The Advantages of Unstructured Time: Insight from Academic Field Trips
Eric Goldfarb, The University of Texas at Austin; Kathy Ellins, The University of Texas at Austin
Academic field programs are an essential part of geoscience education. An often overlooked benefit of field trips is time not devoted to study. On a typical trip, students, faculty, and teaching assistants spend ...

Promoting Student Understanding of the Earth's Climate through Model-based Learning in Secondary Geo-Science Classrooms
Devarati Bhattacharya, Central Washington University; Kimberly Carroll Steward, University of Nebraska at Lincoln; Cory Forbes, The University of Texas at Arlington; Mark Chandler, Auburn University Main Campus
Learning about Earth's climate system and global climate change (GCC) is critical and has gained impetus with the implementation of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS Lead States, 2013). One approach ...

Implementing the STAR Legacy Cycle to Promote Student-Centered Field Learning in the GeoFORCE/STEMFORCE 12th Grade Summer Academy
Enrique Reyes, The University of Texas at Austin; Kathy Ellins, The University of Texas at Austin
GeoFORCE and STEMFORCE are two summer enrichment programs offered by the University of Texas' Jackson School of Geoscience. These two programs aim to increase the number of high school students from diverse ...

A Narrative Approach to Building Computational Capacity in Professional Masters Students
Karen Smith, University of Toronto; Conor Anderson, University of Toronto
The goal of a professional Masters program is to help students rapidly transition from undergraduate learners to work-ready professionals. This presents a unique challenge for instructors to balance conceptual ...

Lessons learned from OnRamps Earth Wind and Fire, a dual-enrollment geoscience course
Joel Johnson, The University of Texas at Austin; Alison Mote; Bryce Henderson, The University of Texas at Austin; Enrique Reyes, Northside ISD - San Antonio; Jennifer Porter, The University of Texas at Austin
The proportion of Hispanic U.S. geoscientists lags far behind the proportion of Hispanic U.S. citizens. Students from underrepresented minority (URM) groups may not be attracted to geosciences for many reasons, ...

Development of Workforce Skills in Geoscience Courses for Majors
Karen Viskupic, Boise State University; Anne Egger, Central Washington University; Rory McFadden, Carleton College
We used responses from the 2016 administration of the National Survey of Geoscience Faculty (NSGF) to investigate the extent to which courses in geoscience majors help students develop workforce skills. Respondents ...

A New Climate Science Curriculum: Proposed Bachelor of Science degree in Climatology at SUNY Oneonta
Christopher Karmosky, SUNY College at Oneonta; Melissa Godek, SUNY College at Oneonta
In this work, we present a novel curriculum for a four-year Bachelor of Science degree in Climatology that has been proposed at SUNY Oneonta. The observable effects of climate change and the debate about what ...

Developing Field Experiences at a 2YC: Field Studies Courses at Orange Coast College
Christopher Berg, Orange Coast College; Erik Bender, Orange Coast College; Michael Van Ry, Orange Coast College
Orange Coast College is a 2YC in Orange County, California. Within a six hour's drive from campus, one can experience diverse geologic settings, including multiple iconic national park landscapes. As part of ...

Assessing Geoscience Career Awareness Among Undergraduates
Claire Harrigan, Bowdoin College; Karen Viskupic, Boise State University
One measure of the success of an undergraduate geoscience program is how well its students are prepared for careers in the geosciences. As departments work to prepare undergraduates for the workforce, a method for ...

Preparation for Geoscience Fieldtrips: The benefits of field training for confidence
Paul Ashwell, University of Toronto; Alison Jolley (AJ), University of Waikato; Jacqueline Dohaney, University of Edinburgh
Fieldtrips are often one of the foundations of a geoscience undergraduate degree, and are at the core of many degree programs. In undergraduate courses taught prior to fieldtrips, students are taught skills in ...