Impact of InTeGrate Teaching Materials on Student Geoscience Interests, Literacy and Learning Outcomes at Historically Black Colleges and Universities

Thursday 3:00pm TSU - Humphries: 203

Authors

Richard D. Schulterbrandt Gragg III, Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University
Ellen Iverson, Carleton College
Helen Brethauer-Gay, Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University
John Warford, Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University
Lisa Gilbert, Cabrillo College
Kathryn Sheriff, Mercer University
Cathy Manduca, Carleton College

An interdisciplinary research team from Carleton College and Florida A&M University is investigating the impacts of geoscience materials on faculty teaching practices and student learning outcomes at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU). As part of the work of the InTeGrate-HBCU Geosciences Working Group, 14 HBCU faculty taught 24 courses using geoscience materials from the InTeGrate, open source, online platform (see https://serc.carleton.edu/integrate/teaching_materials/itg_materials_dev.html). The courses included a wide breadth of disciplines including environmental science, geography, mathematical teacher preparation, sociology, criminal justice, politics, engineering, marine science, and earth science. From the 24 course enactments, assessment data from over 530 enrolled students was collected. Participating faculty administered before and after course instruction, the Integrate Attitudinal Instrument (IAI) and the Geoscience Literacy Exam (GLE) surveys. In addition, the InTeGrate interdisciplinary problem solving and systems thinking essay questions were administered at the end of each course to assess student responses. Five members of the research team used a rubric (0 to 4 total score possible), to score a representative sample of 135 essays, with each essay being independently scored by two of the team members. This presentation will provide results of preliminary analyses on the student data, including the impact of InTeGrate materials and design concepts on HBCU student interest in the environment, further pursuit of geoscience education, geoscience related careers, and action to enhance human sustainability on the planet and the higher order thinking related to interdisciplinary problem solving and systems thinking.

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