Educational Geoscience Concentration, Smith College

Information for this profile was provided by Bosiljka Glumac in 2009. Smith College is a private four-year institution, primarily undergraduate . Students in this program are pursuing a BA degree.

Program Design & Assessment

Overview

Educational Geoscience is one of the three possible concentrations within the Geoscience Major (B.A.). These concentrations are the recent change in our curriculum and will be implemented starting Fall 2009. The Educational Geoscience Concentration is designed to help and encourage students who wish to pursue careers as K-12 teachers.

Strengths of this program

This program was designed in consultation with members of the Department of Education and Child Study. A student choosing this option is required to take 3 education courses in lieu of 3 advanced and intermediate geosciences courses.

Types of students served

Program Goals

The goals of this program are as follows:

The educational geoscience concentration is an outgrowth of the emergence of earth science as a field explicitly identified as a required area of study for K-12 students in both national and state frameworks. This was also an area identified by our external review committee as being of increasing importance to geosciences majors. This, coupled with the critical need to train high quality K-12 teachers, has led us to develop a concentration where a geoscience major can take education courses that will help her evaluate this career option and will provide a basis for her certification as a teacher.

The learning goals were informed by the following resources:

How program goals are assessed

This is a new curriculum. It will be implemented in 2009/10. Assessment will be based on the number of students interested in completing this concentration and in pursuing a teaching career.

Design features that allow goals to be met


Alumni Careers

Graduation rate

Careers pursued by our alumni

Courses and Sequencing

Diagram of course sequencing and requirements

Entry into the program

  • Introduction to Earth Processes and History, and Exploring the Local Geologic Landscape (2 credits);
  • or First Year Seminar: Geology in the Field;
  • or Oceanography: An Introduction to the Marine Environment;
  • or Exploring the Local Geologic Landscape, in conjunction with any other 100-level geoscience course.

Electives in Education (3 courses from the following list; * are recommended):

  • The American Middle School and High School*
  • Educational Psychology*
  • Growing up American: Adolescents and their Educational Institutions*
  • Individual Differences Among Learners
  • Methods of Instruction
  • Teaching Science, Engineering, and Technology*

Electives in Geoscience (6 courses):

Students are required to choose six additional courses in the geosciences above the 100-level. One of these must be at the 300-level or be a 4-6 credit summer geology field camp course.

Other required courses

There are no additional cognate science or math courses required. Education courses required for this curriculum are listed above. Students who wish to satisfy Educator Licensure requirements would need to take all Education courses listed above, plus Clinical Internship in Teaching, and should consult with a faculty member of the Department of Education and Child Study.

Other key features of this program:

Supporting Materials