GER Theme Issue - Preview and Author Discussions

Theme Issue Co-Editors: Kristen St. John, Karen McNeal, Heather

Petcovic, Anthony Feig, Alison Stokes

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Line up• 39 LOI submissions • 23 PPT submissions• Manuscripts are due August 31st, 2016

Themes:• GER in Practice• K-12 applications• Graduate Training• Broadening participation• GER, DBER and Interdisciplinary Connections

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Session Structure

• 1st half of session – lightening “sneak peaks” by authors addressing one or more of the following:– What is the purpose of your study?– What is one finding based on the preliminary evidence

from your research? – What is one question that arises because of your

research?

• 2nd half of session – discussion period for author/audience Q&A and engagement

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Kristen St. John and Karen McNeal, in prephttp://nagt.org/nagt/profdev/workshops/geoed_research/pyramid.html

Purpose: To provide a model for characterizing the

strength of evidence of geoscience education research (GER) community claims.

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Potential Uses:To situate or contextualize GER results from different types of studies.

To consider the generalizability of study findings.

To identify gaps in GER, which can be used to prioritize future research.

How do we move materials up out of the Practitioners’ Wisdom/Expert Opinion level?Test “design patterns” rather than individual curricula or curriculum segments!

Kim Kastens 6

“A community of what?”JGE Commentary by Feig

• Counterpoints RE: unification of geo-DBER– Individual identity & autonomy– Conformity & marginalization– (Even more) constraint on research funding

• Marginalization of activism & social justice

• This @!#%&* issue of JARGON

GER in Practice

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Characterizing Instructional Strategies to Improve Geoscience Learning1McConnell, D., 1Chapman, L., 1Dixon, J., 1Czajka, C.D., 1Jones, J., and 2Ryker, K.D., 1North Carolina University, 2Eastern Michigan University

• Research in other STEM disciplines has revealed that the adoption of a active learning teaching practices can improve student learning, decrease attrition rates, and a reduce in the achievement gap among student populations.

• This literature is unknown to the majority of geoscience faculty.

• Our goal is to summarize the research evidence that particular practices support student learning and provide examples of geoscience resources from publications and community web resources (e.g., On the Cutting Edge) that could support the use of such practices in geoscience classrooms.

• We will consider the strengths and limitations of the individual studies and sort them on factors such as evidence of effectiveness, ease of implementation, availability of examples, and time commitment for preparation.

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Learning about Spatial and Temporal Scale: Current Research, Psychological Processes, and Classroom Implications

Kim Cheek, Nicole LaDue, Tim Shipley Purpose:• Review literature on learning about scale to

influence future GER and classroom practice K-12, and UG

One Finding:• Limited DBER research that is largely

unconnected from integrated way scale is used in geoscience fieldwork

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Comparing an Online and Traditional Physical Geology Course: An

Assessment of Student PerformanceAuthor: Jennifer Sliko, Penn State Harrisburg

• Do students learn the same basic geologic concepts in both types of classes?• Identical pre-course and post-course assessments• Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire• 1300 students involved in this study • Used JMP for statistical comparison of assessment scores

• Post-course assessments were higher than pre-course assessments for all sections of the online class

• Students learn as much in the online course as they do in traditional courses (regardless of the various instructional methods)

• Students in the online course have extrinsic motivation, self-efficacy

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Use and Validation of an Assessment Instrument for Course Experience

in a General Education Integrated Science Course

To explore the construct validity of the 36-item Course Experience Questionnaire (CEQ) with an added Generic Skills scale (Wilson, Lizzio, & Ramsden, 1997)

– Widely used, but less in US and/or science courses Not yet used in geoscience

Juhong Christie Liu, Anna Courtier, and Kristen St. John

PURPOSE

CONTEXT

CORE

FINDINGS

QUESTION Could this instrument be used/adapted for geoscience programs that want a course or program-wide assessment of students’ course experience (esp. of transferable skills)?

This instrument can be used to measure students’ perception of course in this context.

Clustered factors forming >25% of variance:• All Generic Skills (analytical, problem solving, planning,

communication, and teamwork)• Development of student’s academic interests• Instructor motivates students to do best work

General education integrated science course: Physics, Chemistry, and the Human Experience

“Generic skills” = Transferrable skills, also measures good teaching practiceValuable in general education and across multi/inter-disciplinary settings

Student Learning of Complex Earth Systems, Part I: Conceptual Frameworks of Earth Systems and Instructional Design

Hannah Scherer, Lauren Holder, Bruce HerbertStudent Learning of Complex Earth Systems, Part II: Student Engagement in Problem Solving & Decision Making About Environmental Issues

Lauren Holder, Hannah Scherer, Bruce Herbert

Place-Based Education in Geoscience: Research and Practice

Semken, Ward, Moosavi, Libarkin, Chinn, & Kanahele-Mossman

Literature-review paper: survey and critical review of research and theory that have informed curriculum development, implementation, and authentic assessment of place-based teaching in the Earth and environmental sciences.

Because PBE is trans-disciplinary, select seminal or exemplary papers from outside the realm of geoscience education will be included.

A timely review of the field offering ideas on teaching practice and assessment for those interested in adopting the place-based modality in any learning environment.

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GER Theme Issue: Journal of Geochemical Education: Author: Renuka Rajasekaran rekharajaseran@gmail.com

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How do we design a Bioweathering

curriculum?

1. What is the purpose of your study?

Figure 1. A broad framework of items, that can be incorporated into the Bioweathering curriculum`

2. What is one finding based on the preliminary evidence from your research?

How do we design a Bioweathering curriculum?

By Plants

Bioturbation

Biogeochemical Processes

Biogeoenergetics

Thermodynamics

Redox Chemistry

Biofouling

Osteoporosis

Bacteria

By MicroorganismsBy Animals

Calcification

KineticsExtremophilies

Biocorrosion

Fungi Algae VirusThere is no long history of publication on

Bioweathering teaching and learning. I am pitching on a new idea.

Topic: Bioweathering

By Abiotic factors

K-12 and Undergraduate Connections

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Review

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Graduate Training

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Preparing Graduate Students to Conduct Geoscience Education Research: A Review of Existing Programs and Training Approaches

McNeal, K.S, Petcovic, H., Arthurs, L., Riggs, E., Semken, S., McConnell, D.

Questions: • What is the state of G.E.R. graduate education in the US? • Is there a common set core competencies G.E.R. specialists should acquire in their training

programs? • What are the existing graduate program approaches and structures to G.E.R. training in

the US?• What are the needs in G.E.R. training and what can we learn from other DBER models?

Intended audiences: • Potential graduate students considering a path in GER• Geoscience faculty members interested in revising their current programs and/or

developing new programs• Administrators supporting existing GER faculty, hiring new GER faculty, etc.

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GTA Training in the Geosciences and beyond: What is done, what works, and what next?

• What approaches and practices are being used in GTA training in the geosciences, other STEM fields, and beyond?

• How is the effectiveness of those GTA training interventions operationalized and measured?

• What GTA training interventions are most impactful?

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All/All s

ci

Biology

Chemist

ry

Earth

scien

ce

Physics

Psychology

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

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Average Strength of Evidence by Discipline

n=11n=7

n=8

n=2n=1

n=8

Kelsey Bitting, Rachel Teasdale, Katherine Ryker,

WEEKS 40%

MONTH 20%

MONTHS 20%

YEAR 10%

YEARS 10%

GEOLOGIC CONTENT RETENTION

TerraElm: Earth Science Communication and Graduate School

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123456789

10

0.00 0.50 1.00 1.50 2.00 2.50 3.00 3.50 4.00 4.50 5.00

Effectiveness and Importance Elementary School Teachers

123456789

1011

0.00 0.50 1.00 1.50 2.00 2.50 3.00 3.50 4.00

Effectiveness and Communication Pre-senters

- Effectiveness of informal Earth Science Outreach initiates, a case study for professional development as a degree requirement

- Within the current academic environment this type of program is needed

- Questions:- How to develop this program

elsewhere?- Teaching ability is as important as

publication productivity

Peter Anderson

Broadening Participation

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Macrosystem analysis of programs and strategies to increase underrepresented populations in the geosciences

• Purpose• Research metasynthesis on programmatic and institutional approaches

observed to advanced minority participation in the geosciences• Findings

• Program focused - functional/operational support components• Pre-college and 2YC bridge programs• University/College resources (e.g. UREs, financial support, etc.)• Faculty mentors• Minority peer networks

• Community focused - Geoscience department climate and culture• Questions

• Current body of knowledge based on single pathways – what are the larger higher level connective strands and longitudinal pipeline implications?

Authors: Ben Wolfe and Eric Riggs

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Efforts to Broaden Participation in Geoscience

Astin’s Input-Environment-

Output Model

Review of Previously Published JGE

Articles related to recruitment and

retention

Anti-Deficit FrameworkValidation TheoryCritical Race TheoryClimate Micro-aggressions Stereotype ThreatIntersectionalityIdentity DevelopmentSocial Cognitive Career Theory

Callahan, LaDue, Baber, Kraft, Sexton, and Zamani-Gallaher 25

What about accessibility? A synthesis of broadening participation literature in the geosciences

Introduction and Marginalization of SWD• Exclusion from

Discussion of Diversity• Physical Barriers• Social Barriers

Geoscience Accessibility• Field-based Accessibility

• Physical Field Study • Alternative Field Study

• Laboratory Accessibility• General Classroom

Accessibility

Ivan Carabajal & Christopher Atchison, University of CincinnatiAnita Marshall, University of South Florida

The goal of this paper is to synthesize the topic of access and inclusion within broadening participation research in the geosciences. This synthesis will also enlist

a broader STEM perspective from topic areas in which limited information is available in the geoscience-focused literature.

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GER, DBER and Interdisciplinary Connections

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Commentary of the State of Atmospheric Sci DBER

Study purpose: A scoping review of the atmospheric science education literature, and commentary of the lack of research base with a discussion of next steps to invigorate the community

Preliminary Finding: There is an exceptional need to expand the literature base. For example, in ERIC, there are 646 hits on weather or meteorology education, of which fewer than 5% represent DBER. (We have yet to analyse the methodological quality of the research studies)

Pressing question: Is the next step for Atmospheric Science a question of skills development or basic awareness of DBER as a research path? (We suspect it’s the latter - too few know that DBER “exists” or that it is a science)

Todd D. EllisLaura B. Sample McMeeking

Heather MacdonaldLaura Lukes

Karin KirkDBER work in other science disciplines

Purpose:

To help GER move forward by reviewing the work of other science DBER communities: physics, chemistry, & biology education research. Questions include:

– How do PER, CER, and BER organize themselves and what activities, meetings, workshops, publications, and other means do they use to support their work?

– How are research results disseminated and implemented? – What are current research efforts and new directions?

One question:

Does the diversity of topics in geo courses make widespread

change more difficult that in other disciplines, e.g., physics? 29

Order in the Course: How Geology and Other Sciences Address Scope, Sequence and

Context in Introductory Undergraduate Science CoursesA Literature Review, Christopher Roemmele, Purdue University,

Earth, Atmospheric, & Planetary Sciences Department

What can Geoscience Education learn from other science content areas (biology, chemistry, physics, astronomy) about the importance and potential impact of course scope, sequence and context in an introductory course? Attention to these constructs can improve curricular choices and guide and

focus the teaching and learning that occurs. However, they are only lightly covered across disciplines as a whole.Execute an extensive, exhaustive search by surveying instructors from

all types of post-secondary institutions – at GSA, AGU, etc. – to attain consensus:

1) the most important/significant concepts that should be taught in an intro course (astronomy & biology have done this), but also

2) the sequence in which to present them (one that builds interest, motivation, develops relationships across topics, perhaps by implementing learning progressions for geology at post-secondary level.

3) use of case-studies, overarching theme/context, integration with other disciplines appear to have positive outcomes in other disciplines when implemented

New Question – Are there significant learning, performance, and attitudinal gains from modification to the course by executing changes to curriculum (limiting course topics, focus on order of topics, teaching via case study, place-based or integrating with another science)?

The role of working memory and cognitive load in geoscience learning

Allison J. Jaeger, Thomas F. Shipley, and Stephen J. Reynolds

• Review cognitive science research on: - working memory: Capacity to simultaneous hold and process of information) - cognitive load: Limit to the amount of information a person can process in

any given cognitive activity • Provide examples of how to structure geoscience classroom activities

and curricular materials to account for working memory and cognitive load

• Explain the importance of considering individual differences in working memory when designing learning supports (particularly those designed to reduce load)

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The Spatial Thinking Workbook: Developing Students’ Spatial Thinking Skills in Upper-Level

Undergraduate Geology Courses Through Curricular Materials Based on Cognitive Science Research

Ormand, Carol J., Thomas F. Shipley, Basil Tikoff, Barbara Dutrow, Laurel Goodwin, Thomas Hickson, Kinnari Atit, Kristin Gagnier, Ilyse Resnick

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Session Q&A

• Where are there opportunities to refer to other papers in the issue that support your research?

• As potential external reviewers, are there questions or suggestions you have for authors?

• What are the potential supplemental files that authors should include to benefit the community?

• What questions are there for the editors?

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