Introductory Geology Research Articles

Quantifying the Level of Inquiry in a Reformed Introductory Geology Lab Course

ABSTRACTAs part of a campus-wide effort to transform introductory science courses to be more engaging and more accurately convey the excitement of discovery in science, the curriculum of an introductory physical geology lab course was redesigned. What had been a series of “cookbook” lab activities was transformed into a sequence of activities based on scientific inquiry and cooperative learning. The first two semesters were spent developing and implementing the new lab activities, and two more semesters were spent refining them. In the second semester of each of these two phases, students enrolled in the lab completed a 15-question version of the Geoscience Concept Inventory (GCI; Libarkin and Anderson, 2005); there were significant improvements from pretest to posttest scores. Student evaluations before and after the reform are not significantly different and overall positive. This paper presents an overview of the lab activities in the new curriculum, a detailed analysis of the type and level of inquiry in each lab, and the assessment of the impact on student learning.

Revisions of Physical Geology Laboratory Courses to Increase the Level of Inquiry: Implications for Teaching and Learning

ABSTRACTThe introductory physical geology laboratory courses taught at North Carolina State University aims to promote scientific thinking and learning through the use of scientific inquiry–based activities. A rubric describing five possible levels of inquiry was applied to characterize the laboratory activities in the course. Two rock and mineral laboratory classes and a geologic time laboratory class were found to contain a greater proportion of low-level inquiry activities than the other laboratory classes. Student exercises within these classes were modified by increasing the degree of student independence, exploration, and prediction required for several activities. Such modifications included students categorizing rock samples before instruction on rock types and predicting the placement of fossils along a geologic time line. Learning gains were measured and compared between students in the traditional lower-inquiry (control) and the revised higher-inquiry laboratory classes (treatment). In all three classes, the increase in inquiry level was found to positively influence student academic performance on postlaboratory assessments and related exam questions.

Groundwork - Introductory geology: Is there a common language?

Groundwork - Introductory geology: Is there a common language?

Understanding Atmospheric Carbon Budgets: Teaching Students Conservation of Mass

ABSTRACTIn this paper we describe student use of a series of connected online problem-solving activities to remediate atmospheric carbon budget misconceptions held by undergraduate university students. In particular, activities were designed to address a common misconception about conservation of mass when students assume a simplistic, direct relationship between atmospheric CO2 concentrations and carbon emissions. This particular misconception was challenged through an instructional intervention applying constructivist learning theory principles in an effort to prompt cognitive dissonance and induce conceptual change. This study is based on 1 y of data collected from a survey completed by introductory physical geology students (n = 176), divided into a control group (n = 127) and an experimental group (n = 49). The students in the experimental group worked on an instructional intervention targeting identified misconceptions during a laboratory session. Both the control group and the experimental group were presented information targeting the same misconception through a traditional lecture. Students completing the instructional intervention demonstrated significant increases in learning and reductions of misconceptions relative to students in the control group. However, some aspects of the misconceptions seemed to persist.

Estratégia didática clássica aplicada à disciplina Geologia Introdutória do curso de Geologia da Universidade Federal da Bahia

É notório que as escolas criam um mundo apartado da vida cotidiana e, logo cedo os alunos se acostumam a posturas diferentes em cada uma dessas circunstâncias. O professor adentra a sala de aula, munido de um programa, um livro texto, alguns recursos variáveis que em grande parte se resumem a transparências ou a giz e quadro negro, e uma bagagem de questões para as provas. Os professores agem bem mais de acordo com preceitos de praxe dentro das salas, do que com o bom senso que utilizam fora delas. Assim que constatam qualquer falta de rendimento, também são capazes de seguir rotineira e tranqüilamente com suas aulas, mesmo constatando que nas avaliações os alunos demonstram falta de rendimento. Neste trabalho reflete-se sobre o objetivo prático de reajustamentos no método de ensino e na estratégia didática a curto prazo com o intuito de adequar e adaptar o curso frente a problemas detectados durante o período letivo da disciplina Geologia Introdutória do curso de Geologia da Universidade Federal da Bahia.

Trabalhos de campo na disciplina de Geologia Introdutória: a saída autônoma e seu papel didático

São relatados diversos tipos de trabalhos de campo e seus papéis didáticos, relacionando-os com a disciplina de Geologia Introdutória aplicada ao curso de Geografia. Os tipos de trabalhos de campo relatados são: as saídas de campo Ilustrativa, Indutiva, Motivadora, Treinadora e Investigativa. Sugere-se uma nova proposta de trabalho de campo, a saída de campo Autônoma, na qual os alunos realizam trabalhos sem a presença do professor em campo. Esta nova proposta de trabalho favorece atividades investigativas constantes ao longo da disciplina, pois a partir dos temas que vão sendo abordados em sala de aula, os alunos têm a possibilidade de fazer a inter-relação entre a teoria e sua aplicação no cotidiano. Outro aspecto importante refere-se ao fato de permitir a participação total da turma, pois os horários de ida ao campo são agendados pelos próprios grupos de estudo, em especial turmas do período noturno, que tradicionalmente participam menos de saídas de campo realizadas em finais de semana

Two-Stage Exams Improve Student Learning in an Introductory Geology Course: Logistics, Attendance, and Grades

ABSTRACTTwo-stage exams—where students complete part one of an exam closed book and independently and part two is completed open book and independently (two-stage independent, or TS-I) or collaboratively (two-stage collaborative, or TS-C)—provide a means to include collaborative learning in summative assessments. Collaborative learning has been shown to have positive benefits, including increased student engagement and learning. To try to improve student learning, as measured by improvement in exam scores, two sections of introductory geology were taught using two-stage exams. It was hypothesized that class scores would be higher for semesters using two-stage exams—whether part two was TS-C or TS-I—than for semesters using traditional (T) exams. The median attendance rate was approximately 67% for all testing methods and was significantly greater when exams were TS-C (69%) rather than TS-I (53%). The class score was significantly greater during semesters when exams were TS-C (81%) but was not significantly different between T and TS-I semesters. To assess individual student learning over time, part one of the first exam and part one of the comprehensive final exam were compared. Across the F and D grade ranges, improvement on individual exam scores was significantly greater for the TS-C semester than for the TS-I and T semesters. Student learning, as measured by individual exam scores, improved due to the use of TS-C exams. The improvement in class scores due to the collaborative portion of two-stage exams was independent of increased attendance rates, greater for the lower-achieving students, and not observable if part two of the exam was completed as a take-home exam (TS-I).

What Motivates Introductory Geology Students to Study for an Exam?

ABSTRACT There is a need to understand why some students succeed and persist in STEM fields and others do not. While numerous studies have focused on the positive results of using empirically validated teaching methods in introductory science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) courses, little data has been collected about the student experience in STEM courses. The aim of this study was to capture and characterize the student perception of their motivation to study for an exam in a geoscience class. Students enrolled in introductory physical geology courses (n = 42) at 5 different institutions (seven instructors at two research universities and three community colleges) were interviewed using a semistructured protocol. The interview data were analyzed using a grounded theory approach. The resulting emergent themes included goal orientation and emotion. All students report a performance component to their motivation, where a learning task is a means to an end, such as earning a grade. However, most high performing students (70%) also reported their motivation was also oriented towards a mastery goal, where a learning task itself serves as an end, such as satisfying curiosity, more frequently than low performing students (18%). The majority of students (81%) also described an emotional component to their motivation. Contrary to existing models, most students indicated they were motivated to engage in exam preparation as a way to avoid experiencing negative emotions. These resulting insights to student motivation have implications both for course design and instructional practices in similar introductory courses.

Geological time, biological events and the learning transfer problem

Comprehension of geologic time does not come easily, especially for students who are studying the earth sciences for the first time. This project investigated the potential success of two teaching interventions that were designed to help non-science majors enrolled in an introductory geology class gain a richer conceptual understanding of the geologic time scale. Our research centered on the results of those interventions since we hypothesized that students who correctly answered exam questions on relative geologic time early in the semester would be able to respond with equal facility to exam questions at the end of the semester that asked them to apply relative geologic time to associated biologic events.The instructor of the course began this study by using the Decoding the Disciplines model (Pace & Middendorf, 1998). During the first step of the model, the instructor identified the place where a majority of students in previous classes had the greatest difficulty; that is, in addressing the relative geologic time scale. Next, the instructor articulated the mental moves an expert geologist makes when solving problems using the geological time scale. During lecture the instructor modeled those very same mental tasks for students. Students were then given the opportunity to practice those mental tasks by creating their own personal timeline. Later in the course students completed the second intervention, a categorization grid that also functioned as a classroom assessment of their learning. Students were given exams after both interventions were completed.Results from the first and second interventions indicated that students were able to understand the conceptual framework of the relative geological time scale. On an exam administered after both interventions were completed, 66% of the students answered correctly the questions about relative geologic time, an indication that they had gained conceptual knowledge of the subject. In contrast, only 36% of students answered correctly the exam questions at the end of the semester that focused on relative geologic time with associated biologic events. Pearson Chi-Square tests with P<0.05 were used to test our hypothesis. Statistically significant results at P=0.00 were attained for all tests, indicating the hypothesis can be rejected.We conclude that a second, more prevalent, underlying problem exists for non-science majors, one that Thorndike and Woodworth (1901), Byrnes (1996), Bransford, Brown, and Cocking (2000) and Bransford and Schwartz (2001) describe as the learning transfer problem. Similar problems have been discussed as a knowledge transfer problem (Graham et al., 2006). Learning transfer is problematic for students using the geological time scale and calls for additional classroom interventions – interventions designed and scaffolded to provide students the opportunity to practice the set of difficult mental moves required to apply biological events to the relative geological timeline.

Conceptions of Atmospheric Carbon Budgets: Undergraduate Students' Perceptions of Mass Balance

ABSTRACT With recent U.S. government efforts to develop policy procedures for addressing climate change, public understanding of basic aspects of climate change is imperative in order for people to understand such policy. However, widespread misconceptions of basic atmospheric principles exist among the public. In this study, we document levels of misunderstanding that undergraduate students at a large U.S. research institution have with respect to atmospheric carbon budgets and factors that may account for variability in their understanding. Students enrolled in an introductory geology course (n = 947) completed a survey on atmospheric carbon budgets in two sequential semesters. Results indicated that most students did not have a basic understanding of mass-balance problems and that their misunderstanding varied according to gender and their interest in science but not according to factors, such as students' opinions of the seriousness of climate change. Students also tended to exhibit poor graphical interpretation skills when examining mass-balance graphs.

The Science Teaching Self‐Efficacy of Prospective Elementary Education Majors Enrolled in Introductory Geology Lab Sections

This study examined prospective elementary education majors' science teaching self‐efficacy while they were enrolled in an introductory geology lab course for elementary education majors. The Science Teaching Efficacy Belief Instrument Form B (STEBI‐B) was administered during the first and last lab class sessions. Additionally, students were asked an open‐ended question to describe their experience in the education majors' geology lab. The results of the STEBI‐B were analyzed using paired t‐tests to determine whether the students changed their personal science teaching efficacy (PSTE) and science teaching outcome expectancy (STOE). Results of this study indicate a significant increase in PSTE. No significant differences were found in STOE. This study suggests that science content courses designed for education majors may lead to a positive change in science teaching self‐efficacy and has implications for teacher educators in preparing science content courses for their teacher preparation program.

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.”

Characterizing Teaching in Introductory Geology Courses: Measuring Classroom Practices

ABSTRACTMost research about reformed teaching practices in the college science classroom is based on instructor self-report. This research describes what is happening in some introductory geology courses at multiple institutions across the country using external observers. These observations are quantified using the Reformed Teaching Observation Protocol (RTOP). A scoring rubric created to support consistent application of the 25 items on the RTOP yields very high inter-rater agreement over multiple observations throughout a 3 y period. Using the adapted RTOP instrument, 66 separate observations of introductory physical geology classrooms at 11 different institutions (four associate's colleges, three baccalaureate colleges, a master's university, and three research universities) were collected, and those observations indicate three categories of instruction: (1) teacher-centered, traditional lecture-dominated classrooms (RTOP < 30) with little student talk and minimal student activity beyond listening and note taking; (2) transitional classrooms with some activities involving brief student discussions centered around right/wrong answers; and (3) student-centered classrooms (RTOP ≥ 50) with considerable time devoted to active learning and student communications to promote conceptual understanding. The progression from teacher-centered to transitional and then to student-centered categories is incremental across all subscales of the RTOP instrument except for propositional knowledge (character of the lesson's content and instructor's command of the material), which only increases between teacher-centered and transitional categories. This means there is no single path to an active learning, student-centered introductory geology classroom. Such learning environments are achieved with a holistic approach to all aspects of constructivist teaching as measured by RTOP. If the instructor incorporates small changes in multiple aspects of their teaching from disseminator of knowledge to supporter of student learning, then the transition to a student-centered classroom becomes an approachable process. Faculty can also use the RTOP and rubric to guide course planning, promote self-reflection of their teaching, and assist in the peer evaluation of other's teaching.

Tracking Student Pathways to Competency in Online Geoscience Learning

Tracking Student Pathways to Competency in Online Geoscience Learning Currently, more than 100,000 college students take introductory geology courses in online or blended learning formats. For the most part, these courses utilize a “competency-based” assessment rubric. Many geology professors contend that tracking students’ knowledge of subject material via competency-based testing may not be well suited to the geological sciences. One concern is that students can “guess” their way through exercises and produce the “appearance” of competency without actually gaining sufficient knowledge of the material.

Not Just “Rocks for Jocks”: Who Are Introductory Geology Students and Why Are They Here?

ABSTRACTDo students really enroll in Introductory Geology because they think it is “rocks for jocks”? In this study, we examine the widely held assumption that students view geology as a qualitative and remedial option for fulfilling a general education requirement. We present the first quantitative characterization of a large number of Introductory Geology students, their demographic characteristics and motivations at the start of the course, and their reasons for enrolling. More than 1,000 undergraduate students from seven institutions across the U.S. participated in this study, providing demographic information and responses to the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire. Students taking Introductory Geology either to fulfill a general education requirement (72% of the survey population) or because they thought it would be easy (19%) had relatively low motivation. The youngest students (18 or 19 years, 62% of the survey population) and those who had not declared a major or were planning a nonscience major (79%) also had relatively low motivation. In contrast, students taking the course for a major or minor (26%), because of prior interest in geology (31%), or because of interest in the interactions between humans and the environment (15%) had relatively high motivation. The differences in motivation we identify have important implications for Introductory Geology instructors, particularly those teaching large-enrollment courses, and validate the need for understanding student characteristics when designing course goals and selecting instructional strategies.

Using Sieving and Unknown Sand Samples for a Sedimentation-Stratigraphy Class Project With Linkage to Introductory Courses

ABSTRACTUsing sieving and sample “unknowns” for instructional grain-size analysis and interpretation of sands in undergraduate sedimentology courses has advantages over other techniques. Students (1) learn to calculate and use statistics; (2) visually observe differences in the grain-size fractions, thereby developing a sense of specific size ranges, weight percentages being plotted, and how grain composition and properties are a function of size; (3) are enthusiastic and observant as they search for clues of the origin of their sample, but discover that determining depositional environments using grain-size analysis is not the hoped for “fingerprinting” technique; and (4) enjoy learning the geographic origin and depositional environment of their sample. Plus, sieving equipment generally is less costly to acquire and maintain than “black box” techniques, and sieving is a commonly used procedure in industry. Using unknown sand samples results in some students making “incorrect” interpretations, which allows for illustrating that a scientist may have an excellent data set and a valid interpretation based on that data but, although the data are sound, the interpretation may be erroneous. Moreover, using a suite of unknowns allows students in a class to collectively be exposed to sands from a range of environments and geographic locales without the need for local sediment-rich environments. Building a set of unknowns is aided by recruiting students in introductory geology courses to collect and document samples during their school-break travels for future “unknowns,” thereby linking courses and creating interest among nonmajors. When these students venture into the field to collect a sample and characterize the environment, they are enticed into thinking about sedimentary processes and possible anthropogenic effects, such as beach nourishment, while on break.

Broadening Diversity in the Geosciences Through Teacher–Student Workshops That Emphasize Community-Based Research Projects

ABSTRACTThe Geosciences Institute for Research and Education at the University of Michigan–Dearborn has been an example of a successful and effective model in increasing the participation of underrepresented groups in the geosciences. The program emphasizes involving middle school and at-risk high school students from the Detroit area public schools, along with their teachers in geoscience research projects, through a series of spring and summer workshops. The workshops introduce students to the geosciences by emphasizing how geology can be used as a tool to solve community-based environmental problems. Students work alongside their teachers and university faculty on projects ranging from an assessment of brownfield sites in southwestern Detroit to the installation of groundwater monitoring wells to the evaluation of how former land use is impacting groundwater and surface water quality. Spring workshops focused on students from three African-centered middle schools in Detroit, while the summer workshops focused more on middle school and high school teacher training, but included a small group of middle school and high school students. Instruments used to evaluate the effectiveness of the workshops included the Science Teaching Efficacy Belief Instrument, the Geoscience Concept Inventory, and survey questions from the Watershed Task. Pre- and postworkshop questionnaires and separate teacher–student focus groups demonstrate that we have not only increased student awareness of the geosciences, but we have also motivated students to pursue career opportunities in science. For example, more than half of the students completing the workshop (boys and girls alike) have expressed a strong interest in pursuing a career in the geosciences. Since its inception in 2005, we have reached over 100 middle and high school students, and 75 teachers. During this same period, the Earth Science major at the University of Michigan–Dearborn has tripled in size, and we have quadrupled the number of minority students taking introductory geology courses.

A Case-based Curriculum for Introductory Geology

For the past 5 years I have been teaching my introductory geology class using a case-based method that promotes student engagement and inquiry. This article presents an explanation of how a case-based curriculum differs from a more traditional approach to the material. It also presents a statistical analysis of several years' worth of student assessment data from both the traditional and case-based curricula. These analyses demonstrate that the case-based method not only improves student learning relative to a traditional curriculum, it also improves students' ability to apply higher-order thinking skills to the study of the earth.

Undergraduate Student Satisfaction and Achievement at the GetWET Observatory: A Fluid Learning Experience at Colorado State University

The GetWET Observatory was developed as part of an overall course redesign of the Introductory Geology Laboratory at Colorado State University to improve student learning of key surface and groundwater concepts for nonmajors in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Consisting of six groundwater monitoring wells, the GetWET Observatory is adjacent to a gauged perennial creek on campus property. Students complete hands-on, field-based exercises related to surface and ground-water, with emphasis on local water quantity and quality. Overarching questions about the responsiveness of the curricular changes to student's needs were evaluated through a student perception survey. The effectiveness of student learning of key concepts of surface and groundwater was evaluated through pre- and post-knowledge assessments. Results of the perception survey indicate that the needs of students from all majors and colleges were equally met, that males report a higher rate of enjoyment of the GetWET experience than females, that weather plays an important role in student enjoyment, that modifications to the groundwater exercise focused the learning on larger concepts of surface and groundwater, and that student perceptions of the quality of the lesson increased with the curricular revision. Student responses indicate we have created an affirmative laboratory environment at the GetWET that supports positive student attitudes conducive to maximum learning. Students whose teaching assistant was a graduate student had much higher perceptions of the quality of the lab, higher satisfaction with the lab, higher perception of the quality of the lesson, and a better understanding of the relationship between themselves and ground and surface water. There was no significant difference in student knowledge baseline on pre-tests over three semesters of data collection. Mean gains in student scores between pre- and post-tests ranged from 0.63 to 0.76, with a 1.60 mean gain for a small number of laboratory sections taught by graduate teaching assistants who had more hydrogeological background. A decrease in student gain scores followed curricular revision along with a simultaneous significant increase in student's perception of the quality of the lesson. Additional data will be collected to determine if the decrease in gain scores is attributed to teaching assistant composition or a less effective laboratory exercise. Pre- and post-knowledge tests are also useful instruments for tracking basic groundwater knowledge of teaching assistants and their teaching effectiveness. Additional and ongoing training of all GEOL121 teaching assistants has strengthened the overall learning experience for undergraduates at the GetWET Observatory.

Group-Examination Improves Learning for Low-Achieving Students

An introductory geology class that satisfies a liberal arts distribution requirement was used to investigate the benefits of allowing discussion during assessments. For three term examinations, students completed short- to medium-length essay tests individually (individual examination) and then again as part of an assigned group of four to five students (group examination). The comprehensive final examination for the course was multiple-choice and true-false questions, with 75% of the questions covering material on the term examinations and 25% of the questions covering material not tested previously. Students generally favored the group examinations, both midway through the course and at the end of the course, but final examination results were mixed. Those whose scores increased the most in the group examinations tended to have higher percentage correct on both previously tested and new material on the final examination. Those whose group-examination scores were not much better than their individual scores performed at a level similar to or slightly worse than their performance on the term examinations. This suggests that low-achieving students benefit the most from the group examinations. Using the group-examination format in a large class will require a clear rubric for grading by multiple graders, but is expected to result in higher success for low achievers.