Geoscience Courses Research Articles

Enhancing Geoscience Education Within a Minority-Serving Preservice Teacher Population

ABSTRACTThe University of Texas Institute for Geophysics and Huston-Tillotson University collaborated on a proof of concept project to offer a geoscience course to undergraduate students and preservice teachers in order to expand the scope of geoscience education within the local minority student and teacher population. Students were exposed to rigorous Earth science materials, geoscientists conducting cutting-edge research, headliner topics, and pedagogical approaches to teaching. An evaluation of the data reveal that the course received mixed, but overall positive reviews and that student performance was mixed. Pre- and posttest results indicate that students made only modest gains. Half of the students performed at levels that matched our expectations and will be able to apply the geoscience knowledge and skills that they learned in an elementary school setting. The course contributed to the preparation of minority teachers to teach Earth science in Texas, filling a critical need. The authors, in collaboration with a minority-serving institution and as part of the preparation for a preservice teacher program, benefited from the experience; they subsequently applied the lessons learned to a program of professional development for minority-serving science teachers, the TeXas Earth and Space Science (TXESS) Revolution.

Alternative Conceptions of Plate Tectonics Held by Nonscience Undergraduates

The theory of plate tectonics is the conceptual model through which most dynamic processes on Earth are understood. A solid understanding of the basic tenets of this theory is crucial in developing a scientifically literate public and future geoscientists. The size of plates and scale of tectonic processes are inherently unobservable, necessitating the use of images and models in instruction. To explore plate tectonics conceptions held by undergraduates, we designed and administered a postinstruction survey instrument centered on a common schematic representation of plate tectonics. We report results from a sample of n =60 nongeoscience majors enrolled in five different introductory Earth-science courses taught at a major research university and a community college. Students held a number of alternative conceptions associated with terminology, plate motion, and plate-related subsurface melting. We also note that some aspects of figures commonly used to teach plate tectonics are problematic for students and may actually result in reinforcement of alternative conceptions. Further work at both the K–12 and college levels directed at innovative approaches to address student conceptions regarding plate tectonics, including designing images that support key scientific messages, is needed. This research can inform curriculum development for entry-level geoscience courses as well as the use of images to convey complex science.

Toward a New Conceptual Framework for Teaching About Flood Risk in Introductory Geoscience Courses

An analysis of physical geology textbooks used in introductory courses shows that there is a systematic lack of clarity regarding flood risk. Some problems originate from confusion relating to statistical terms such as “100-year flood” and “100-year floodplain.” However, the main problem is conceptual: statistics such as return periods and annual probabilities do not portray the variability inherent in flood recurrence and lead to misconceptions. An alternative conception of risk is proposed based on the analogy between playing a game of chance and living in a hazardous situation. This concept leads to the introduction of statistical ensembles as a means to characterize risk as a function of the duration of exposure to a hazardous situation. Presenting risk in relation to exposure time places floods in the framework of planning and problem-solving: how does the risk that arises from where we build relate to how long we want to be there? Methods and materials in the paper show how game play and ensembles can be introduced in the classroom. A supplemental Excel spreadsheet provides the means to generate ensemble diagrams from commonly available stream data and gives instructors the potential to customize their course materials by using data from local streams.

Using High-Precision Specific Gravity Measurements to Study Minerals in Undergraduate Geoscience Courses

This article describes ways to incorporate high-precision measurements of the specific gravities of minerals into undergraduate courses in mineralogy and physical geology. Most traditional undergraduate laboratory methods of measuring specific gravity are suitable only for unusually large samples, which severely limits their usefulness for student projects involving minerals in ordinary rocks of the sort usually encountered by working geologists. To overcome this limitation, a custom-built apparatus is described that, when combined with a precision analytical balance of the type commonly present in academic research laboratories, can be used to determine the specific gravities of samples as small as several milligrams. For a balance with precision to 0.01 mg, G can typically be measured with an accuracy of ±0.01 or better for specimens weighing several tens of milligrams and ±0.03 or better for specimens as small as 5-10 milligrams. The apparatus is easy to make and easy to use. It provides students with a simple and effective way to use quantitative methods to characterize and identify minerals in hand specimen, including small single crystals separated from common medium-grained rocks.

Engaging Students and Evaluating Learning Progress using Collaborative Exams in Introductory Courses

Collaborative exams, with subsections in which students have an opportunity to work with each other, are not yet widely used in introductory geoscience courses. This type of exam structure, with other participatory teaching strategies, was employed in two different courses, and results were found to provide a sensitive and revealing tool for analyzing the progress of students' individual and collaborative learning throughout the semester. A somewhat different implementation of the collaborative exams in each course showed that overall student performance was significantly improved compared to performance in the individual part, even for middle and highest-achieving thirds of the student population, and progressive improvements in performance were followed through the semester. The implementation of collaborative exams in the first course involved an aspect of exam grading that provided an incentive for collaboration: the “jackpot effect”, which provided insight into the dynamics of peer interaction. The simpler implementation in the second course used a different approach in which the collaborative tests were less important to the total class grade, but also showed improvement in students' individual performance. Wider application of these methods could make a critical difference in reversing student apathy toward science in colleges and universities.

Using Portable Media Players (iPod) to Support Electronic Course Materials During a Field-based Introductory Geology Course

Electronic course materials, such a videos, PowerPoint presentations, and animations, have become essential educational tools in classroom-based geoscience courses to enhance students' introduction to basic geological concepts. However, during field trips, the ability to offer students these electronic conceptual supports is lacking where students and faculty are often without access to the electrical grid. The video iPod offers an inexpensive and reliable means by which to provide students access to a wide range of electronic course materials during field trips. GeoJourney, a nine-week field-based interdisciplinary introductory geoscience program at Bowling Green State University, is the first geology field program to use the entire range of the video iPod's capabilities to support electronic course materials while in the field. A video iPod was issued to each student at the beginning of the program, along with a battery back-up and a DC charging cable which was plugged into a custom wiring harness installed in the transport vehicles. Students were able to use the iPods during travel time, in the field on hikes and projects, and in their tents at night. Types of materials included videos, still images, animations, text, audio files, and enhanced podcasts. Students' response to the use of the iPods is overwhelmingly positive and suggest their use on GeoJourney also reduces ‘novelty space’.

The Case for Infusing Quantitative Literacy into Introductory Geoscience Courses

Abstract We present the case for introductory geoscience courses as model venues for increasing the quantitativeliteracy (QL) of large numbers of the college-educated population. The geosciences provide meaningfulcontext for a number of fundamental mathematical concepts that are revisited several times in a single course.Using some best practices from the mathematics education community surrounding problem solving,calculus reform, pre-college mathematics and five geoscience/math workshops, geoscience and mathematicsfaculty have identified five pedagogical ideas to increase the QL of the students who populate introductorygeoscience courses. These five ideas include techniques such as: place mathematical concepts in context, usemultiple representations, use technology appropriately, work in groups, and do multiple-day, in-depthproblems that place quantitative skills in multiple contexts. We discuss the pedagogical underpinnings of thesefive ideas and illustrate some ways that the geosciences represent ideal places to use these techniques.However, the inclusion of QL in introductory courses is often met with resistance at all levels. Faculty whowish to include quantitative content must use creative means to break down barriers of public perception ofgeoscience as qualitative, administrative worry that enrollments will drop and faculty resistance to change.Novel ways to infuse QL into geoscience classrooms include use of web-based resources, shadow courses,setting clear expectations, and promoting quantitative geoscience to the general public. In order to helpfaculty increase the QL of geoscience students, a community-built faculty-centered web resource (TeachingQuantitative Skills in the Geosciences) houses multiple examples that implement the five best practices of QLthroughout the geoscience curriculum. We direct faculty to three portions of the web resource: TeachingQuantitative Literacy, QL activities, and the 2006 workshop website - Infusing Quantitative Literacy intoIntroductory Geoscience Courses. These portions of the website are designed to give geoscience faculty theresources they need to infuse quantitative content into their entry-level courses, thereby building the QL ofthe students who enroll. The infusion of QL in the introductory geoscience classroom allows faculty torealistically represent the quantitative nature of the science to the students who may need it most. Ultimately,the inclusion of pedagogically sound quantitative activities and exercises will serve to increase QL of oureducated citizenry.

The Moon Project: Student Research and Lesson Design in an Introductory Geoscience Course for Pre-service Teachers

I have developed a hands-on guided-discovery course for future teachers that includes a semester-long research project about the moon. This project, which is designed to give students the experience of conducting a long-term scientific investigation, requires students to make daily naked-eye observations of the moon and construct graphs of given data (such as moonrise/set times and dates of moon phases) in order to discover and demonstrate a variety of phenomena related to the moon. Once students have discovered, discussed, and visualized their way to an understanding of various concepts relating to the moon, they develop and teach a hands-on guided-discovery lesson on those concepts to their classmates. Finally, they write a teacher's guide that explains the concepts and could show other teachers how to replicate the lesson. Assessment of students' understanding of the moon and their self-reported evaluations of the moon project experience demonstrate that, although it is challenging and at times frustrating, it is a unique and valuable educational experience for the students.

More than just a workforce issue: Teaching geoscience for the future

A few years ago, I attended a meeting about the environmental studies program at our college, and I had the occasion to ask a group of six or seven of my non-geoscientist colleagues to make a list of all of the environmental issues that they could. I intended to use their lists to point out how central the geosciences are to the critical environmental issues facing society so that I could argue that all students who major in environmental studies should be required to take at least one geoscience course.

Mineral Identification by Chemical Testing

We present the details of a qualitative chemistry exercise that can be used for mineral identification and requires relatively simplistic laboratory facilities. The exercise is used as part of a forensic earth science module for second year BSc Forensic Science students who previously have had a basic chemical education but little experience of classical inorganic analysis. We suggest that it could be adapted for use with students studying beginning geoscience courses who could usefully increase their knowledge of chemistry. Flow charts that guide the students through the investigation are provided. For more experienced students, references are provided that illustrate more advanced “wet” analytical techniques.

The Development of Fieldwork Problem-Based Exercises in the Applied Geosciences

This paper will outline the development and continual enhancement of a suite of field-orientated problem-based exercises with associated suitable field sites for the applied geoscience courses at the University of Portsmouth. The two principal degree pathways considered are BEng Engineering Geology and Geotechnics and BSc Geological Hazards. Some of the material developed is being enhanced further for use on the MSc Geohazard Assessment and MSc Engineering Geology programmes. These exercises developed include innovations in the learning, teaching and assessment of the field-based skills required of a modern applied geoscientist. The key aspects of student engagement, lateral thinking skills and resource use are developed within these field-based programmes and associated scenario-based exercises.

Increasing Learning in Introductory Geoscience Courses Using Lecture Tutorials

Students often leave introductory geoscience courses without learning the scientific perspective, and we developed Lecture Tutorials to help alleviate this problem. Lecture Tutorials are 10–20 minute interactive worksheets that students complete in small groups in class after a short introductory lecture. They are specifically designed to combat alternative conceptions and increase learning on difficult topics. Our study shows that Lecture Tutorials increase student learning in the classroom more than just lecture alone. On related multiple choice questions asked before and after the Lecture Tutorial (but after a short lecture on the topic), student scores increased 19%. When a subset of these questions was given before and after an extended lecture instead of a Lecture Tutorial, student scores did not increase by a statistically significant amount. On the multiple choice assessment questions given on exams relating to the information covered in the Lecture Tutorials, students who completed the Lecture Tutorials scored significantly higher than students who heard just lecture. In addition, students feel that they are an important and useful part of their learning experience. Lecture Tutorials are being disseminated and are available for instructor use.

The Dry-erase Cube: Making Three-dimensional Visualization Easy

The 10 cm dry-erase cube is an effective tool for illustrating the three-dimensionality of geological features in maps, cross sections and block diagrams, and it aids in the understanding of stereographic projections and orientated samples. It is ideal for use in classes and labs of structural geology and geological field methods courses. The cube is useful for demonstrating the three-dimensional relationships among any planar or linear features in geoscience courses at any level.

Introducing the Geosciences to Alaska Natives via the Rural Alaska Honors Institute (RAHI)

The Rural Alaska Honors Institute (RAHI) is an intensive, six-week residential high school-to-college bridging program aimed at preparing talented rural Alaska youth for the social and academic challenges of college. Since its inception in 1983, RAHI has demonstrated that it is an effective means of encouraging Alaska Native students to attend college and finish a post-secondary degree. Since 2003, a four credit, college-level, field-intensive, introductory geoscience course has been part of the RAHI curriculum. While it is difficult to evaluate what effect this specific course is having on the long term goal of recruiting more minority geoscientists, short term indicators suggest that the course is very effective in increasing the visibility of geology as a desirable career option amongst college-bound Alaska Native youth.

Just-in-Time Teaching Exercises to Engage Students in an Introductory-Level Dinosaur Course

The Just-in-Time Teaching (JiTT) technique allows students to be engaged in course material outside of the classroom by answering web-based questions. The responses are summarized and presented to students in class with a follow-up active learning exercise. College students enrolled in an introductory-level general education geoscience course were surveyed over a two-semester period on their engagement level during lecture and per- ceived learning of course content. Data show that students are able to reflect on their prior knowledge and construct new knowledge with weekly graded JiTT exercises. Despite increasing and competing pressures outside of the classroom, students reported increased learning and engagement in a course with required weekly assignments.

Survey Development for Measuring the Near-term Effectiveness of a Program to Recruit Minority Geoscientists

Theoretically and anecdotally, bridging programs that facilitate the transition from high school to college should increase the recruitment and retention of students into universities. Ideally, this type of program is deemed ‘effective’ if the program results in an increased number of the target population actually receiving a college degree. Thus, unless short-term indicators of success can be identified and measured, the program cannot be evaluated until five or more years have passed.The Rural Alaska Honors Institute (RAHI) at the University of Alaska Fairbanks is a bridging program aimed at preparing rural Alaska high school juniors and seniors for college. A geoscience course was recently added to the program in an effort to recruit Alaska Native students into geoscience careers. Using the concept of a geoscience career ‘pipeline,’ we developed a survey to evaluate the effectiveness of the program in recruiting potential geoscience majors. By using rigorous survey construction and testing methodology, we developed a survey that we are confident provides a short-term measure of the course's effectiveness in promoting the acquisition of the attitudes and knowledge associated with retention in a geoscience career pipeline. Keys to developing an effective survey were: identification of the model being tested; cognitive testing of survey questions; and identification of a control group. Results of the survey suggest that the RAHI geoscience course is an effective means of recruiting potential geoscientists.

Doing Time: Apatite Fission Track Analysis in Undergraduate Geoscience Courses

Geologic time is a central concept in Earth science teaching and research, but undergraduate students are seldom involved in doing time: measuring ‘ages’ of rocks or minerals. Integration of apatite fission track (AFT) analysis in geoscience classes is an accessible way to involve students in determining dates for geologic events. AFT analysis is an active-learning, inquiry-based technique in which students can visualize and understand concepts such as radioactive decay and its relationship to geologic ages, and the method and its applications can be a basis for cross-discipline instruction within a physical sciences curriculum. Fission-track analysis exercises can be incorporated into a variety of physical science classes or can be run as a separate workshop on geologic time or tectonics. We present a teaching module for incorporation of AFT analysis into general physical geology or historical geology lecture and/or laboratory. This exercise involves counting fission tracks using images from prepared samples (apatite grains already separated from a rock) with known uranium content. The data collected by students can then be used to demonstrate a variety of concepts, from radioactive decay to time-temperature paths and rates of geologic processes. With this module, undergraduates learn problem-solving techniques and experience a hands-on, quantitative approach to geologic time, rates of geologic processes, and the scientific method in general.

Teaching Geology in the Field: Significant Geoscience Concept Gains in Entirely Field-based Introductory Geology Courses

This study quantifies improvements in introductory students' concepts in geoscience after completion of a nine week, entirely field-based geology course. Sixty-three student participants in three consecutive introductory field programs demonstrated statistically significant improvements in geoscience concept knowledge as a result of their experiences on the field programs. Conceptual content gain was assessed using a 19-item, scaled Geoscience Concept Inventory (GCI). The scaled GCI mean pre and post-test scores of field course participants show significantly greater improvement in geoscience concept understanding compared with scaled GCI scores from 29 other introductory geoscience courses from across the United States (n = 63 students). Geology courses taught as an extended field trip result in improvements in geoscience concepts for their introductory students that are significantly greater than comparable campus-based courses.

Optimizing Faculty Use of Writing as a Learning Tool in Geoscience Education

As geoscience educators, we focus on helping students understand technical content and learn to think like geoscientists. Although research substantiates writing as a tool for teaching technical content and disciplinary thinking, geoscience educators often do not integrate writing in geoscience education because of the frustrations and exigencies involved. To address these issues, this paper describes the literature on using writing as a learning tool in both cross-disciplinary and geoscience teaching contexts. Further, we describe our Less is More approach, designed so faculty can spend less time grading student writing and still yield more learning benefits from incorporating writing. This approach involves five strategies, including explicitly integrating assignments with course objectives, designing effective assignments, incorporating process writing, evaluating writing effectively and efficiently, and consulting appropriate campus resources. Results of an initial assessment using this approach with a geoscience course suggest gains in student learning.

Integrating Handheld Technology with Field Investigations in Introductory-level Geoscience Courses

Many geoscience students do not receive the opportunity to use handheld computers and similar tools during field experiences until they enroll in upper-division courses or attend field camp. Although many outdoor exercises in introductory-level courses include demonstrations of pieces of equipment in the field, students in these classes may not have a chance to use these equipment individually. However, handheld technology can be successfully integrated with introductory-level field experiences as a data collection tool and reference guide. Palm Pilot handheld computers offer each student the opportunity to become actively involved in the field experience. Forms can be created and tailored to a specific outdoor investigation and placed on the Palms for students to collect data. Instructors can create instructional videos and eBooks with references on the Palms that correspond to the project objective. For two years Penn State Delaware County has integrated handheld technology with field experiences into introductory-level geoscience courses in physical geology and oceanography. In addition to giving students a valuable introduction to technology that can be used in the field, the experience gives non-science majors a chance to see an application of an everyday technological tool in a nontraditional setting. End-of-semester course evaluations are filled with positive comments and student suggestions of further Palm Pilot integration.