Afternoon Mini Workshops
Afternoon mini workshops are open to all participants registered for that day (not reserved ahead of time). Join the email list to receive updates.
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Monday
Increasing Representation of Diverse Geoscientists with Geoscientist Spotlights in Introductory Courses
Conveners: Katherine Ryker (University of South Carolina-Columbia), Peyton Smalls (University of South Carolina-Columbia), Meryssa Piper (University of South Carolina-Columbia)
Geoscientist Spotlights, modeled off of Scientist Spotlights, offer an opportunity for more students to see themselves as geoscientists. These short, reflective writing assignments can be used across a wide range of student ages. We will share how we have incorporated them in a large, introductory college geology course, as well as what we've learned about their impact on students. Working in small groups, participants will identify opportunities to incorporate these assignments into their course and to expand the current Geoscientist Spotlight collection.
Building Inclusive, Collegial, and Productive Interdisciplinary Project and Research Teams
Conveners: Julie Sexton (University of Colorado at Boulder) and Anne Egger (Central Washington University)
Geoscience education projects often require teams that are made up of K-12 and higher education faculty, researchers, students, and staff from multiple disciplines and institutions. This complex, interdisciplinary composition can enable teams to tackle projects that an individual might not be able to accomplish. These teams can be rewarding to work on and can foster long-term collegial collaborations. However, these teams can also result in unclear roles and responsibilities, interpersonal conflict, and hostile work environments; all of which can affect team success and productivity. Additionally, there is a need to ensure that teams have inclusive, just, and equitable team environments. Team leadership and membership skills are not taught in formal education, in the workplace, or by our professional organizations. This workshop serves an introduction to creating inclusive, collegial, and productive teams.
Building stronger multidisciplinary departments: Navigating a department merger
Convener: Walt Robinson (North Carolina State University) and Julie Bartley (Gustavus Adolphus College)
This workshop is designed for members of geology, geography, atmospheric sciences, and/or environmental science/studies departments/programs who have recently merged or are considering a merger. Workshop facilitators, who have recently navigated a merger will share their experiences and lessons learned. Participants will consider opportunities and challenges of moving into larger, multidisciplinary departments and develop strategies that will build strengths and disciplinary identity in a transdisciplinary landscape. We encourage interdisciplinary teams from an institution to participate in this workshop - each participant or team will develop or revise a plan that addresses the particular needs of their department.
Defining Learning Goals and Assessing Learning through an Active Learning Lens
Conveners: Patrick Shabram (Front Range Community College), Leilani Arthurs (University of Colorado at Boulder), Pierre Lu (University of Texas - Rio Grande Valley)
This interactive 2.5-hour workshop will engage participants in (1) defining learning goals for a course they already teach or plan to teach in the future and (2) discussing how student learning can be assessed through an active learning lens. Participants will receive resources during the workshop that they can retain for future reference. Current and future instructors of any rank, including graduate students, are all welcome to participate in this workshop.
Wednesday
Writing Better Multiple Choice Questions
Conveners: Cody Kirkpatrick (Indiana University-Bloomington) and Lauren Decker (University of North Carolina at Charlotte)
Whether because of class size, grading time, or other constraints, sometimes we need to include multiple choice questions in our summative assessments. However, it is often difficult and time-consuming to write "good" questions that reliably assess the knowledge we want them to. In this workshop, attendees will review the Bloom's Taxonomy framework and the literature on multiple choice question design; evaluate (good and bad) example questions from other sources; and we will spend time writing, sharing, and revising our own questions for future use.
Gaming in the Classroom
Conveners: Ander Sundell (College of Western Idaho) and Natalie Bursztyn (University of Montana)
Tabletop Boardgames are currently experiencing a golden age not seen since the 1980s, with sales increasing more than 20% from spring 2019 to 2022. Currently, there are thousands of new games released each year with themes ranging from; quilting, bird collecting, farming, zombie invasion, or even climate change. Many educators have seen that in a classroom setting, tabletop games can be some of the most interactive and engaging ways to explore a concept as well as strengthen problem-solving and team-building skills. In this workshop, participants will learn about current geoscience-themed tabletop games, explore strategies for using them in the classroom, and can get some time to play a selection of games.
Creating an Online Learning Environment about Earth Science Careers and Geoscience Licensure
Conveners: Craig Nichol (University of British Columbia)
Student recruitment, retention and diversity can be improved by providing students with timely information on careers in earth science and related fields, and on professional licensing requirements. Providing self-directed student advising resources using a learning management system course open to all majors can be a valuable starting point when programs are not ready or able to dedicate formal course time. Prior to the workshop, participants are encouraged to seek out national, state, local and institution resources. Participants will collaborate on creating comprehensive lists of materials and their presentation structure. Workshop participants will leave with the materials necessary to create a student-centered resource. Participants should consider creating a blank course shell in their learning management system prior to the workshop so they can begin to implement the workshop outcomes.
3D-Printed Educational Models in the Geosciences
Convener: Sinan Akciz (California State University-Fullerton)
The recent widespread accessibility of 3D printing now provides an opportunity for geoscience educators to produce their own affordable, high-quality models that students can hold and manipulate in their hands. Participants in this mini-workshop will first be introduced to the world of single- and dual-extrusion 3D-printing, as well as instructional designing considerations. Small groups of participants will then design 3D-printable instructional models for use in an earth science class of their choice and discuss plans for integrating it into their own teaching.
Thursday
Using geophysics to address societally-relevant, urban and environmental real-world questions in introductory-level geoscience courses
Convener: Andy Parsekian (University of Wyoming), Danielle Sumy (IRIS), John McDaris (SERC, Carleton College), Klaudio Peshtani (Rutgers University)
Recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce begins with attracting a diverse student population into the geosciences. The IGUaNA project, Introducing Geophysics for Urban and Near-surface Applications, has developed a set of curricular modules that apply magnetics and gravity techniques to societally-relevant, real-world problems. Teaching materials are designed for introductory-level undergraduate courses such as earth science, environmental science, geology, geophysics, physics, engineering, geography, or chemistry. In this mini-workshop, we will review the curricular materials, demonstrate exercises and activities, and provide guidance for how these activities may be incorporated into classrooms.
Applying a Fidelity of Implementation Framework to your Geoscience Education Research (Cancelled)
Convener: Larry Collins (Longwood University)
Due to circumstances beyond our control, this mini-workshop has been cancelled. Fidelity of Implementation is a framework that has been studied in other disciplines such as healthcare. While DBER scholars are interested in conducting research on active learning strategies, we want to recognize that these interventions are not always adopted with fidelity by a practitioner. In this workshop, we will learn how to conduct research using this framework in order to identify the critical components of an active learning strategy as an effort to understand how and under what conditions learning is supported. This workshop is intended for an audience that has at least basic level knowledge of Geoscience Education Research.
Ungrading for Equity: Developing assessment strategies that support learning for all students
Conveners: Katharine Johanesen (Juniata College), Janel Hanrahan (Northern Vermont University), Lily Claiborne (Vanderbilt University)
Ungrading is the practice of decentering or removing grades from the learning process to better support diverse student needs. It can help to reduce student stress and anxiety, stimulate more meaningful reflection and discussion around learning, and better engage students in their learning. Participants in this workshop will explore different styles of ungrading and develop an ungrading plan for one of their classes.
Plate Tectonics, the San Andreas Fault System, and How They Reorganized the Topography and Geology of Southern California
Convener: Tanya Atwater (University of California-Santa Barbara)
The Californias are one of the few places on Earth where the geology of the land is intimately entangled with the details of the adjacent oceanic plate tectonic history and, as such, they present an exceptional vehicle for introducing and exploring both realms. I have developed a number of resources, both computer free-ware animations and physical models, to illuminate these relationships. In this workshop, we shall explore these resources, with particular emphasis on a hands-on model for the creation of Southern California's amazingly complex landscapes, rocks, micro-climates, and natural hazards.