Webinar slides 062217

1. Results from the
Geoscience Education Research (GER)
Grand Challenges Survey
Webinar
Thursday, June 22
11:00 AM Pacific | 12:00 PM Mountain | 1:00 PM Central | 2:00 PM Eastern
Webinar Leaders
Kristen St. John, James Madison University
Karen McNeal, Auburn University
Collaborators on the Survey Design & Analysis and GER Project
Kim Kastens, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University
Heather Macdonald, The College of William and Mary
John McDaris, Carleton College/SERC
The survey and this webinar are part of the project “A Framework
for Transformative Geoscience Education Research” funded by the
National Science Foundation through grant DUE-1708228.

2. Presentation Overview
• Background
– Defining GER
– Motivation and Design of the GER Grand
Challenges Survey
• Results of the Survey
– Respondents’ Roles and Training in GER
– GER Theme Areas
• Distribution of Interest
• Important Developments
• Future Research Priorities and Research Questions
• Needs and Opportunities
• Situating Results within a Broader Context and
Next Steps
Kristen Karen
Use chat box to type in questions during
presentation. Will address questions at
speaker transitions and at end.

3. Background
Defining Geoscience Education Research

4. Defining GER
SoTL DBER
Geoscience Education Research
Discipline [geoscience] Based
Education Research
Developing and testing research
questions and hypotheses about
teaching, learning, and ways of
thinking in a discipline.
Scholarship of [geoscience] Teaching
and Learning
Developing, applying, and evaluating
new teaching innovations and
curricula to addresses
learning goals.
Important for Improving Teaching
and Learning in Geoscience
Opportunities for Publications

5. Background
Motivation and Design of the
GER Grand Challenges Survey

6. Motivation for the
GER Grand Challenges Survey
• Wingspread Report (2003)  helped establish GER as
a legitimate research field and pointed to driving
research questions of that time.
• Recent growth and interest in GER:
– More (and more rigorous) geoscience education research
articles
– More GER graduate programs
– More tenure-track faculty positions that seek geoscience
education researchers
– Formal professional society “home”  NAGT GER Division
(2014)
– Formal online GER “home”  NAGT GER landing page and
GER Toolbox (2017)
• Time to take stock of the current state of our research
field and consider best course forward so that we can
have the greatest collective impact on advancing
teaching and learning in the geosciences for coming
years.
– GER Grand Challenges Survey  an important step in this
effort.

7. IRB compliant,
participant consent
Characterize
Respondents
Background/Roles:
Geo-SoTL
Geo-DBER
Geo-Educators
Current Position
Training
Survey Design

8. Geoscience Education Research on:
Students' conceptual understanding of geology/solid Earth science content (e.g., misconceptions,
how to teach particular concepts)
Students' conceptual understanding of environmental/ocean/atmosphere/climate content (e.g.,
misconceptions, how to teach particular concepts)
Elementary, middle, and secondary Earth science teacher education (i.e., working with teachers
and future teachers in all settings)
Teaching about Earth in the context of societal problems (e.g., resource use and sustainability)
Access and success of under-represented groups in the geosciences (i.e., diversity, broadening
participation)
Cognitive domain and problem solving in geoscience courses (e.g., quantitative reasoning,
temporal reasoning, spatial reasoning, use of models)
Instructional strategies to improve geoscience learning in different settings and with different
technologies (e.g., place-based instruction, teaching large lectures, online instruction)
Geoscience students' self-regulated learning/metacognition and affective domain (e.g., attitudes,
motivations, values of students)
Institutional change and faculty professional development (e.g., geoscience programmatic change,
TA training, faculty workshops)
Development and validation of instruments and surveys/use of valid and reliable research
methodologies (i.e., best practices in geoscience education research design)
4. Which of the GER themes below reflects your interest most strongly
at this point in time? [select one]
Themes target GER on
undergraduate teaching and
learning.
Themes were informed by:
• DBER Report (Singer et al.,
2012)
• Focus group discussions at
the 2015 GER workshop
• Results from the 2016 GER
Survey
• Wingspread Report
(Manduca et al., 2003)
• Earth in Mind II Synthesis
report (Kastens and
Manduca, 2012),
• Lewis and Baker (2010,
JRST)
See an earlier iteration of this
list in the GER Toolbox 
Starting Point  Overview of
GER Topics
http://nagt.org/nagt/geoedrese
arch/toolbox/basics/ger_topics.
html
Survey Design

9. Opportunity for written
feedback on selected
theme:
•Important
developments and
recommended
papers/reports
•Important research
questions,
opportunities, and
resource needs to
address these
research questions
•Other themes not
listed
Recommended papers/reports are not described in webinar, but have
been made available to thematic working groups for Next Steps.
Survey Design

10. Questions?

11. Results
Respondents’ Roles and Training in GER

12. 92%
86%
73%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
develop or apply new
geoscience teaching
innovations/curricula
develop or test GER
questions/hypotheses
teach undergraduate
geoscience courses
%ofrespondentsGER Survey Results: How respondents self-identify
66 responses
Geo-
SoTL Geo-
DBER
Geo-
Educator

13. GER Survey Results: Most hold college or university
faculty positions, but early career and other professionals
also responded.
primarily includes researchers (no teaching load) or staff at
non-academic institutions, and retired faculty.
67%
5%
9%
20%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70%
faculty
post doc
grad student
other
% of Respondents

14. 30%
70%
GER Survey Results: Most are “Boundary-Crossers”
into GER.
Graduate Training
in GER?
No
Yes

15. Results
GER Themes: Highest Interest

16. 14
12
10
8
6
6
4
3
3
0
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14
Cognitive domain and problem solving
Instructional strategiesin different settings and with…
Students' conceptual understanding of geology/solid…
Teaching about Earth in the context of societal problems
Students' conceptual understanding of…
Access and success of under-represented groups
Insitiutional change and faculty professional development
K-12 Earth science teacher education
Students' self-regulated learning/metacognition and…
Development and validation of instruments and…
# of respondents ranking it as highest research interest
GER Survey Results: GER respondents distributed among
research areas
Which of the GER themes below reflects your interest most strongly at this point in time?
[select one]
Geoscience education research on:
Proposed “other” cross-cutting GER themes:
assessment, connections to STEM DBER,
workforce development, advocacy/general
pubic communication, funding, P&T.
Students’ conceptual understanding of geology/solid Earth
science content
Students’ conceptual understanding of
env/ocn/atm/climate content
K-12 Earth science teacher education
Teaching about Earth in the context of societal problems
Access and success of under-represented groups
Cognitive domain and problem solving
Instructional strategies in different settings and with
different technologies
Students’ self-regulated learning/metacognition and
affective domain
Institutional change and faculty professional development
Development and validation of instruments and
surveys/methodologies

17. Results
GER Themes: Important Developments,
Future Research Priorities and Research Questions
Notes: In responding about their high interest theme, respondent often referred to
several other themes. Also, some respondent complete all parts of the follow-up
questions and other only selected parts.

18. Research on:
Cognitive domain and problem solving in geoscience courses
(e.g., quantitative, temporal, and spatial reasoning, use of models)
From Past For Future
Important
Developments 
Research
Priorities 
Example
Research Questions
Advances in research on geo-
spatial thinking, in part due to
collaborations between
geoscience education and
cognitive science researchers
Model after geo-spatial
thinking research success
to advance other areas;
delve into deeper
questions on geo-spatial
thinking
What is the specific role of
spatial thinking and working
memory to performance on
geoscience learning and
problem solving tasks?
Summit on Future of
Undergraduate Geoscience
Education (esp. inclusion of
skill development, problem
solving, habits of mind)
Map expert/novice
differences to inform
program design
What does expertise look
like in the professional realm
and how to we bring
undergraduate and graduate
students to that level?
Research on misconceptions
(e.g., geology) prompted need
to understand why
Identify differences
within populations
n=13

19. Research on:
Instructional strategies to improve geoscience learning in different
settings and with different technologies (e.g., PBL, large/online courses)
From Past For Future
Important
Developments 
Research
Priorities 
Example
Research Questions
Recognition of importance of
GER by educators; translation
of research into practice
(reformed teaching methods)
Focus on syntheses
and further strategies
to reach all educators
Breadth of “active learning”
instructional strategies for
teaching in different
situations; many tested in
small settings
Evaluate in scaled-up
environments;
Examine different
populations
How can active learning and place-
based teaching strategies translate
to larger or online classes? Why are
field-based experiences so effective
for student learning? Can this
benefit translate to non-STEM
majors?
Emerging accessibility to
interactive online
tools/facilities, including
virtual and augmented reality.
Pace research to keep
up with emerging
technologies
How does the inclusion of [new]
educational technology support
students' understanding of complex,
invisible, dynamic Earth systems?
n=10

20. Research on:
Students' conceptual understanding of geology/solid Earth science
content (e.g., misconceptions, how to teach particular concepts)
From Past For Future
Important
Developments 
Research
Priorities 
Example
Research Questions
K-12 learning
progressions
Explore use of learning
progressions at undergrad
level
What are the first order
approximations of key geoscience
models (e.g. plate tectonics) that
capture the complexity of the system-
level concepts while being simple
enough for [intro] students to
understand them?
Recognition of
wide range of
misconceptions
Further identification of
misconceptions and
cognitive barriers
What are underlying cognitive
reasons that some topics are difficult
to teach/misconceptions are difficult
to change?
Validated ways of
assessing:
concept
inventories
Expand assessment of
student learning
How can we better test: What are the
major factors that affect change?
How does student performance
change/improve with time?
n=6

21. Research on:
Teaching about Earth in the context of societal problems
(e.g., resource use and sustainability)
From Past For Future
Important
Developments 
Research
Priorities 
Example
Research Questions
Popular acceptance that
global change is happening
now and impacting societies
K-12 standards: Next
Generation Science
Standards (NGSS)
Explore use of similar
transdisciplinary
approach at UG level
Does targeted transdisciplinary
UG education improve students'
science literacy?
Specific curriculum:
InTeGrate program
Evaluate the impact
of societally relevant
materials
Do student learning, attitudes
and retention really improve with
use of societally relevant
materials?
Specific types of integrated
science: Critical Zone science
and Food-Energy-Water
nexus
Focus study on
specific integrated
science areas
What are effective approaches for
designing interventions to
connect locally relevant
sustainability issues to accurate
scientific underpinnings?
n=8

22. Research on:
Students' conceptual understanding of env/ocean/atm/climate
content (e.g., misconceptions, how to teach particular concepts)
From Past For Future
Important
Developments 
Research
Priorities 
Example
Research Questions
Diverse
instructional
strategies (e.g.,
Flipped
classroom, peer
instruction, place-
base)
[Expand testing of
instructional strategies that
impact student
learning/change]
Diverse scientific
technologies for
(studying and)
teaching these
topics
Responses didn't focus on students'
conceptual understanding, rather focused on
instructional strategies that we assume
respondents think help with the instruction
of the env/ocn/atm/climate concepts.
n=4

23. Research on:
Access and success of under-represented groups in the geosciences
(i.e., diversity, broadening participation)
From Past For Future
Important
Developments 
Research
Priorities 
Example
Research Questions
Growing interest in community
to explore the issues
How do we change the culture of
current geoscience programs to
be more welcoming and
inclusive?
Recognition that field-based
aspects of geoscience may not
be as much of an enticement
into the discipline for URG
How do we re-assess what we
mean by success in order to
address the non-academic
variables that influence success?
Successful programs and funding
that aim to bolster diversity in
our profession (e.g. NSF OEDG,
NSF INCLUDES, GeoFORCE,
Minority Participation Program)
Further rigorous
analysis of what
works and what
doesn’t; Address
scaling
What are the programs that are
the most effective and are they
scalable?
n=6

24. Research on:
Institutional change and faculty professional development
(e.g., geoscience programmatic change, TA training, faculty workshops)
From Past For Future
Important
Developments 
Research
Priorities 
Example
Research Questions
The important role that
professional development plays
in strengthening sense of
“community” in geosciences
and in GER and translating
results into practice.
Determine role of
PD in evolving the
academic culture
Does faculty professional
development match/change
geo/STEM cultural values? How
we get all faculty (e.g., our
colleagues) involved in PD?
Importance of holistic faculty
PD focused on all aspects of a
faculty's career not only
teaching
Determine and
evaluate multiple
metrics of success
How do we measure success?
Importance of PD in bringing
geoscience content to places it
may not have otherwise (e.g.,
non-geoscience programs)
Broaden
participation in PD
and post-PD
mentoring
Are our PD approaches inclusive
to the benefit of all faculty (e.g.,
adjuncts)?
No responses that addressed TA training
n=3

25. Research on:
Elementary, middle, and secondary Earth science teacher education
(i.e., working with teachers and future teachers in all settings)
From Past For Future
Important
Developments 
Research
Priorities 
Example
Research Questions
Next Generation
Science Standards
(NGSS)
Optimize pre-service teacher
courses that include NGSS
How to best integrate NGSS into
courses for pre-service teachers?
Geosciences not
part of HS high
stakes testing
Determine K-12
administrators’ perceptions
of Earth sciences
What perception do members of
state education departments and
school district superintendents have
of the importance of K-12 Earth
science education in the lives of high
school graduates in their state?
n=2

26. Research on:
Geoscience students' self-regulated learning/metacognition and
affective domain (e.g., attitudes, motivations, values of students)
From Past For Future
Important
Developments 
Research
Priorities 
Example
Research Questions
STEM DBER researchers have spent
much of the last 30 years adjusting
instruction. Ed psych literature
suggests we also need to address
student learning processes.
Widen scope to
embrace more ed
psych findings
Affect and emotion can serve as
drivers to encourage students to
consider becoming geoscience
majors.
Examine role of
affect and emotion
in geo-workforce
development
How does student
persistence in geoscience
relate to their choices about
learning?
Self-regulation strategies can help
students learn content more
effectively and to develop
transferable skills that will help them
throughout their university
experience.
Examine self-
regulation in the
novice-expert
continuum
What does the process map
look like for shifting
someone from a novice self-
regulator to an expert self-
regulator?
n=3

27. Questions?

28. Results
GER Themes: Needs and Opportunities

29. GER Survey Results: Most needs and
opportunities cut-across themes.
Need: Greater awareness and collaborations
To be more aware of findings in other STEM DBER fields and in educational literature
outside of standard STEM disciplines (e.g., cognitive science, ed psychology etc.)
To know who is doing what. Efficient and effective forms of and opportunities for
collective discussions.
Need: Grounding research in theories and strengthen research design/assessment
Greater development of widely applicable assessments, instruments, and tools.
Including an array of tools and approaches to teaching geoscientific thinking; valid,
reliable instruments for assessing students' geoscientific thinking skills.
Substantial testing of theory-informed designs in classes, workshops, and seminar
settings to build up a body of evidence that can lead to best practices.
Training/PD for researchers to further develop skills in designing DBER projects and in
using new research tools/technologies.

30. GER Survey Results: Most needs and
opportunities cut-across research themes.
Need: Expand the scope and scale of studies
More opportunities to study the long term impacts of different approaches/programs
(e.g., online courses for subject matter retention) at multi-institutions.
To identify innovation that work and scale up/expand.
Greater funding for geoscience education/geoscience education research overall, and
for supplemental grants for GER to existing programs
Need: More/better data collection and sharing
[In 2016 survey, data repository was a high ranking need]

31. GER Survey Results: Most needs and
opportunities cut-across research themes.
Opportunity: Learning Management Systems are evolving rapidly, especially in the
accessibility and usefulness of learning analytics data of all kinds. Can be used to
measure students' knowledge, skills, attitudes, beliefs before, during and after class.
These data need to be collected and mined.
Need examples (i.e. precedent) of instructors making effective AND efficient use of
learning analytics data to adjust, optimize, and enhance learning and assessment
strategies that occur entirely online. Especially when these involve peer interactions,
peer instruction and peer assessments.
Other needs and opportunities specific to themes will be shared with thematic working groups at the EER
GER workshop in July
Opportunity: To examine what propelled some well established research themes
forward, and use as models for themes that are less well developed.
Some factors that help move research in a theme forward: dedicated group of people
working topics in that areas; group is well connected via professional societies (NAGT)
and resources (SERC); well connected to cognitive psychologists and education
researchers; and funding opportunities exist that encourage collaboration among
geoscientists, education researchers, psychologists, and DBER faculty.

32. Situating GER Results within a
Broader Context

33. Broader Context: the STEM-DBER Alliance (DBER-A)
Vision: Community organization to address complex, cross-cutting
research questions that can best be understood and addressed with
theories that transcend disciplines.
• Focus on undergraduate learning and teaching
• Nov 2016 and May 2017 organizational workshops
• Join the STEM DBER Alliance by completing a quick google form:
goo.gl/oECkXG
Figure from the 2017 DBER-A- flyer:
https://www.aau.edu/sites/default/files/STEM%20Initiative%20Images/STEM%20PDFS/17-043%20AAAS%20STEMDBERAllianceflyer_rnd3.pdf

34. Next Steps

35. This
webinar
June
2017
July
2017
GER Grand
Challenges
workshop with
working group
for each theme;
GER and Practice
Forum
Next steps in identifying and prioritizing GER Grand
Challenges and recommending strategies to address them
EER GER
Methods
workshop,
Translating
GER into
Practice
workshop
October
2017
PartofNSFproject“AFramework
forTransformativeGER”
GER Grand
Challenges
survey
RelatedGER/DEBR
Activities
November
2017
JGE GER
theme
issue
GER Grand
Challenges Town Hall
on working group
recommendations:
review and feedback
NAGT
GER
Division
Session
#113
Draft white
paper; Online
open
comment
period
Revise
and
finalize
white
paper
January
2018
December
2017
April
2017
August
2017
JGE
Editorial
on
DBER-A

36. Questions?
Continue discussions online – comment field will be
included with recorded webinar;
and
at the Earth Educators’ Rendezvous, and
at GSA GER Session and GER Town Hall.
T113. Geoscience Education
Research: Implications for
Undergraduate Geoscience
Teaching and Learning