ED53A-0317
Variable Rivers: an Activity for Interpreting Earth-surface Processes
The National Center for Earth-surface Dynamics (NCED) is a National Science Foundation Science and Technology Center based at the University of Minnesota. NCED is a multidisciplinary research institution whose research is primarily focused on the physical and ecological processes shaping rivers and river networks. Practicing K-12 teachers and research staff at NCED develop materials that promote greater understanding of "source to sink" processes of erosion, transport, and deposition for the K-12 classroom. This session will present an activity designed to provide teachers with a cooperative group-work activity for students as they explore variables affecting the size and shape of rivers. In Variable Rivers, students work in small groups to test an isolated variable affecting the size and shape of rivers. Students form an hypothesis and test the effects of: amount of water, water velocity, or steepness of the river bed. They look at these variables as they relate to river width, river depth, and delta size. Students then compare their results with other groups who tested the same variable, before presenting their information to the class.
ED53A-0318
3D Maps: Tools for the Classroom
The National Center for Earth-surface Dynamics (NCED), an NSF Science and Technology Center, is actively involved in using existing geoscience data sets such as NASA satellite data and USGS elevation data, to produce visualizations for formal and informal education settings. Use of these data sets in the form of three-dimensional visualizations helps NCED to engage the public with Earth-surface dynamics, and promote K-12 student and teacher understanding of surface processes. NCED is also actively involved in using visualizations in post-secondary education at the University of Minnesota, and in researching the effectiveness of their use in interpreting Earth-surface processes. NCED, in conjunction with GeoWall, has developed cost effective paper based ways to bring high-end technology into classrooms, informal and field-based educational settings. Research indicates that students respond enthusiastically and gain a greater understanding of surface process science when using these three-dimensional visualizations. Pre and in-service educators at NCED work with K-12 teachers to interpret and develop activities that will promote greater understanding of "source to sink" processes of erosion, transport, and deposition. Activities include lesson plans focused on "source to sink" and interpretations of visualizations designed to aid educators in their interpretation to students. Information is provided to educators in the form of an online website and educator workshops. NCED is conducting ongoing evaluation into the effectiveness of such visualizations in formal, informal, and field-based settings. This session will present 3D maps and activities available for educators to explore and use via NCED's website.
ED53A-0319
Surface Temperature and Soil Temperature Protocols; Observations, Partnerships, Science
As NSF funded GLOBE scientists, we have engaged students and teachers in the surface temperature and soil temperature protocols. In 2002, we started to develop the surface temperature protocol and finalized it in the spring 2005 for the GLOBE Teacher's Guide. Surface temperature is the temperature of sidewalks, parking lots, leaves, grass, bare ground, etc. as determined by the electromagnetic energy they emit. Use of the surface temperature protocol by teachers has grown significantly this past year although the total number of schools taking surface temperature observations is still relatively small. To date we have concentrated on partnering with GLOBE partners in the United States, in particular Ohio, Michigan and Iowa, as well as a few international GLOBE teachers via email. We have also begun to form international partnerships to engage schools in other countries and climates. We have received very favorable feedback about the surface temperature protocol from the teachers who have implemented it. Our ultimate goal is to use GLOBE surface temperature and soil temperature observations to better understand the influence of land use/land cover on the Earth's energy budget. Surface temperature is at the center of the energy cycle because it is influenced by incoming solar radiation as well as the properties of the surface and subsurface. We plan to use satellite imagery to enhance our understanding of the influence of land use change on global temperatures.
ED53A-0320
Exploring Form and Pattern: Pinecone, Fern, and Tafoni
During the 2004-20005 school year, two classes of sixth-grade earth scientists from Aptos Middle School in San Francisco explored forms and patterns of various natural objects. This classroom was unique in that there was a partner geoscientist working with the teacher and students several days a week throughout the school year as part of the SFSU GK-12 Partnership Program. This lesson on form and pattern was inspired by the challenge to create a hands-on investigative activity about forms and patterns in Nature that could compliment the partner geoscientist's Masters research project on the tafoni rock weathering pattern. In this fun, engaging, and distinct hands-on earth science activity, students actively investigated forms and patterns using tools such as rulers and hand lenses. The lesson objectives were to teach students about form and pattern and to help students recognize forms and patterns through careful investigation of natural objects. The natural objects were pre-selected for their well-defined forms and patterns and included: a pinecone, a fern branch, a foliated sandstone, a pineapple, a succulent limb, a cross-section from a redwood tree, a spiraling shell, and a section of sandstone undergoing tafoni weathering. To assess student learning, students were asked to define both form and pattern before and after the activity. A positive shift in student responses occurred, and students learned how to identify a form and interpret how a form can repeat spatially to create a pattern. Sketches and observation notes students made demonstrate that they had become more sophisticated observers of forms and patterns in natural objects. This activity was very successful and all students actively participated. Fruitful class discussions suggested that most students were well prepared by this activity to understand the essence of the partner geoscientist's research on tafoni. Emphasizing form and pattern to explain a complex and esoteric geologic phenomenon made the study of the tafoni weathering pattern more accessible to those with limited science backgrounds or personal experiences in natural settings. (Supported by NSF Grant \#DGE-0337949).
ED53A-0321
From Creeks to the Classroom: Hands-on Curriculum Units on the Web
Archway School is in the process of developing 6 curriculum units to teach middle school students about the ecology and environmental science of the San Francisco Bay Area. This is being accomplished through integrated classroom, field trip, and creek restoration project activities. The creek where restoration work takes place becomes an outdoor laboratory for a wide array of classroom lessons tied to both National and California Science Education Standards. The entire curriculum, including all lesson plans, assessments, and examples of student work are being made available, free of charge, to teachers and educators via the Internet. Although the units were initially developed to teach about the natural and geological history of the San Francisco Bay Area, classroom activities are structured such that they could be used at any school and restoration work could be undertaken at any creek in the country. This presentation will showcase the curriculum and provide information so that educators may bring it home to their own institutions. Teachers will get a "tour" of 3 of the 6 curriculum units (Ecology, Watersheds, Earth History) and then have an opportunity to view activities that highlight the strengths of the program.
ED53A-0322
Okinawa, Japan: Geologic Battleground
One of our main goals as instructors, particularly in introductory courses, is to impart students with an appreciation of how geology has influenced the course of human events. Despite the apparent accessibility of such topics, communicating this in a lively, relevant, and effective way often proves difficult. We use a series of historical events, the Pacific island hopping campaign of WWII, to engage students in an active, guided inquiry exercise to explore how terrain and the underlying geology of an area can shape historical events. Teams of students are assigned the role of planning either the defense or occupation of Okinawa Island, in the Ryukyu arc, in a theoretical version of the 1945 conflict. Students are given a package of information, including geologic and topographic maps, a list of military resources available to them at the time, and some historical background. Students also have access to "reconnaissance" images, 360o digital panoramas of the landscape of Okinawa, keyed to their maps. Each team has a week to plan their strategies and carry out additional research, which they subsequently bring to the table in the form of a written battle plan. With an instructor as arbiter, teams alternate drawing their maneuvers on a map of the island, to which the other team then responds. This continues one move at a time, until the instructor declares a victor. Throughout the exercise, the instructor guides students through analysis of each strategic decision in light of the island's structure and topography, with an emphasis on the appropriate interpretation of the maps. Students soon realize that an understanding of the island's terrain literally meant the difference between life and death for civilians and military participants alike in 1945. The karst landscape of Okinawa posed unique obstacles to both the Japanese and the American forces, including difficult landing sites, networks of natural caves, and sequences of hills aligned perpendicular to the length of the island and to American troop movement. This unique topography forced innovative tactics ranging from reverse slope defense to "blowtorch and corkscrew" offense in response. During this exercise, students apply their map-reading and interpretation skills, as well as their critical analysis abilities; the historical context, in turn, provides motivation to refine those skills. Sun Tzu wrote that all warfare is based on deception. What we hope to communicate to students with this activity is that much of warfare, and, more broadly, the way humans interact with the world, is inherently and undeniably based on geology.
ED53A-0323
The Waves and Tsunamis Project
The goals of the Waves and Tsunamis Project are "to make waves real" to middle school students and to teach them some fundamental concepts of waves. The curriculum was designed in Fall 2004 (before the Sumatra Tsunami) and involves an ocean scientist classroom visit, hands-on demonstrations, and an interactive website designed to explain ocean wave properties. The website is called 'The Plymouth Wave Lab' and it has had more than 40,000 hits since the Sumatra event. One inexpensive and interesting demonstration is based on a string composed of alternating elastic bands and paper clips. Washers can be added to the paper clips to construct strings with varying mass. For example, a tapered string with mass decreasing in the wave propagation direction is an analog of tsunami waves propagating from deep to shallow water. The Waves and Tsunamis Project evolved as a collaborative effort involving an ocean science researcher and middle school science teachers. It was carried out through the direction of the Centers of Ocean Science Education Excellence New England (COSEE-NE) Ocean Science Education Institute (OSEI). COSEE-NE is involved in developing models for sustainable involvement of ocean science researchers in K-12 education ( http://necosee.net ). This work is supported by the National Science Foundation.
ED53A-0324
Ocean Science in a K-12 setting: Promoting Inquiry Based Science though Graduate Student and Teacher Collaboration
The University of South Florida, College of Marine Science Oceans: GK-12 Teaching Fellowship Program is successfully enriching science learning via the oceans. Funded by the National Science Foundation, the program provides a unique opportunity among scientists and K-12 teachers to interact with the intention of bringing ocean science concepts and research to the classroom environment enhance the experience of learning and doing science, and to promote 'citizen scientists' for the 21st century. The success of the program relies heavily on the extensive summer training program where graduate students develop teaching skills, create inquiry based science activities for a summer Oceanography Camp for Girls program and build a relationship with their mentor teacher. For the last year and a half, two graduate students from the College of Marine Science have worked in cooperation with teachers from the Pinellas county School District, Southside Fundamental Middle School. Successful lesson plans brought into a 6th grade Earth Science classroom include Weather and climate: Global warming, The Geologic timescale: It's all about time, Density: Layering liquids, and Erosion processes: What moves water and sediment. The school and students have benefited greatly from the program experiencing hands-on inquiry based science and the establishment of an after school science club providing opportunities for students to work on their science fair projects and pursuit other science interests. Students are provided scoring rubrics and their progress is creatively assessed through KWL worksheets, concept maps, surveys, oral one on one and classroom discussions and writing samples. The year culminated with a series of hands on lessons at the nearby beach, where students demonstrated their mastery of skills through practical application. Benefits to the graduate student include improved communication of current science research to a diverse audience, a better understanding of the perspective of teachers and their content knowledge, and experience working with children and youth. The GK-12 teacher mentor benefits include a resource of inquiry based ocean science activities and increased knowledge of current scientific ocean research. The K-12 students gain an opportunity to be engage with young passionate scientists, learn about current ocean science research, and experience inquiry based science activities relating to concepts already being taught in their classroom. This program benefits all involved including the graduate students, the teachers, the K-12 students and the community.
ED53A-0325
Demonstrating Climate Change and the Water Cycle to Fifth Grade Students
Scientists in academia often want to share their knowledge of and enthusiasm for science with K-12 students, but feel wary of the time commitment and logistical details involved with volunteer work. As a PhD student at UC Berkeley, I participated in the Community in the Classroom program, organized by the non-profit Community Resources for Science. CRS acts as the liaison between local schools and scientists in the community, taking care of all the administrative details regarding the classroom visits. Volunteers are asked to prepare a fun, hands-on presentation for a specific grade level, which is linked to elementary science standards. I chose to visit several fifth grade classrooms and talk about the connection between climate change and the water cycle in California. My presentation included a demonstration of the greenhouse effect, an experiment to see where the water on the outside of a cold glass comes from, and an investigation into the role of temperature in the phase changes of water, using plastic containers, icepacks and mitten warmers. The students were encouraged to make predictions about the impact of climate change on the water cycle based on their recent observations. I will share my demonstrations, discuss feedback from the students and teachers and offer suggestions to those interested in volunteer teaching.
ED53A-0326
A Low-Cost Sounding Ballon Experiment
Watching the meteorological balloons customarily launched from our city, we wondered how we could develop an experiment to allow our students to effectively gather data about the low atmosphere and at the same time keep our limited financial budget. When you hear about atmospheric balloons, you usually think about balloons with large envelopes of nylon or mylar with payloads between 1 or 10 kg. They ascend to very high altitudes, have a data radio transmitter, and are not recoverable. This setup would be too expensive for us. In order to keep the cost low, the payload containing the data recorded had to be recovered, and therefore, the balloon must not go tens of kilometers away. Based on some estimates of ascension speed for small balloons and probable horizontal wind intensities, we decided that in order to easily recover the payload we had to limit its ascension to about 2 km high. At this altitude, the payload would have to be released from the balloon by means of a timer. Our envelope consists of four latex 1-m diameter balloons (the biggest we could get) of the kind used at children's parties. Altogether they had a net buoyancy capacity of 500 g, enough to lift a mini tape recorder, batteries and simple electronic circuits that transform the atmosphere temperature into sound frequency.
ED53A-0327
Improving Attitudes Toward STEM By Providing Urban-Based Environmental Science Research Opportunities
Over the past decade, numerous calls have been made for the need to increase the participation of the nation's underrepresented population in science, technology, engineering, and technology (STEM) fields of endeavor. A key element in improving the less than impressive conditions that now exist with regard to this issue, is the development of effective approaches that result in positive changes in young people's attitudes toward education in general, and STEM subject matter in particular during the early stages of their intellectual development. The Environmental Science Information Technology Activities (ESITA) program provides opportunities for under-represented grades 9 - 10 students in the East San Francisco Bay Area to learn about and apply key STEM concepts and related skills. Consisting of two-year-long after school programs at community center and school-based sites, as well as a Summer Research Institute, the ESITA program engages participants in a combination of STEM content learning activities and environmental science research projects that address issues relevant to their communities. Design of the ESITA program has been informed by: 1) pilot-study data that indicated key elements necessary for ensuring high levels of participant enthusiasm and interest; 2) a conceptual framework for development of instructional materials grounded in recent research about student learning of STEM content; and 3) research about effective after school programs that present academic content. Throughout the program's two-year existence, ESITA students have participated in the following projects: investigations of the distribution of elevated lead levels in drinking water samples from Washington, D.C.; air and water quality studies in and around a popular lake situated within the nation's oldest wildlife refuge, located in downtown Oakland, California; and studies of the relationship between airborne particulate matter concentrations in Richmond, California, and activity at local petroleum refineries. As participants have used newly acquired skills and understandings while performing such investigations that are directly linked to relevant, real-world environmental problems and issues, they have: significantly increased their understanding of the process and nature of science; enhanced their intellectual self-confidence with regard to STEM; developed a deeper appreciation of how scientific research can contribute to the maintenance of healthy local environments; developed a greater interest in participating in STEM-related courses of study and after school programs; improved their general attitudes toward STEM. All of these gains significantly increase the capacity of participants to enroll and perform successfully in STEM courses in the future, which together enhances their chances of deciding to pursue STEM careers.
ED53A-0328
Rock and Mineral Bingo: Applying and Assessing Student Rock and Mineral Knowledge and Identification Skills
A rock and mineral "Bingo" that is based on knowledge and identification skills (not luck) was developed to help teachers and introductory as well as more advanced-level students develop and improve rock and mineral identification skills. The game was initially designed to use a rock and mineral kit provided to all students in Lab Classes, but could be adapted for any suite of samples. The rock and mineral kits include 13 mineral samples (olivine, pyroxene, amphibole, biotite, muscovite, potassium feldspar, plagioclase, quartz, galena, gypsum, hematite, pyrite, calcite), 7 igneous rock samples (rhyolite, granite, andesite, diorite, basalt, gabbro, peridotite), 3 sedimentary rock samples (sandstone, shale, limestone), and 5 metamorphic rock samples (slate, mica schist, gneiss, marble, quartzite). The kit also includes a small magnifying glass, a streak plate and a tempered steel nail. The Bingo cards are composed of 9 squares ("questions") each. A total of 8 groups of questions have been developed to encompass introductory through more advanced levels. The question sets developed so far are: (a) General distinction between rocks and minerals; (b) Igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rocks; (c) Mineral luster; (d) Mineral fracture and cleavage; (e) Mineral crystal form; (f) Mineral chemistry; (g) General mineralogy; (h) Geologic Context. Each square on the card is numbered (1-9). The same card is used for each group of questions. The questions are written on a separate set of small question cards that are color-coded (according to question set) and numbered. These cards are pulled out of the 'bag' by the caller, and a copy of the question is posted for all to see. The players need to choose the sample from their collection that best fits the question or description given by the caller. The questions are set up so that some samples fit more than one answer, which requires the students to review their choices. The first person or group to win presents their board and samples for the class to examine. This exercise could be adapted for any collection and any level of learning, as well as for any particular collection or suite of samples. Soils and local rock sequences could also be incorporated.
ED53A-0329
Sandbox Tectonics As A Teaching Tool
Students are typically introduced to the relative motions of plates and its effects either through text-based descriptions, paper models, or both. However, though students may learn to repeat the description of the effects, many students still do not show a deeper understanding of the process, as shown by examinations of students before and after an introductory geology course (DeLaughter et al, 1998). This is because students are rarely affected by the information on a visceral level; because their preconceptions are never challenged, they never internalize the information as part of their model of how the world works. However, when concepts such as plate motions and their effects are presented to students as part of a tangible, physical experiment, the ideas can have a much greater impact (Carey et al, 1989). The students use the new information to build more complete mental models while learning that such models can and must change in response to new information (Herbert, 2003). When such experiments are performed in a geology class, they afford the students a direct and visceral experience that may enhance the learning process. In this exercise for middle school students, the effects of relative plate motions on overlying sediments are modeled through a simple and inexpensive set of experiments using sand and newspaper. These experiments provide qualitatively the same results as those performed by geologists researching various aspects of faulting and folding (e.g., Horsfield, 1977, Domingez et al., 2000). A secondary benefit of these experiments is that when the students do not pull the papers perfectly the combination of effects can mimic real terrains (e.g., transpressional) very closely. This intrusion of methodological errors can also lead to a lively discussion of how science is done and what the results of an experiment imply, thereby providing a pedagogical benefit as well. Thus students can be shown the effects of relative plate motions in a direct and obvious manner. Because the experiments produce tangible results, the students experience them on a more visceral level and may be able to incorporate the concepts better than they would through a description or computer simulation of the effects (Klosko et al., 2000). And, as the equipment used is very inexpensive, the experiment is well within the means of almost any school system. References Carey, S., R. Evans, M. Honda, E. Jay, C. Unger, 1989, ''An experiment is when you try it and see if it works'': A study of grade 7 students' understanding of the construction of knowledge, International Journal of Science Education, 11, 514-529 DeLaughter, J., S. Stein, C. Stein, K. R. Bain, 1998, Preconceptions abound among students in an introductory earth science course, EOS, 79, 429+432 Dominguez, S, J. Malavieille, S. Lallemand, 2000, Deformation of accretionary wedges in response to seamount subduction: Insights from sandbox experiments, Tectonics, 19(1), 182-196 Herbert, B., 2003, The role of scaffolding student metacognition in developing mental models of complex, Earth and environmental systems. DFG-NSF International Workshops on Research and Development in Mathematics and Science Education, November 19-21, 2003, Washington D.C. http://geoexplorer.tamu.edu/dfgnsf/WG1.html Horsfield, W.T., 1977, An experimental approach to basement controlled faulting, Geologie en Mijnbouw, 56, 363-370 Klosko, E., J. DeLaughter, S. Stein, 2000, Technology in introductory geophysics: the high - low mix, Computers & Geosciences, 26(6), 693-698
ED53A-0330
A Kinesthetic Demonstration for Locating Earthquake Epicenters
During Spring 2005, an inquiry-based curriculum for plate tectonics was developed for implementation in sixth-grade classrooms within the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD). Two cohorts of LAUSD teachers received training and orientation to the plate tectonics unit during one week workshops in July 2005. However, during the training workshops, it was observed that there was considerable confusion among the teachers as to how the traditional "textbook" explanation of the time lag between P and S waves on a seismogram could possibly be used to determine the epicenter of an earthquake. One of the State of California science content standards for sixth grade students is that they understand how the epicenters of earthquakes are determined, so it was critical that the teachers themselves grasped the concept. In response to the adult learner difficulties, the classroom explanation of earthquake epicenter location was supplemented with an outdoor kinesthetic activity. Based upon the experience of the kinesthetic model, it was found that the hands-on model greatly cemented the teachers' understanding of the underlying theory. This paper details the steps of the kinesthetic demonstration for earthquake epicenter identification, as well as offering extended options for its classroom implementation.
ED53A-0331
An internet-based, guided inquiry approach to geoscience education using interactive models and supporting effective teacher practice.
The Technology Enhanced Learning of Science (TELS) Center is developing online curriculum modules (called TELS Projects) to fulfill its misson of uniting university, research, and secondary school partners to increase the numbers and diversity of teachers who are using innovative, proven, technology-enhanced science curricula to impart key scientific concepts and methods to their students. TELS projects are built on the technology framework of the Web-based Inquiry Science Environment (WISE) and engage students in using interactive modeling and simulation tools as well as real world evidence to address questions of scientific controversy. A Global Warming TELS project designed for middle school students will be presented in this paper. While many instructional models, data sets and activities are available on the Internet, very few are embedded within an instructional framework that also supports effective teacher management of the learning process and the concurrent development of student skills in presentation and debate. Features of the WISE environment that enable learning from technology-enhanced science curricular modules will be demonstrated along with a description of research and teacher professional development activities that are part of the TELS Center.
ED53A-0332
GeoPad and GeoPocket: GIS-Enabled Field Science Education
Over the past three years we have successfully incorporated and evaluated the use of field-based information technology in introductory through senior-level field courses offered at the University of Michigan's Camp Davis Geology Field Station, near Jackson, WY. The use of GeoPads (field-durable Tablet PCs) and GeoPockets (field-durable Pocket PCs) -- both equipped with GIS, GPS, wireless networking, electronic notebook and other pertinent software -- have significantly enhanced our field exercises and excursions, for both students and instructors. In addition to describing our on-going work, the results of an external, independent review of GeoPad-curriculum integration are presented. For example, using GeoPads to teach field mapping not only supports the traditional approaches and advantages of field instruction, but also offers important benefits in the development of students' spatial reasoning skills. Students are able to record observations and directly create geologic maps in the field, using a combination of an electronic field notebook (Microsoft OneNote) tightly integrated with intuitive, pen-enabled GIS software (ArcGIS-ArcMap). Specifically, this arrangement permits students to analyze and manipulate their data in multiple contexts and representations -- while still in the field -- using both traditional 2-D map views, as well as richer 3-D contexts. Such enhancements provide students with powerful exploratory tools that aid the development of spatial reasoning skills, allowing more intuitive interactions with 2-D representations of our 3-D world. Additionally, field-based GIS mapping enables better error-detection, through immediate interaction with current observations in the context of both supporting data (e.g., topographic maps, aerial photos, magnetic surveys) and students' ongoing observations. GeoPockets provide instructional staff with a more portable, though less feature-rich device, which is highly suitable to the role of "electronic reference shelf", in as much as it provides field-based access to background information, (e.g., maps with real-time GPS location, papers, figures, data tables, thin sections). The overall field-based IT approach also provides students with experience using tools that are increasingly relevant to their future academic or professional careers, and is readily applicable to other types of field courses, in addition to field geology.
ED53A-0333
Using wireless (Pocket)PCs in Large Introductory Courses to Expand Discourse and Interactivity
Teaching methods in introductory, undergraduate courses traditionally rely on static textbooks and/or course packs, with presentation delivered as a monologue in front of a mostly passive, large audience. The concepts presented in class are often best illustrated using visualizations and/or demonstrations, but even the most stunning of images or spectacular exhibits, while motivating, offer students only passive participation in the learning process. Add to this the advent of course websites with lecture notes and PowerPoint presentations and the students are left with little incentive to attend, much less participate. Clearly this model does not provide much opportunity or motivation for today's students to learn and think more critically about the arguments being developed. What is needed is a coupling of the rich imagery of many fields with advances in technology and in learning, toward revitalizing pedagogical approaches in survey-level courses and student-instructor interaction. Our IT-enhanced classroom project couples the use of peer instruction techniques in large classes (as originally described by Mazur, 1997) with the use of interactive spatial concept challenges, utilizing wireless PocketPCs (handhelds) or student-owned wireless-enabled laptops. The technologies employed (web, PocketPC/laptop, WiFi) are off-the-shelf technologies and the Peer Instruction technique is increasingly documented in undergraduate science classes. However, the combination is not employed due to its initial cost, wrongly perceived level of effort to implement, availability of engaging activities and modest volume of data on student learning. We'll show our development, implementation and preliminary cognitive assessment efforts of this IT-enhanced classroom experience, involving interactive image quizzes and data manipulation in large introductory classes at the University of Michigan.
ED53A-0334
IT-Supported Authentic Inquiry in Undergraduate Science and Engineering Education
Prior research has shown that environmental issues often serve as effective contexts for problem- and inquiry-based learning in primary and secondary schools. Similar learning outcomes have also been shown possible at the undergraduate level, though supporting research is much more limited. Therefore, the design and implementation of authentic scientific inquiry methodology in support of earth and environmental science education at the university level remains an important research thread. This work presents the implementation results for three different inquiry-based instructional frameworks, addressing specifically: laboratory experiments, natural experiments, and simulations, in the earth and environmental sciences. A basic framework of explanation for the findings is given.