Working group #15
Topic 1: Curriculum
-Show students the relationship between geosciences education and careers/workforce.
-Importance of family/parents on individual student’s education?
-Impact of stereotypes about geologists/earth science?
-An appreciation for field science is an integral part of geosciences education. But is field work a
big draw for students?
-Importance of specific content taught in courses? Some knowledge of content is important, but is it
more important to build critical thinking skills and the ability to approach scientific questions?
-With so many curricular paths for students to enter into geosciences education, how can we assimilate
students’ diverse experiences/backgrounds?
-Should core curriculum for geology/geoscience majors depend on what region of the country they live
in? (geologic setting? Types of jobs in that region?) Should curriculum be more specialized? Many
undergraduate internship opportunities tend to be regional.
-Should there be more apprenticeship-type paths available in undergraduate geosciences education
(job/career-specific skills taught? e.g. petroleum/exploration/economic geology skillsets?) Or do
internships fill the role of apprenticeships/training?
-Should there be a universal standard for what college geology students should know? Students should
know that knowledge of earth materials is essential, but further specific study may be based on
location/jobs available.
-For example, students in a paleontology course should gain a basic understanding of fossil
types, fossilization mechanisms, and the importance of fossil records in geologic study, but not
every student is going to become a paleontologist.
-Specialized field of study and skill set is still sought after by potential employers, especially at the
graduate level.
-Pressure on undergraduate/graduate institutions to produce geoscientists for industry and other
sectors. Importance of “Hook” courses?
1.
What content, competencies, and skills are needed to prepare undergraduate
students for graduate school and/or for future careers in the geosciences?
- A range of basic to high-impact skills needed (from recognizing/understanding Earth materials
to tech skills) and the ability to apply and transfer these skills regionally.
-Specific content taught in courses remains important and some knowledge is key (acquired in
the hook courses) but is it more important to build critical thinking skills and how to apply the
knowledge in broader scientific contexts.
- Build appreciation of societal importance of geosciences/humans as agents of change on
Earth? Being able to translate the scientific knowledge to apply to societal problems.
-Make sure students know the specific skill sets and tools/experience they will be learning in an
undergraduate course, so they know how it will be applied (and what to list on their
resume/cv?)
2.
What should the next-generation undergraduate geoscience curricula include?
Given the change in scope of the geosciences, how can we balance more traditional
geoscience courses and topics (e.g. mineralogy, paleontology, etc.) with newer ones
(e.g. climate, hydrogeology, etc.)?
-Consider K-12 standards as foundational for undergraduate education. Need to be reinforced
for entry-level students. Science and engineering practices should be used as a guide.
-Competencies discussed this morning in panel discussion.
3.
What level of math, other basics sciences, and computational competencies for
dealing with large datasets, geospatial data, and modeling is needed?
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4.
How can we integrate field experiences into the curricula at diverse institutions?
- Set a precedent early on in courses and programs ranging from community colleges to
regionally-based REUs
-Demonstrate to students important formations/mechanisms to look for and how to identify
them in the field.
5.
How do we ensure students develop critical-thinking and problem solving skills and
the ability to be life-long learners?
-Must first define and have a consensus on what critical thinking is and what it means to be a
critical thinker in an earth science context.
-Evidence-based arguments applied to earth systems/processes.
-Increase problem-based learning.
6.
How do we successfully teach students to work well in a team environment? What
other skills and types of courses will be critical to students’ success in the workforce
of the future?
-Should core curriculum for geology/geoscience majors depend on what region of the country
they live in? (geologic setting? Types of jobs in that region?) Should curriculum be more
specialized? Many undergraduate internship opportunities tend to be regional.
-Set experiential learning requirements to substitute for internships and provide the role of
apprenticeships/training.
7.
How do we make sure that students graduate with the communication skills and
understanding of social science that will make them effective in their chosen
careers? How do we infuse curricula with an appreciation for ethics and personal
responsibility?
-Internships can provide apprenticeships/training for careers. Encourage students to find
internships.
-Importance of university core curriculum? e.g. social science and communication courses.
Geology core curriculum may include a geologic presentation course. Elective courses for
geosciences majors.
-Teach students to step back and look at the larger implications of a geoscientific/environmental
issue, and consider both sides from a policy standpoint.
-Teach e.g. climatology students to communicate to public difference between climate and
weather.
8.
What should geoscience departments and faculty do to prepare undergraduates for
rapidly advancing technologies that they will need to use in the future? What place
does computational modeling and simulation, analysis of large datasets, and new
visualization and geospatial tools and programs (e.g. Google Earth, Arc GIS) have
in undergraduate education?
- Agree that GIS, Google Earth, etc. are important and teach early and often.
-instruction in using web-based tools for integrated geospatial analysis.
-Reinforce importance of learning web-based technology.
- The next generation of geosciences majors will supposedly be tech-savvy, but students must
learn the importance of using technological tools to process datasets, and being proficient
programmers, spatial analysts etc. (not just how to use Wikipedia and google).
-Teach students the skills needed to assimilate data and to take full advantage of newly available
technologies. Students should also learn how to analyze and present data/results effectively.
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