses.

Developing Resources for Teaching Ethics in Geoscience

Ethics education is an increasingly important component of the pre‐professional training of geoscientists. Geoethics encompasses the values and professional standards required of geoscientists to work responsibly in any geoscience profession and in service to society. Funding agencies (e.g., the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health) require training of graduate students in the responsible conduct of research; employers are increasingly expecting their workers to have basic training in ethics; and the public demands the highest standards of ethical conduct by scientists. However, there is currently no formal course of instruction in ethics in the geoscience curriculum, and few faculty members have the experience, resources, and sometimes willingness required to teach ethics as a component of their geoscience courses.

Environmental justice: insights from an interdisciplinary instructional workshop

Environmental justice recognizes the connections between social and environmental concerns and interrogates power dynamics related to environmental issues. Courses in environmental studies and the geosciences provide an opportunity, and perhaps an obligation to explore environmental justice, but few resources exist to help instructors do so effectively. A 2013 interdisciplinary workshop at Carleton College sponsored by InTeGrate—Interdisciplinary Teaching of Geoscience for a Sustainable Future—convened instructors interested in environmental justice as a topic of instruction and produced a series of insights and challenges for doing so. Environmental justice instruction provides opportunities to tackle tough issues of race, class, and privilege in a variety of disciplinary contexts particularly in geoscience courses, where course content regarding hazards, climate change, and other topics may contain social justice components which are not often included in instruction. Teaching environmental justice, though, presents a number of challenges: how can instructors teach the conceptual and theoretical explanations of environmental justice while giving students the necessary tools to address environmental injustices? The InTeGrate workshop provided insights for addressing these challenges and developing materials for future pedagogical use in a variety of higher education contexts.

A New Stereoscopic (3D) Media Database and Teaching Strategy for Use in Large-Lecture Introductory Geoscience Courses

ABSTRACT Stereoscopic displays provide geoscience instructors with the ability to teach students the fundamental, and inherently three-dimensional, components of landforms and landscapes; yet the prevalence of such displays in higher education is limited. As costs of these systems continue to decrease, more instructors may wish to take advantage of stereoscopic display systems in their classroom. This paper serves as a guide for instructors who wish to install and use their own stereoscopic display systems using a case study conducted at the University of Kansas. The operational aspects covered include: creating stereo images, displaying stereoscopic images, selecting a stereoscopic display, and developing a new teaching strategy that incorporates the stereo system into the classroom environment. Additionally, a new database of stereoscopic media is provided to help promote the implementation of stereoscopic displays and free and open distribution of 3D teaching material.

Place in the City: Place-Based Learning in a Large Urban Undergraduate Geoscience Program

ABSTRACTOne of my principal goals at the University of Minnesota is to transform the university's entry-level geoscience program into an effective “concluding” geoscience course that provides students with a clear understanding of the many interactions between Earth processes and human society. Although place-based learning appeared to be a promising way to achieve that goal, I was initially concerned whether the urban character of the university's campus and student body, the program's size, and its rapidly overturning instructional staff might limit its effectiveness. To test its effectiveness in such an educational setting, I incorporated elements of place-based learning into a multiyear renovation of the university's Earth Sciences 1001 (ESCI 1001) laboratory program. Over half of the laboratory exercises are now place-based learning that explore historical interactions of Earth processes and Upper Midwest society. Since the initiative's goals differ from those of traditional introductory geoscience courses, assessment relied on student course evaluations and student perceptions of the place-based materials. After renovation, the place-based ESCI 1001 program was the most highly evaluated entry-level science laboratory program at the University of Minnesota. This confirmed that place-based learning can be a remarkably effective pedagogical approach to undergraduate geoscience education, even in large programs with predominantly urban student populations.

Evaluating Geoscience Students' Spatial Thinking Skills in a Multi-Institutional Classroom Study

ABSTRACT Spatial thinking skills are critical to success in many subdisciplines of the geosciences. We tested students' spatial skills in geoscience courses at three institutions (a public research university, a comprehensive university, and a liberal arts college, all in the midwest) over a two-year period. We administered standard psychometric tests of spatial skills to students in introductory geology, mineralogy, sedimentology and stratigraphy, hydrogeology, structural geology, and tectonics courses. In addition, in some courses we administered a related spatial skills test with geoscience content. In both introductory and upper level undergraduate geology courses, students' skills vary enormously as measured by several spatial thinking instruments. Additionally, students' spatial skills generally improve only slightly during one academic term, in both introductory and advanced geoscience classes. More unexpectedly, while there was a tendency for high-performing students to be adept at multiple spatial skills, many individual students showed strong performance on tests of one spatial skill (e.g., rotation) but not on others (e.g., penetrative thinking). This result supports the contention that spatial problem solving requires a suite of spatial skills, and no single test is a good predictor of “spatial thinking.”

Integrating Critical Thinking About Values Into an Introductory Geoscience Course

ABSTRACTThis paper presents an instructional strategy for engaging students with the critical exploration of values in introductory geoscience courses. It is argued that the consideration of values (i.e., abstract expressions of desirable qualities such as cooperation, security, curiosity, and honesty) is an integral part of scientific practice and therefore appropriate for a science course. Allowing students to critically reflect on their values has also been shown to increase student engagement and course performance. I have integrated critical thinking about values into an introductory history of life course through a variety of student-centered activities, including class discussions, homework essays, course blog postings, and exam questions. Topics discussed include anthropogenic global warming, evolution versus creationism, federal funding for science, commercial sale of dinosaur fossils, and cloning of extinct species. Portfolio-based assessments and student evaluations indicate that the values-based strategy promotes student engagement and develops students' ability to recognize and use values in analyzing arguments about socioscientific issues. Values-based inquiry increases both students' motivation to learn science and their academic performance in a science course. Because many aspects of geoscience research have social and ethical implications, the values approach can be readily incorporated into any geoscience course. Fostering critical thinking on values-related issues empowers our students to become informed, reflective citizens.

The Effects of Geographic Affiliation on Students' Perceptions, Awareness, and Responses to the 2010 Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill

ABSTRACTThe 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill greatly affected the Gulf Coast, and the news media reported information to wide audiences. Students enrolled in an online Environmental Geoscience course in fall 2010 voluntarily participated in a Gulf oil spill survey. More than 92% of the students (N = 77; 83 total enrollment), who were primarily in-service teachers, participated. The 24-question survey probed students' demographics, current geographic locations, affinity with the Gulf, oil spill knowledge, and emotions resulting from the incident. We sought to determine whether students with Gulf Coast geographic affinity (one aspect of Gulf sense of place) would have stronger reactions, have greater knowledge, and exhibit more behavioral changes than their noncoast peers. Multivariate analysis of variance revealed students with a geographic association with the Gulf Coast had stronger interest and emotional responses than did noncoast students. However, students with a Gulf affiliation did not score statistically higher on their knowledge of the spill, exhibit significantly different behavioral changes, or have stronger plans to incorporate the spill within their K–12 classrooms. Student age had no significant effect on any category. We concluded that current events that tap into students' affiliations and senses of place may offer affective portals through which instruction can be optimized, but more research is needed to elucidate media effects and competing variables.

Embedded Mathematics Remediation Using the Math you Need, When you Need it: A 21st–Century Solution to an Age–Old Problem

Using the need for math skills in geoscience courses as an example, Helen E. Burn and Eric M. D. Baer from Highline Community College and Jennifer M. Wenner from the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh make the case for just–in–time embedded remediation to improve student learning while using class time efficiently.

Discipline‐Based Remediation: Bridging the Mathematics Gap

Geoscience relies on numbers, data, equations, graphical representations, and other quantitative skills; therefore, introductory geoscience courses need to accurately portray the science as quantitative [e.g., Wenner et al., 2009]. However, up to 57% of students arrive at college underprepared to perform mathematics at the level necessary to succeed in introductory courses [ACT, 2011]. Although some institutions have turned to prerequisites as a way to ensure appropriate preparation, these extra courses can place undue financial, temporal, and academic burdens on interested students, keeping them from enrolling in science courses that may interest them. As an alternative to mathematics prerequisites, geoscience faculty at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh and Highline Community College in Des Moines, Wash., funded by the National Science Foundation, developed a model of successful integration of discipline‐based mathematics remediation into an introductory geoscience course: The Math You Need, When You Need It (TMYN; http://serc.carleton.edu/mathyouneed/).

How Geoscience Novices Reason About Temporal Duration: The Role of Spatial Thinking and Large Numbers

ABSTRACTResearch about geologic time conceptions generally focuses on the placement of events on the geologic timescale, with few studies dealing with the duration of geologic processes or events. Those studies indicate that students often have very poor conceptions about temporal durations of geologic processes, but the reasons for that are relatively unexplored. Close connections between ideas about time and space over short time periods, as well as poor number sense for numbers in unfamiliar ranges have been repeatedly demonstrated. This study explored whether the conceptions geoscience novices hold about the temporal duration of geoscience processes across a variety of temporal scales are influenced by their ideas about space and large numbers. Seventeen undergraduates in an introductory geoscience course participated in task-based qualitative interviews. Students tended to equate spatial size with temporal duration over short and long time periods, sometimes modifying contradictory data to fit their interpretation. Confusion about the relative size of temporal periods up to 100,000,000 years was observed. They described durations operating on long temporal scales in largely qualitative, imprecise terms. Spatial compression of large temporal periods and expansion of short time periods were common. Students possessed few specific temporal markers for durations of task events. Specific pedagogical and curricular recommendations are discussed.

Measuring Student Knowledge of Landscapes and Their Formation Timespans

ABSTRACTGeologic time is a crucial component of any geoscientist's training. Essential knowledge of geologic time includes rates of geologic processes and the associated time it takes for geologic features to form, yet measuring conceptual thinking abilities in these domains is challenging. We describe development and initial application of the Landscape Identification and Formation Test (LIFT), a concept inventory for measuring abilities to identify landscapes and their formation timespans. Test development included careful choice of concept questions followed by a cycle of validation steps involving student and expert think-aloud interviews. We then administered the test, together with eight validated questions about geological time, to 96 university students in second year and fourth year geoscience courses. Results showed that students' abilities and confidence were more closely aligned with their general knowledge about geologic time than with the level of the course in which they were enrolled. Students were better at identifying landscapes than estimating how long they take to form, and both students and experts had the most difficulty with intermediate formation timespans. Details about students' errors, including common landscape misidentifications and systematic errors in estimating formation timespans, can help instructors prioritize the content and pedagogy of their courses. The LIFT is a validated concept inventory that is available for anyone to use as a pre–post, diagnostic, progress, or end-of-degree assessment that can provide valuable feedback about knowledge and learning to students, instructors and program administrators.

Geoscience education across the globe – results of the IUGS-COGE/IGEO survey

An international survey of school-level geoscience education acquired data from 32 countries across the globe. Whilst the data is likely to be biased towards those countries which have geoscience educators active enough to respond to the questionnaire survey, the data nevertheless shows that geoscience is taught in a wide variety of contexts across the world, linked to science, geography or both. The majority of children in the countries surveyed had compulsory geoscience education in their curricula, had national standards in geoscience education, and covered a reasonable level of geoscience terminology in their studies. Optional geoscience courses were taught in most countries, but were only generally available to small numbers of 16-18 year olds. Undergraduate geoscience education courses were available in all the countries surveyed, together with graduate education in all but one. There was a wide variety of outreach initiatives recorded, with those in museums reported to be most successful. A general improvement was possibly discernible, but there is ongoing need of support from national and international geoscience organisations, together with need for increased funding and infrastructure and the raising of global awareness of the importance of geoscience education.

Evidence for the Latent Factor Structure of the MSLQ

The Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ) has a long history of use in educational psychology, yet few studies have examined the latent factor structure of the entire scale using data from a single administration of the instrument. Although using the subscales individually was encouraged by the creators of the instrument, the practice has produced piecemeal evidence for the latent factor structure. In the current study, we administered all 15 subscales of the MSLQ to a large population of postsecondary students enrolled in introductory geoscience courses and used confirmatory factor analysis to examine the latent factor structures described in previous MSLQ literature. Faced with unsatisfactory evidence for the hypothesized structures, we describe our respecification process and provide some commentary on a more parsimonious latent factor structure that may be of use in similar research projects.

Using Students' Sketches to Recognize Alternative Conceptions About Plate Tectonics Persisting From Prior Instruction

ABSTRACTShould instructors assume that students possess conceptual knowledge of plate tectonics when they reach a second college geoscience course? Five cohorts in a historical geology course over 5 y—a total of 149 students—completed an in-class assignment in which they drew sketches of plate boundaries with required annotations. Analysis of the sketches revealed that most students lack an explanatory mental model that links the locations of earthquakes, volcanoes, and magma generation to plate-boundary processes and hold a pervasive alternative conception of Earth's interior structure that does not distinguish between compositional and rheological boundaries. Students who drew sketches that illustrated the most alternative conceptions also scored lower on a beginning-of-the-course administration of the Geoscience Concept Inventory, showing that conceptual understanding of plate tectonics correlates with overall conceptual geoscience knowledge obtained during previous course experiences. In addition, students tracking to the historical geology course via an introductory physical geology course showed stronger conceptual understanding of plate tectonics than those choosing an Earth-system science prerequisite, with those students previously enrolled in both courses illustrating the fewest alternative conceptions.

Introducing Geoscience Students to Numerical Modeling of Volcanic Hazards: The example of Tephra2 on VHub.org

The Tephra2 numerical model for tephra fallout from explosive volcanic eruptions is specifically designed to enable students to probe ideas in model literacy, including code validation and verification, the role of simplifying assumptions, and the concepts of uncertainty and forecasting. This numerical model is implemented on the VHub.org website, a venture in cyberinfrastructure that brings together volcanological models and educational materials. The VHub.org resource provides students with the ability to explore and execute sophisticated numerical models like Tephra2. We present a strategy for using this model to introduce university students to key concepts in the use and evaluation of Tephra2 for probabilistic forecasting of volcanic hazards. Through this critical examination students are encouraged to develop a deeper understanding of the applicability and limitations of hazard models. Although the model and applications are intended for use in both introductory and advanced geoscience courses, they could easily be adapted to work in other disciplines, such as astronomy, physics, computational methods, data analysis, or computer science.

Tailoring GIS materials for distance learning in geoscience

Nurturing spatial literacy is a key component of any geoscience course, and the difficulty of this task is magnified for distance educators. This paper describes the context, challenges, and achiev...