Transforming Geoscience Teaching for a Sustainable Future

1. InTeGrate: Interdisciplinary Teaching of Geoscience for a Sustainable Future An NSF STEP Center in the Geoscience Cathy Manduca , Sean Fox, Ellen Iverson, Carleton College; Carol Baldassari, Lesley University; David Blockstein, NCSE; Tim Bralower, Dave Bice, Penn State; Diane Doser, Laura Serpa UTEP; Anne Egger, Central Washington University; David Gosselin, University of Nebraska-Lincoln; Kim Kastens, Columbia University; Pam Matson, Steve Graham, Richard Nevle ,Stanford University; David McConnell, North Carolina State; Elizabeth Nagy-Shadman, Pasadena City College; David Steer, University of Akron; John Taber, IRIS

2. The STEP Centers competition allows a group of faculty representing a cross section of institutions of higher education to identify a national challenge or opportunity in undergraduate education in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) and to propose a comprehensive and coordinated set of activities that will be carried out to address that challenge or opportunity within a national context. Program activities for all STEP Centers should be designed to have a national impact on increasing the number of students, including STEM majors or non-STEM majors or both, enrolling in undergraduate courses in STEMProjects submitted to the EHR-GEO STEP Center competition should be focused on essential concepts in Earth System Science and its foundational importance in areas such as the interplay of environment, energy, and economics. 

3. A five-year community effort to improve geoscience literacy and build a workforce prepared to tackle environmental and resource issues http://serc.carleton.edu/integrate

4. Transforming What, How and Where of Undergraduate Geoscience Teaching

5. Transforming What, How and Where of Undergraduate Geoscience Teaching • Geoscience in context of societal challenges • Process of geoscience and geoscience Thinking • Interdisciplinary problem solving

6. Transforming What, How and Where of Undergraduate Geoscience Teaching • Engaged, student centered, research-based Pedagogy • Engage students with real-world geoscience data • Connected to nature and process of geoscience • Designed to improve recruitment and retention

7. Transforming What, How and Where of Undergraduate Geoscience Teaching • Geoscience Across the Curriculum • Interdisciplinary Courses • Courses in Other Disciplines • Interdisciplinary Programs • Teacher Preparation • Geoscience Programs • Expanded Venues • Distance Learning • Dual-enrollment • Schools with no geoscientists

8. Departments closing - large numbers of institutions where geoscience instruction not available • Decreasing resources in traditional education, rising costs • Volatile employment/enrollment situation • Mismatch between curriculum and forefront of field – not data rich, not quantitative, not interdisciplinary • Low ability to recruit and retain best and brightest in STEM; diverse students in geoscience • Geoscience not widely integrated into the thinking of the public; of public and industry leaders; of other scientists • Societal Issues that will be more readily addressed if geoscientists involved An Unstable Situation Change is underway – InTeGrate is supporting and enlarging a productive geoscience response to this situation

9. Two Primary Drivers • Connecting Geoscience Education to the Future of Science • Providing Access to Excellent Geoscience Instruction • Stabilizing or Expanding Geoscience Departments (senso latu) • Improved Learning Opportunities for Students of all Types • Increased Interest in Studying Geoscience

10. Where is our Science Going? • An Increased Emphasis on Addressing Societal Grand Challenges • Understanding More Completely System Behavior • Interdisciplinary Interactions and Cross-disciplinary Synthesis Eric Barron, 2007 Workshop Presentation Available at http://serc.carleton.edu/departments/future/barron.html

11. Directions for Undergraduate Curriculum • Learning how to study the integrated Earth System • Data, models, systems approach • Interdisciplinary teams and collaborations • Learning how geoscience contributes to solving grand societal challenges • Problem based approaches in courses and undergraduate research • Geoscience as a contributor, understanding context • Preparation for a rapidly changing discipline • Strong foundational skills • Ability to use skills in a wide variety of problems/activities • Learning to learn

12. Two Primary Drivers • Connecting Geoscience Education to the Future of Science • Providing Access to Excellent Geoscience Instruction • Stabilizing or Expanding Geoscience Departments (senso latu) • Improved Learning Opportunities for Students of all Types • Increased Interest in Studying Geoscience

13. A Systems Model for Transformation of Individuals, Institutions, and the Geoscience Community Website, Project Office Implementation Programs Professional Development Materials Development Assessment Program Evaluation

14. Website, project office • Developed and tested by teams with members from at least 3 institutions • 150 team members; >25 from 2YC and minority serving institutions; 1/3 from outside the geosciences • ½ by application; 6 teams from workshops Implementation Programs Materials Development Professional Development Assessment Program Evaluation Materials Development Introductory modules on literacy themes David McConnell, North Carolina State Pam Matson, Stanford University; Tim Bralower, Penn State Interdisciplinary courses Geoscience for engineers and scientists John Taber, IRIS Teacher Preparation modules Anne Egger, Stanford University Geoscience in other disciplines Me, David Blockstein, NCSE/CEDD David Gosselin, Nebraska

15. A Systems Model for Transformation of Individuals, Institutions, and the Geoscience Community Website, Project Office Implementation Programs Professional Development Materials Development Assessment Program Evaluation

16. Implementation Programs • Develop a new vision for how geoscience is positioned in higher education • Infuse geoscience throughout the curriculum • Leverage existing geoscience, environmental science and engineering programs to address solutions for societal problems • Engage younger students in the geosciences and increase geoscience enrollment • Within and beyond geoscience departments • Within and beyond single institutions • 20 by application in years 3-5

17. Initial Implementation Programs • University of Texas-El Paso, El Paso Community College and El Paso dual-enrollment high schools will collaborate to interest, prepare, and support students to complete four year degrees in geoscience, environmental science, or Earth science education. • Pennsylvania State University-University of New Orleans cluster will demonstrate ways in which distance-learning courses can be used to enhance programming among a collaborating set of institutions. • Stanford Universitywill demonstrate the ways in which geoscience can be integrated into the general education curriculum. • A coalition of state schools across the state of Washington led by Central Washington University will demonstrate how institutions can collaborate within a state to improve teacher preparation. • James Madison University (JMU) will demonstrate vertical integration of geoscience into teacher preparation and professional development • 1 additional program to be identified in year 1; 20 additional programs by application in year 3-5

18. Web Website, project office Implementation Programs Materials Development Professional Development Assessment Program Evaluation Materials Development Implementation programs Introductory modules on literacy themes: McConnell UTEP: Cross-institution programming Interdisciplinary courses: Stanford; Penn State Penn-INO: Distance learning, new programs Geoscience for non-geology science majors: Taber Stanford: General education Teacher Preparation modules: Egger WA & JMU: Coordinated teacher prep Geoscience in other disciplines: from PD,Gosselin, Blockstein, Manduca Community proposals: 1 in year 1; 7year 4; 13 year 5

19. A Systems Model for Transformation of Individuals, Institutions, and the Geoscience Community Website, Project Office Implementation Programs Professional Development Materials Development Assessment Program Evaluation

20. Professional Development Goals • Document and Understand Current Practice as a Base for Development of Needed Materials and Programs • Build an Interdisciplinary Community Invested in Teaching Geoscience in the Context of Societal Issues • Support Effective Teaching of Geoscience in the Context of Societal Issues Throughout the Undergraduate Curriculum • Disseminate Project Materials, Outcomes

21. Program Elements • National Workshops • 520 seats • Program and Course Level Workshops • Faculty, Adjuncts and TAs • In collaboration with NCSE, Cutting Edge, and Professional Societies • 24 Travelling Workshops • Virtual Events • Website

22. Professional Development Year 1: Learning about the State of the Art • Programs that Bring Together Geoscience and Sustainability: Stanford, May 23-25 • Teaching the Methods of Geoscience:Montana State, June 27-29 • Systems, Society, Sustainability and the Geosciences: Carleton, July 24-26 • Teaching Environmental Geology: Montana State, June 2-6 (Partnership workshop led by On The Cutting Edge) Identifying targets for teaching materials; laying a base of knowledge for implementation programs; developing connections that support team

23. Assessment and Evaluation • Assessment Team will work with teams and programs to • ensure that materials increase geoscience literacy, understanding of the process of science, and improve interdisciplinary problem solving while using research-based teaching methods and meeting their stated learning goals • Collect date required to demonstrate overall program impact • David Steer, University of Akron; Ellen Iverson SERC, 10 person team • Evaluators (Kim Kastens, Columbia; Carol Baldessari, PERG; Frances Laurentz, University of Minnesota) will measure the impact of InTeGrate on programming, student learning, and students’ ability and willingness to engage in societal roles addressing the sustainability of our civilization and environment.

24. Challenges (where I know you can help) • Engaging, integrating and building on NSF funded work (past and present) • Engaging the other disciplines especially engineering, math, other sciences • Engaging those engaged in increasing diversity/broadening access to STEM • Engaging the research community

25. Kinds of Teachers Three populations based on participation in research and geoscience education communities Educational Focused • Slightly newer to the profession • More teach both intro and majors (67% vs 39%, 56%) • More likely to have presented on teaching methods or student learning (56% vs 10%, 11%); published articles on educational topics (43% vs 12%,12%) • Attend more education talks (2/3 9 or more vs ¾ 2 or less) • Attend workshops (77% vs 25, 33%) Geoscience Focused • More likely to be full professor • More teach majors only (29% vs 12%, 17%) • More likely to have presented geoscience research (92% vs 59%,29%) Teaching Faculty • About half have attended talks on teaching methods • About 1/3 have attended a workshop on improving teaching 1730 Similar in degree level, years teaching, teach variety of class sizes, teaching lab courses

26. Teaching Styles

27. Cutting Edge Participation

28. InTeGrate and NSF Demonstrating • Use of NSF and other federally funded science in teaching at scale • Use of NSF funded education resources • Broadly • As foundation for larger efforts • Impact of systemic, large scale projects in undergraduate education (particularly in collaboration with other NSF funded efforts) • Value of integration of research and education – a foundation of NSF

29. A five-year community effort to improve geoscience literacy and build a workforce prepared to tackle environmental and resource issues http://serc.carleton.edu/integrate