Curriculum Materials and Approaches to Prepare Students for an Interdisciplinary Future
Poster Session Part of
Friday Session
Authors
Dave Gosselin, University of Nebraska at Lincoln
Anne Egger, Central Washington University
John Taber, EarthScope Consortium
A primary goal of the InTeGrate project was to increase the incorporation of geoscience concepts into the teaching about current grand, Earth-related, societal challenges. The materials produced from this project prepare students to meet future intellectual and workforce demands through scholarship, research, practice and informed citizenship. The InTeGrate collection of modules and courses use an interdisciplinary approach to address grand challenges facing society. All materials have common design intended to: improve student ability to use methods of geoscience; develop geoscientific habits of mind; use authentic, credible geoscience data to learn in the context of scientific inquiry; and incorporate systems thinking.
Examples from the InTeGrate materials that will be featured include: The Cli-FI: Climate Science in Literary Texts module addresses climate science through data analysis and interpretation, and the portrayal of climate science using literary tools and techniques. In the Mapping the Environment with Sensory Perception module, students connect their personal sensory experiences to environmental data collected and analyzed by geoscientists, cultural impacts documented by social scientists, and the communication of environmental conditions and advocacy for remedial action crafted by rhetoricians. The Water Sustainability in Cities module addresses hydrologic and atmospheric processes, clean water, low-impact development, green infrastructure, flood risk, and climate variability. The Wicked Problem of Global Food Security module uses an Earth systems approach to address world food insecurity issues, and explore how social, economic, and political factors impact decision-making can improve or compromise the biogeochemical interactions related to food production. In the Regulating Carbon Emissions module, students experience the integration of climate science, economics, and law in the formulation of federal policy to address climate change. The Food and the Foundation for Healthy Communities uses social, economic, and environmental relationships established around food as a foundation for the creation and perpetuation of healthy communities.
Examples from the InTeGrate materials that will be featured include: The Cli-FI: Climate Science in Literary Texts module addresses climate science through data analysis and interpretation, and the portrayal of climate science using literary tools and techniques. In the Mapping the Environment with Sensory Perception module, students connect their personal sensory experiences to environmental data collected and analyzed by geoscientists, cultural impacts documented by social scientists, and the communication of environmental conditions and advocacy for remedial action crafted by rhetoricians. The Water Sustainability in Cities module addresses hydrologic and atmospheric processes, clean water, low-impact development, green infrastructure, flood risk, and climate variability. The Wicked Problem of Global Food Security module uses an Earth systems approach to address world food insecurity issues, and explore how social, economic, and political factors impact decision-making can improve or compromise the biogeochemical interactions related to food production. In the Regulating Carbon Emissions module, students experience the integration of climate science, economics, and law in the formulation of federal policy to address climate change. The Food and the Foundation for Healthy Communities uses social, economic, and environmental relationships established around food as a foundation for the creation and perpetuation of healthy communities.