Integrate > Get Involved > Intro Modules Call for Authors

Call for Authors of Introductory Geoscience/Environmental Science Modules


The deadline for this year's call for authors has passed.

Please check back in 2013 for the next call for authors. Topics for the 2013 call for authors will be announced in Fall 2012.

As part of our effort to develop new types of teaching materials, InTeGrate is seeking team members who will collaboratively author, test, revise and publish modular teaching materials for use in college-level introductory geoscience or environmental science courses. The goal of these modules is to support broad development of geoscience literacy by teaching about geoscience in the context of societal issues. A module would fully support teaching of a topic over approximately two weeks of classes.

InTeGrate is pioneering a new community-based approach to developing and testing teaching materials. By moving beyond authoring of materials by individuals to authoring by teams, we aim to create tested, flexible, exciting, highly effective materials for use in geoscience courses nationwide. At the heart of our strategy is a team-based approach to authoring that involves faculty who teach different kinds of students in different types of institutional settings. Each team of authors will be supported by an education expert who can help the team integrate lessons learned from educational research and help create strong activities to assess the learning supported by the materials. Each team will develop an individual module that can be used independently. To provide consistency among modules, Dr. David McConnell will guide the overall work and serve as the executive editor.

  • Modules will make use of research-based teaching methods and engage students with geoscience data. All materials must meet the standards of the InTeGrate Design Rubric that will be shared with authors during development.
  • Materials will be published on the InTeGrate website with a complete set of materials supporting adoption and use by faculty teaching in traditional or on-line settings. The materials will be freely available to faculty and not-for-profit educational institutions. The copyright for all materials will be held at Carleton College for the InTeGrate project.
  • Each module will be developed by a team of three faculty drawn from three different institutions. In order to create materials that are flexible and can be used in a wide variety of institutions and settings, we seek to create teams that include faculty who will use the materials in different types of instructional settings.
  • Team members will work over the course of two years to collaboratively author, test, revise and publish teaching materials as well as materials supporting their use using InTeGrate templates and guidelines. During the two-year work period team members will attend two face-to-face meetings (first meeting is May 16-18, 2012), teach with the materials and collect data for assessment, and collaborate virtually with team members under the direction of the editorial team.
  • Each team will work with a member of the InTeGrate Assessment Team who will support the module team in achieving the standards laid out in the InTeGrate Design Rubric. Module team members will test the materials in at least one of their own courses during the 2012-2013 academic year, and will provide both student data and additional evaluation information to the InTeGrate project for analysis. The module team will then revise the materials based on this analysis prior to publication of the materials on the InTeGrate website.
  • Each team member will document their experience with the module in their own course. This information will become part of the set of materials developed and published by the team on the website to support use of the materials.

Team members will each receive a $15,000 stipend for successful completion of the module including authoring, testing, revising, and publishing the teaching materials and supporting materials for faculty. A first payment of $7500 will be made upon completion of materials that meet the standards set forth in the InTeGrate Design Rubric. A second payment of $7500 will be paid when the tested materials have been revised and published on the website with the full set of required supporting materials. Stipends are restricted to faculty at US institutions who are citizens or permanent residents.

Geoscientists and educators who are not teaching introductory geoscience are welcome to participate in InTeGrate materials development teams as volunteers or with support from other sources. If warranted, reduced stipends may be available to support participation in only materials development or only testing aspects of the work.

  • Participate in the collaborative design and development of materials in a module to meet the guidelines of a standard rubric.
  • Test and assess module materials (in coordination with InTeGrate assessment team) at least once each year in introductory classes or equivalents and provide access to materials.
  • Revise and refine module materials in collaboration with InTeGrate personnel and incorporate appropriate suggestions of editors and reviewers.
  • Participate in one development meeting each year during the two year cycle (first development meeting is May 16-18, 2012).
  • Present a draft version of the module after the first year of the project, and a final version of the module after the second year.
  • Release copyright of module materials to the InTeGrate project.

You may apply for this opportunity as an individual, as part of a partial team, or as a complete three-person pre-formed team. Remember, however, that team members must represent three different institutions. We encourage applications from authors at all types of institutions including two-year colleges and minority serving institutions. Team members need not be members of geoscience departments but must be teaching an introductory geoscience or environmental science course (or other suitable course) in which they agree to test materials during the 2012-2014 academic years. This can be a traditional, on-line or hybrid course. For those who are interested but not teaching introductory geoscience in 2012-2013, please look for a similar application in subsequent academic years, when new teams will be formed on different topics.

InTeGrate personnel will select the module teams with the goal of creating distinct, complementary module materials that excite students to learn geoscience by placing it in the context of important societal issues. Proposals that demonstrate effective use of geoscience data or models, strategies for promoting understanding of the methods of geoscience, developing geoscience literacy and supporting interdisciplinary problem solving will be more successful, as will proposals that make use of research-based teaching methods. Consideration will also be given to establishing diverse teams involving faculty from a variety of institution types, working in multiple instructional settings, and representing diverse scientific and ethnic backgrounds.

Please complete the application form if you are interested in being a module author. Submissions will be accepted until March 16, 2012 (note the deadline for this year's call for authors has passed; new module topics will be announced in Fall 2012 and the next round of applications will be in Spring 2013). Selected team members should be available to attend an initial planning workshop on May 16-18, 2012. Travel and lodging costs will be covered by the project.