Transforming Teaching and Learning Through Geoscience Curriculum Development
1. This work is supported by a National Science Foundation (NSF) collaboration between the
Directorates for Education and Human Resources (EHR) and Geosciences (GEO) under grant DUE - 1125331
Taking a systems approach
to supporting faculty in transforming
teaching and learning
Anne E. Egger, Central Washington University
Carol Baldassari and Sabra Lee, PERG, Endicott College
Diane I. Doser, University of Texas-El Paso
Krista Herbstrith, Ellen Iverson, and Cathy Manduca, SERC, Carleton
College
David McConnell and Michael Pelch, North Carolina State University
David Steer, University of Akron
with
Kim Kastens, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory
2. Courses Programs/
Institutions
Community/
Network
Goal 1: To develop curricula that
will increase geoscience literacy
of all undergraduate students so
that they are better positioned to
make sustainable decisions in
their lives and as part of the
broader society
Systems
approach:
1. Any given
action will have
multiple
outcomes or
consequences;
2. Any desirable
outcome will
require multiple
nudges or
influencers.
http://serc.carleton.edu/integrate
3. What will position students to make
sustainable decisions in the future?
Curricular materials that …
• Engage all students in a variety of settings
• Address grand challenges society is facing
• Use rigorous science
• Use best practices in learning
• Are adaptable and adoptable by instructors
How do we ensure that all of these conditions are
met in the materials we develop?
http://serc.carleton.edu/integrate
4. 1. Design of development teams
• Three instructors from three different institutions (and
often from three different disciplines)
• Assessment consultant from assessment team
• Web consultant from web team
• Content area leader from leadership team
• Collaboration and consultation are built in
http://serc.carleton.edu/integrate
5. 2. Goals are encoded in a design rubric
• Guiding Principles
• Learning Objectives
and Outcomes
• Assessment and
Measurement
• Resources and
Materials
• Instructional
Strategies
• Alignment
Guiding principles (Must score 15/15) Points Score
Course/module addresses one or more geoscience-related grand challenges facing
society 3
Course/module develops student ability to address interdisciplinary problems 3
Course/module improves student understanding of the nature and methods of
geoscience and developing geoscientific habits of mind 3
Course/module makes use of authentic and credible geoscience data to learn central
concepts in the context of geoscience methods of inquiry 3
Course/module incorporates systems thinking 3
Learning objectives (Must score 13/15)
Learning objectives describe measureable geoscience literacy goals 3
Instructions and/or rubrics provide guidance for how students meet learning goals 3
Learning objectives and goals are appropriate for the intended use of the
course/module 3
Learning objectives and goals are clearly stated for each module in language suitable for
the level of the students 3
Learning objectives and goals address the process and nature of science and
development of scientific habits of mind 3
Assessment and Measurement (Must score 13/15)
Assessments measure the learning objectives 3
Assessments are criterion referenced 3
Assessments are consistent with course activities and resources expected 3
Assessments are sequenced, varied and appropriate to the content 3
Assessments address goals at successively higher cognitive levels 3
Resources and Materials (Must score 15/18)
Instructional materials contribute to the stated learning objectives 3
Students will recognize the link between the learning objectives, goals and the learning
materials 3
Instructional materials should be sufficiently diverse and at the depth necessary for
students to achieve learning objectives and goals 3
Materials are appropriately cited 3
Instructional materials are current 3
Instructional materials and the technology to support these materials are clearly stated 3
Instructional Strategies (Must score 13/15)
Learning strategies and activities support stated learning objectives and goals 3
Learning strategies and activities promote student engagement with the materials 3
Learning activities develop student metacognition 3
Learning strategies and activities provide opportunities for students to practice
communicating geoscience 3
Learning strategies and activities scaffold learning 3
Alignment (Must score 5/6)
Teaching materials, assessments, resources and learning activities align with one
another 3
All aspects of the module/course are aligned 3
Total 84
http://serc.carleton.edu/integrate
7. InTeGrate Materials Development Process
Phase 1: Authors
create instructional
materials checked
against rubric.
Phase 2: Authors
pilot materials, are
observed, collect
data for evaluation.
Phase 3: Team uses
data to make
revisions prior to
publication.
http://serc.carleton.edu/integrate
8. Challenges for teams
50%
55%
60%
65%
70%
75%
80%
85%
90%
95%
100%
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28
Average Rubric Element Scores1 Grand Challenges
2 Interdisciplinary
3 Nature of Science
4 Data driven
5 System Thinking
6 Geoscience Outcomes
7 Grading Rubrics
8 Learning Outcomes (LO)
9 Understandable LO's
10 Scientific Habits Mind
11 Assessments for LO's
12 Critereon Referenced
13 LO's Consistent with Course
14 LO's Sequenced and Varied
15 Multiple Cognitive Levels
16 Materials Support Goals
17 Materials Link
18 Diverse Acitivites
19 References
20 Current
21 Technology States
22 Mutitple Learning Strategies
23 Student Engagement
24 Metacognition
25 Communicating Science
26 Scaffold Learning
27 Materials Align
28 Module Segments Align
David Steer, University of Akron
http://serc.carleton.edu/integrate
10. Impact of Corrective Actions
50%
55%
60%
65%
70%
75%
80%
85%
90%
95%
100%
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28
Average Rubric Element Scores1 Grand Challenges
2 Interdisciplinary
3 Nature of Science
4 Data driven
5 System Thinking
6 Geoscience Outcomes
7 Grading Rubrics
8 Learning Outcomes (LO)
9 Understandable LO's
10 Scientific Habits Mind
11 Assessments for LO's
12 Critereon Referenced
13 LO's Consistent with Course
14 LO's Sequenced and Varied
15 Multiple Cognitive Levels
16 Materials Support Goals
17 Materials Link
18 Diverse Acitivites
19 References
20 Current
21 Technology States
22 Mutitple Learning Strategies
23 Student Engagement
24 Metacognition
25 Communicating Science
26 Scaffold Learning
27 Materials Align
28 Module Segments Align
David Steer, University of Akron
http://serc.carleton.edu/integrate
11.
12. Impact on faculty
• Involvement in the process was an intensive
personal and professional collaborative learning
experience. Many emphasized:
– The value of collaboration
– The value of the rubric in guiding development
– Incorporating new, active instructional strategies
• Beyond their time with InTeGrate, developers
anticipate:
– Applying what they learned to redesign other courses
– Sharing the materials with colleagues and
disseminating
– Developing proposals with similar goalsCarol Baldassari and Sabra Lee, PERG
http://serc.carleton.edu/integrate
13. Instructors who
have
internalized
InTeGrate
values and
methods
Substantial
interactions with
assessment
team consultant
(yr 1) and
development
team leader
Instructors
incorporate
InTeGrate values
and methods into
the rest of their
teaching practice
Co-developing with
colleagues under
InTeGrate
groundrules:
• developing v.1
• passing rubric
• piloting
• analyzing data
• developing case
study
• revising materials
Frequent intense
discourse with
teammates
around learning
goals, content,
pedagogy
Individual and
group reflection
on what is and is
not working
Frequent
immersion in
rubric, web site
and other
guiding materials
requires
requires
requires
requires
Leads
to
Leads
to
Leads
to
Leads
to
Leads
to
Advocates for
InTeGrate’s ideas,
programs and
materials (1)
become
Inputs
Outcome
s
OutputsActivities
Instructional
materials
development
checklist and
timeline
Enforcethe
process
Enduring
community of
practice
forge strong
collaborative ties
that can grow into
Kim Kastens, LDEO
What about impact on teaching?
http://serc.carleton.edu/integrate
15. Great!
• Faculty have some new curricula that means
they are teaching in a more student-centered
way
• The process impacted them positively and they
learned something
So…
• What happens at the institutional level?
• What happens when other people try to
adopt these materials?
http://serc.carleton.edu/integrate
16. At the institutional level
• Letters from us to chair, dean, etc. of authors
equating module to peer-reviewed journal article
– Authors emphasize importance of recognition at their own
institution
• Press releases, social media announcements,
and sharing with sponsors and partner
organizations
– Most success when we can provide a strong local and
personalized hook or have a leader write something
up that can provide further traction
– Snowball effect in many cases
Krista Herbstrith, SERC
http://serc.carleton.edu/integrate
17. At the institutional level
• Support for fostering
institutional change
– Webinars
– Website
• Implementation
programs propose to
use InTeGrate
materials more
broadly
http://serc.carleton.edu/integrate
18. Adoption beyond the authors
• Dissemination
workshops at
meetings
• Webinars
• Workshops and
PD associated
with
implementation
programs
• Testing of
modules by non-
authors through
research teams
http://serc.carleton.edu/integrate
19.
20.
21. Adoption beyond the authors
Participants try out
InTeGrate instructional
materials during
workshop
Workshop participants
have new knowledge
and changed
attitudes:
• Teaching can be
improved!
• Resources to improve
learning include
research on learning
and interactions with
other instructors
Someseekout
wider
involvement
Inputs
Outcome
s
OutputsActivities
Enlarged
Community of
Practice
Participants meet
kindred souls who care
about teaching and
environ. sustainability
Participants exchange
ideas about teaching
and materials
(2) Rubric-
compliant,
revised and
tested
Instructional
Materials
Participants plan for
adapting materials for
home institution
(1) Advocates for
InTeGrate’s
ideas, programs
and materials
Come
together to
cause
Are used during
workshop
Serve as
workshop
leaders and
work towards
Kim Kastens, LDEO
http://serc.carleton.edu/integrate
22. Key findings
• Requires a significant time investment to adopt
materials
– Providing time to explore materials is critical
• Local, well-respected leaders help support
adoption on a broader scale
• Most plan to adopt pieces, not entire module
– Rubric requires that elements are “explicit and
pervasive”
• Want to add local datasets, events
– Need to support these as living documents
Carol Baldassari and Sabra Lee, PERG
http://serc.carleton.edu/integrate
23. Courses Programs/
Institutions
Community/
Network
Goal 1: To develop curricula that
will increase geoscience literacy
of all undergraduate students so
that they are better positioned to
make sustainable decisions in
their lives and as part of the
broader society
Systems
approach:
1. Any given
action will have
multiple
outcomes or
consequences;
2. Any desirable
outcome will
require multiple
nudges or
influencers.
http://serc.carleton.edu/integrate
24. http://serc.carleton.edu/integrate
InTeGrate reception: Tuesday, 7:00–8:30 pm, Poe Room (Hilton Baltimore)
Today – Session T91, Room 338
10:05 Linking geoscience and societal issues: a strategy for making geoscience more central in
higher education Manduca et al.
Tuesday – Session T81, Room 339
8:40 InTeGrate Modules and Authentic Community-Based Research as Sustainability Program
Opportunities Fortner et al.
Tuesday – Session T86, Room 324
4:00 Building a sustainable future: The imperative and opportunities to engage all future
teachers in Earth science Egger et al.
Wednesday – Session T89, Room 321
9:40 A Trans-Disciplinary Approach in Teaching Earth Science: Integrating Environmental
Justice into Earth Science Curriculum Utilizing an Integrate Teaching Module
Villalobos et al.
10:10 Developing Capacity to Address Societal Issues: Principles and Examples From
InTeGrate Manduca et al.
10:45 Mapping the Environment with Sensory Perception: An Interdisciplinary Module for
Examining Environmental Contamination & Impact Phillips et al.
Wednesday – Session T27, Room 339
4:05 What do undergraduates' perception of the relevance of geoscience and society have in
common with the human-Earth related Earth science literacy principles? Smith and
McConnell
Editor's Notes
The process of module development takes from 18 months to two years from the initial workshop through the publication of the final online resources.
The typical time line involves 7 checkpoints distributed through three phases of module development.
Here I think we can demonstrate that change.
We saw a need for professional development seminars to address known weak areas.
