Four Years of Discovery Improvements for SERC website visitors
Sean Fox, Carleton College; mahdi mohamed, Carleton College; Monica Bruckner, Carleton College; Ashley Carlson, Carleton College; Cailin Huyck Orr, Carleton College; Ellen Iverson, Carleton College; John McDaris, Carleton College; Kristin O'Connell, Carleton College
The Science Education Resource Center (SERC) hosts materials from more than 120 geoscience education projects. However, the project-focused nature of the SERC website means that information is siloed which presents ...

The effect of Spatial Anxiety on training spatial reasoning
Katharine Johanesen, Juniata College; Territa Poole, Juniata College; Katherine Ryker, University of South Carolina-Columbia
Spatial reasoning skills are an important component of student development in geoscience. While ability levels vary between individuals, these skills are trainable. Recently, Spatial Anxiety has been recognized as ...

Exploring Earth's Dynamic Systems
catherine etter, Cape Cod Community College
The Earth's Dynamic Systems Lab aims to illustrate the interconnectedness of Earth's systems by depicting global and local climate change variables, biogeochemical cycles, and natural versus ...

Evaluating a custom Lab Notebook for an online soil science course
Megan Mobley, Oregon State University; Elisabeth McBrien, Oregon State University
Asynchronous online courses expand access to a university education for non-traditional students who might otherwise be unable to pursue a degree program due to work commitments, caregiving responsibilities, or ...

Cultivating GeoSTEM Learning Ecosystems
Cheryl Manning, OrbWeaver Consulting, LLC
Geo-STEM learning ecosystems (GLEs) are complex and evolving communities of practice. By integrating geoscience, STEM education, and social science research paradigms, GLEs engage people in addressing local ...

Effects of role playing as an active learning strategy on student sense of classroom community and STEM Identity
Alexa Tomlinson, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Wayana Dolan, UNC Chapel Hill; Bryant Hutson, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Megan Plenge, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Fostering a sense of classroom community in introductory geoscience classes can support students' sense of belonging, help students feel like part of the broader scientific community, and help them build a ...

Improving Food-Energy-Water-Nexus-based Education: Defining new research directions from problems of practice
Hannah Scherer, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State Univ; Doug Lombardi, University of Maryland-College Park; Shondricka Burrell, Morgan State University
The Food-Energy-Water (FEW)-Nexus framework helps describe and address natural resource challenges in complex coupled human-natural systems. As this framework gains traction in informal, non-formal, K-12, and ...

Making An Impact: Exploring Perceptions of 'Making' within Underrepresented Student Groups in Geoscience
Cameron McClellan, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Bryant Hutson, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Megan Plenge, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
'Making' in STEM education promotes project-based learning and engineering design, encourages creativity, and, in some cases, can increase the engagement of marginalized students. Our research examines ...

Experiences of those with Minoritized Genders in the Geosciences: A Literature Review
Megan Lapkoff, Clemson University; Kelly Lazar, Clemson University
Harassment experienced by minoritized genders within geosciences has been documented for decades. This harassment ranges from microaggressions, negative assumptions about career motivations, bullying, and sexual ...

The roles and responsibilities of graduate teaching assistants: A mixed-method study of faculty and teaching assistant perspectives
Emma McCully, Boise State University; Karen Viskupic, Boise State University
Graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) are a critical component of a university department. They frequently serve as the primary point of contact for undergraduate students, and thus, have the power to help shape a ...