Implicit Bias

Moderator: Catherine Riihimaki, Princeton University

Tuesday, July 14 | 1:30-3:15 PT / 2:30-4:15 MT / 3:30-5:15 CT / 4:30-6:15 ET

Implicit bias describes when we have attitudes towards people or associate stereotypes with them without our conscious knowledge. Cognitive science research shows that everyone has implicit biases, sometimes in surprising ways, and that these biases affect how we understand situations, make decisions, and behave. This round-table discussion will focus on how to recognize different forms of implicit bias and how to address the ways that these biases manifest themselves in our teaching and other professional responsibilities.

Place-Based Geoscience Teaching

Moderator: Steve Semken, Arizona State University

Tuesday, July 14 | 1:30-3:15 PT / 2:30-4:15 MT / 3:30-5:15 CT / 4:30-6:15 ET

Place-based geoscience teaching leverages our students' intellectual and emotional connections to the places we use in teaching, to foster more relevant and inclusive learning. If you are interested in place-based geoscience education but have little or no prior experience with it, please join this roundtable for a brief introduction to, and a few illustrative examples of, place-based curriculum and instruction; followed by informal conversation and sharing of ideas to help participants teach in more place-based ways.

Handling Grad School Stress

Moderator: Georgina Anderson, University of South Carolina-Columbia

Tuesday, July 14 | 1:30-3:15 PT / 2:30-4:15 MT / 3:30-5:15 CT / 4:30-6:15 ET

Graduate students face unique challenges and must balance multiple professional and personal roles. This roundtable discussion will highlight the critically important skill of stress management. Learning how to manage stress and seeking resources to deal with stress are critical for navigating an advanced degree program. Specifically, we will focus on strategies for reducing the stressfulness of common graduate school scenarios, handling inevitable stressors in healthy ways, resources for when the demands of grad school seem overwhelming, and tips for maintaining good mental health throughout a graduate program.

Gaining Teaching Experience beyond the Lab for Grad Students and Post-docs

Moderator: Brendan Hanger, Oklahoma State University-Main Campus

Tuesday, July 14 | 1:30-3:15 PT / 2:30-4:15 MT / 3:30-5:15 CT / 4:30-6:15 ET

Most grad students and post-docs get their first exposure to teaching in labs, especially for introductory students. Whilst this can be a great experience, those wanting to pursue an academic career will benefit from getting more experience in other aspects of teaching to become a stronger job candidate. Post-doctoral researchers can also find that funding rules limit their opportunities. This discussion will allow participants to share their experience and develop strategies to gain that experience as lecturer or instructor of record, in order to strengthen your preparation for an academic career.

Active Learning in Large Classes

Moderator: Megan Plenge, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Tuesday, July 14 | 1:30-3:15 PT / 2:30-4:15 MT / 3:30-5:15 CT / 4:30-6:15 ET

This section will focus on methods for incorporating active learning strategies in large-enrollment courses. Discussion topics will include simple techniques for increasing student involvement in class, formative assessments that can be done on the fly, method for structuring graded active learning exercises, methods for implementation, group formation, and grading. Come prepared to discuss what works for you and what you're still struggling with! We anticipate participation from instructors with a mix of experiences; from those with little experience teaching with active learning to instructors with more experience who wish to discuss incorporation of new strategies to their courses.

Time Management and Setting Boundaries for Online Instruction

Moderator: Al Trujillo, Palomar College

Tuesday, July 14 | 1:30-3:15 PT / 2:30-4:15 MT / 3:30-5:15 CT / 4:30-6:15 ET

So, you're teaching online now. It's been a time-consuming process to convert your instruction from face-to-face to an online format and you're figuring out best practices as you go. One of the concerns of online instruction is that online students expect you to be available 24/7, but that puts a strain on working from home. Join this roundtable discussion to share ideas for how best to manage your time and how to establish realistic boundaries for interacting with students in this age of social distancing. Experienced online teachers are also encouraged to attend this session to share their knowledge of tips and techniques.

Taking a Two-Worlds Approach to Address Grand Challenges in Creating a Sustainable Future

Moderator: Michelle Fisher, Three Rivers Community College

Friday, July 17 | 12-1:45 PT / 1-2:45 MT / 2-3:45 CT / 3-4:45 ET

While "colonialism has interrupted the organic transmission of Indigenous knowledges, many Indigenous peoples recognize that for their cultural knowledge to thrive, it must live in many sites, including Western education and research" (Kapyrka & Dockstator, 2012, p. 104). In strengthening relationships for creating a sustainable future, grand challenges can be collaboratively addressed through Kapyrka and Dockstator's (2012) two-worlds approach of juxtaposing Indigenous worldviews and Western worldviews. Engaging traditional ecological knowledge and Western Scientific perspectives in decision making may lead to a greater sophistication of ecological understanding. This round-table discussion invites sustainability educators and researchers within the scientific community who would like to consider the integration of an eco-culturally responsive paradigm into community-engaged research.

Developing a Geo-STEM Learning Ecosystem

Moderator: Cheryl Manning, Evergreen High School

Friday, July 17 | 12-1:45 PT / 1-2:45 MT / 2-3:45 CT / 3-4:45 ET

STEM Learning Ecosystems are collaborations of community organizations, including schools and informal education organizations. Together, these communities of practice develop systemic collaborations that engage preK-16 learners from all walks of life, facilitate enduring and effective STEM learning opportunities, elevate community literacy and innovation, improve networks, and activate sustainable and transformative solutions for the broader community.

Currently, most of STEM programs focus on non-geoscience disciplines, especially medical, computer science, and engineering. Funding opportunities exist to encourage the development of Geo-STEM Learning Ecosystems to promote Geosciences and broaden participation.

Teaching Oceanography

Moderator: Katryn Wiese, City College of San Francisco

Friday, July 17 | 12-1:45 PT / 1-2:45 MT / 2-3:45 CT / 3-4:45 ET

Oceans cover about 70% of the globe and have a major influence on all of Earth's systems. Teaching Oceanography integrates a wide range of disciplines including physics, chemistry, biology, and geology. Students explore the connection between the natural world and society through examples such as historic navigation, exploration, and cultures and current events such as hazards, pollution, energy and mineral resources, and climate change. Join this roundtable discussion to share ideas and resources for how best to incorporate oceanography and its multi-disciplinary facets into our classrooms and laboratories as well as how we can adapt teaching lecture and labs in an online and hybrid teaching environment.

Preparing for Tenure and Promotion

Moderator: Eric Riggs, Texas A & M University

Friday, July 17 | 12-1:45 PT / 1-2:45 MT / 2-3:45 CT / 3-4:45 ET

The tenure and promotion process can be stressful under the best of circumstances, and navigating the unique challenges of a career in geoscience education in an academic environment usually adds to this. In university and college environments, our community spans colleges of education, science, arts and letters, and farther flung academic homes. Many of us are also appointed in interdisciplinary and semi-independent entities such as research centers and institutes. The breadth of academic culture, expectations, and standards for scholarship is daunting to manage, but it can be done. This roundtable is focused on all types and styles of university/college environments, and is designed to provide useful input for those individuals preparing their dossiers for tenure and promotion to Associate Professor and those approaching promotion to Full Professor. Ideally this discussion will provide a venue for those among us who have successfully negotiated these transitions to share best practices, resources, strategies, and support for the benefit of those who are approaching these critical career junctures.

Transitioning to Teaching Online

Moderator: Rachel Headley, University of Wisconsin-Parkside and Al Trujillo, Palomar College

Friday, July 17 | 12-1:45 PT / 1-2:45 MT / 2-3:45 CT / 3-4:45 ET

Most faculty have now had the experience of transitioning face-to-face courses to an online format, whether by choice or by outside forces. What has or hasn't worked for you? What do you wish you knew about before undertaking this change? How have you replicated or replaced some of the practices typically associated with the earth sciences, from field work to lab analysis? How have you ensured your online environment is accessible and available to all your students?

This roundtable will involve discussion on strategies, tools, and resources, as well as how to find them, related to making an online transition. Whether you still don't know what LMS stands for or you've been teaching online for years, please join us to discuss how to take online earth science courses from 'this is going to have to work for now' to best practice.<

Effective Assessments: Maximizing Integrity, Minimizing Grading Time

Moderator: Larry Collins, Washington State University

Friday, July 17 | 12-1:45 PT / 1-2:45 MT / 2-3:45 CT / 3-4:45 ET

The COVID-19 crisis created unprecedented challenges for instructors at all levels. One of these challenges is understanding what types of assessments are most effective in an online environment. These types of assessments need to be feasible in that they must offer the opportunity to assess student knowledge, while making a strong attempt at encouraging equal opportunities for success within our students. To maximize the potential of this discussion, participants from any grade level and type of school setting are invited to participate.

We will generate guiding principles for our community that propose answers to the following questions:

• How can I design assessments that do NOT maximize grading time yet provide me (as an instructor) with evidence of student learning at varying cognitive levels?
• How can I try to design assessments that maximize integrity in my class and provide all students with an equal chance for success?