Preparing for an Academic Career

Conveners: Sue Ebanks, Savannah State University, Lynsey LeMay, Thomas Nelson Community College, Catherine Riihimaki, Princeton University, Lisa Gilbert, Williams College

Monday, July 13 - Wednesday, July 15 | 8-11am PT / 9am-12pm MT / 10am-1pm CT / 11am-2pm ET

This workshop is designed specifically for graduate students, post-doctoral fellows, and others who are interested in pursuing academic careers in the geosciences. Workshop leaders from a variety of institution types and career paths will provide guidance and information that will help participants to be stronger candidates for academic positions and to succeed in academic jobs. Each participant will develop or revise a plan for their next career stage and will take home ideas that they can immediately implement. Informal discussions and one-on-one mentoring are available during lunch breaks and afternoons. Participants will re-join the group for peer review of application materials on Monday and Tuesday evenings. Additional professional development is available through the afternoon workshops, roundtable discussions, panels, and plenary sessions that are part of the Earth Educators' Rendezvous.

Creating Inquiry-Based Labs for Introductory Geology Courses

Conveners: Kelsey Bitting, Elon University, Katherine Ryker, University of South Carolina-Columbia, and Rachel Teasdale, California State University-Chico

Monday, July 13 - Wednesday, July 15 | 8-11am PT / 9am-12pm MT / 10am-1pm CT / 11am-2pm ET

Inquiry based laboratory activities in undergraduate introductory geoscience courses are important opportunities to engage students. Often, laboratory activities are presented as a series of instructions and questions in a "cookbook" format that guide students to the right answer, but do not engage their curiosity or pursuit of scientific inquiry. Workshop participants will evaluate the level of inquiry in their current introductory geology lab activities, identify strategies to increase the level of inquiry in their labs, and spend time collaboratively developing a suite of inquiry based lab activities for use across institutions in undergraduate introductory geology.

Teaching your upper-level course online: A Community Collaboration to build robust online Geoscience courses

Conveners: Karen Viskupic, Boise State University, Anne Egger, Central Washington University, and Jennifer Wenner, University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh

Monday, July 13 - Wednesday, July 15 | 8-11am PT / 9am-12pm MT / 10am-1pm CT / 11am-2pm ET

Are you worried about teaching your upper-level course in one of the "alternate" formats required by the COVID-19 pandemic? Or perhaps you already did so and know what worked pretty well and what needs work. Even if you are not yet required to teach online next semester, it is likely that all of us will have to develop appropriate online courses for our majors sometime in the near future. This workshop will draw on best practices for course design to help you develop your online upper-level course using a combination of resources from past NAGT workshops and recently (by necessity!) developed and/or adapted materials. Workshop participants will discuss designs for online/remote learning and will form working groups of people teaching similar courses.

The Whys and Hows of Implementing Virtual and Augmented Reality in Earth Science Classrooms

Conveners: Stephen Moysey, East Carolina University, Ben Maas, Buena Vista University, Kelly Lazar, Clemson University, Alex Klippel, Penn State University, and Natalie Bursztyn, Quest University

Monday, July 13 - Wednesday, July 15 | 8-11am PT / 9am-12pm MT / 10am-1pm CT / 11am-2pm ET

Virtual and augmented reality are becoming increasingly accessible for everyday use in the classroom. This workshop will discuss the pedagogy, tools, and content examples for using these technologies to help increase accessibility and learning outcomes for a wide range of learners. From high-end interactive VR to student-built experiences created using smartphones, there are a wide range of tools and approaches that can be used to bring the world outside of the classroom to your students. The majority of the session will be dedicated to time for participants to work through ideas with other session participants, with guidance, to develop an activity that they can implement in their own classroom.

Course Design: Using effective lesson design strategies to enhance the use of active learning

Conveners: Reginald Archer, Tennessee State University and Jason Jones, North Carolina State University

Thursday, July 16 - Friday, July 17 | 8-11am PT / 9am-12pm MT / 10am-1pm CT / 11am-2pm ET

This workshop will address how to approach course design in a manner that will maximize clarity and provide opportunities for all students to succeed. Participants will work collaboratively with workshop leaders and other participants to (re)design their own course (or course elements) using principles of backward design, active learning strategies and other practices that engage students in their learning process. Participants will leave the workshop with materials ready to use in their own upcoming courses.

Science Communication

Conveners: Beth Bartel, UNAVCO and Wendy Bohon, IRIS Consortium

Thursday, July 16 - Friday, July 17 | 8-11am PT / 9am-12pm MT / 10am-1pm CT / 11am-2pm ET

Participants in this workshop will work to improve their science communication skills through interactive activities that can in turn be incorporated into geoscience curriculum. We will explore general communication skills relevant to all communication channels as well as specific subjects such as social media, contentious topics, and networking. You will leave this workshop with personal goals for applying these skills as well as a plan for incorporating communications training into your classroom. (No classroom experience necessary.)

Supporting Student Wellness

Conveners: Ann Marie Pettigrew, Stanford University and Robyn Wright Dunbar, Stanford University

Due to unforeseen circumstances beyond our control, we are no longer able to offer this workshop. We will contact current registrants soon with alternative options.

Art and Field Sketching

Conveners: Ander Sundell, College of Western Idaho and April VanDeGrift, College of Western Idaho

Thursday, July 16 - Friday, July 17 | 8-11am PT / 9am-12pm MT / 10am-1pm CT / 11am-2pm ET

A deployable module to increase students' drawing and sketching abilities

Drawing is a vital mode of communication in the geosciences. As educators, we use it to communicate concepts and processes to our students. We also regularly require it of our students for the purpose of showing comprehension or to aid in their analysis of a field area. Most educators and students alike have never been exposed to a formal drawing course and the inherent abilities of each group have a broad range. In this workshop we will work with a formal drawing instructor to develop a deployable module that will give students exposure to the fundamentals of drawing in the context of the Geosciences.

Teaching for a Changing World: Water resources and melting ice

Conveners: Becca Walker, Mt. San Antonio College and Beth Pratt-Sitaula, UNAVCO

Thursday, July 16 - Friday, July 17 | 8-11am PT / 9am-12pm MT / 10am-1pm CT / 11am-2pm ET

Integrating cutting edge data and quantitative skills into introductory courses can be challenging. The GEodesy Tools for Societal Issues (GETSI) project has developed a suite of undergraduate teaching modules to make this easier and more engaging. The workshop will feature two of the modules in greater depth, as well as overview additional resources, and give participants time to work on implementation planning. Registered participants who complete the 2-day workshop will receive a $130 stipend.