QUBES Reflections
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InTeGrate-QUBES FMN »
Program Overview
InTeGrate and the QUBES project partnered to support the adaptation of InTeGrate modules across disciplines. Beginning in 2016, QUBES project partnered with InTeGrate to provide an interactive faculty community called a faculty mentoring network (FMN). As we entered our second year, the goal of the Spring 2017 FMN was support a larger group of non-geoscience faculty (e.g. biology, environmental science) with the integration of geoscience materials into their courses. The InTeGrate modules, focused on earth science literacy, systems-thinking and sustainability, allow for the cross-disciplinary inclusion of concepts and the metacognitive development of students. Faculty participants identified modules and specific units to implement and developed a timeline for integration of activities and assessment that fit their courses. Two lead mentors provided support during the online group biweekly meetings by leading discussions around pedagogical topics, providing additional resources on implementation and assessment, offering suggestions about adapting the modules, and guiding next steps. QUBES provided logistical support and most importantly maintained the online environment in that faculty could share ideas and collaborate throughout the project. The project culminated in a reflective Instructor Story by all participants which is included in the InTeGrate program's database and contributes to a broader use of the modules.
Read more about the program and explore the program's products »
Mentor Reflections
Michelle Fisher - Spring 2018 Mentor
Serving as a mentor in the 2018 InTeGrate's Faculty Mentoring Network has been influential in shaping my future endeavors in my professional development. As a Ph.D. student in Sustainability Education, I am at the stage of submitting a Qualifying Paper for committee approval in order to advance to the research stage of the program. Sustainability is trans-disciplinary in nature. In writing my paper, I am integrating the science of ecology with Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) to give ecosystems a voice. Here, I am proposing a framework through the lens of sound. Geology influences the sounds that the biological organisms make, and vice versa. Thanks to my experience with InTeGrate's focus on integrating the geosciences into biology classrooms and my experience mentoring other like-minded professors in the geo/bio-sciences, I was able to decide that my audience for writing my paper would be geo/bio-science educators to offer ideas in their development of bio-culturally responsive co-research projects. As small as this may sound, the mentoring experience has helped me in networking to put together my dissertation committee and has helped in narrowing my topic for my upcoming research. Additionally, I am excited to present the poster for the FMN team at this year's Earth Educators' Rendezvous. Prior to the poster session, I plan to attend the "Exploring Applications of Indigenuity: Incorporating Indigenous Perspectives in the Geoscience Classroom" mini-workshop presented by Daniel Wildcat and Michael Phillips. There, I am look forward to learning how others are creating curriculum to integrate geo/bio-science with indigenous knowledge and perhaps find other like-minded individuals to co-create together whatever may emerge from discussions. I was anxious when attending the EER last year in Albuquerque, NM, as a "biology person," but I was pleased that I have been finding like-minded individuals at a geology educators conference and in finding a comfortable niche for my professional growth.
Read Michelle's Instructor Story as a Mentor (2018) »
Tara Jo Holmberg - Spring 2017 Mentor
Tara Jo participated as a mentee in the Fall 2016 program, led by Jenifer Hanselman. She had an opportunity to participate as a mentor in Spring 2017. Learn more about the Spring 2017 Program.
As a mentor for this semester's InTeGrate participants, I hoped to be able to reflect further on my own teaching and look at these modules through a new lens. I also looked forward to hearing from other educators on practices and techniques they were using in their classroom as they began to use these modules for the first time.
I enjoy using the InTeGrate modules and was excited to expand my use of them in this semester as compared to my first FMN. Reusing the same modules and optimizing their use, while also introducing new modules, allowed me to participate more deeply in the FMN, rather than just as a facilitator.
Read Tara Jo's Instructor Story as a Mentor (2017) »
Read Tara Jo's Instructor Story as a Mentee (2016) »
Jennifer Hanselman - Fall 2016 Mentor
Jennifer was an InTeGrate module author, co-authoring the module Cli-Fi: Climate Science in Literary Texts. She participated as a mentor in the Fall 2016 InTeGrate-QUBES FMN. Learn more about the Fall 2016 Program.
Read Jennifer's Instructor Story from her Cli-Fi module pilot »
FMN Participant Feedback
As evidenced in participants' feedback, the program was successful in meeting its goals of supporting the wide use of geoscience materials in biology courses through the use of well-designed units that focused on systems thinking and broader connections. In addition, students and faculty benefited from the interdisciplinary nature of science the FMN provided support in areas of inquiry, assessment, and course design.
Feedback on the FMN included:"It was really great to collaborate around teaching"
"I think it was great to see we were all experimenting together, it makes the whole process less scary."
"It was really great to have a group to do this with. I do not think I would have been able to do this on my own"
"I was very comfortable, no judgment, just honest valuable sharing."
"not top-down but collaborators and mentors on the project"
And benefits from using InTeGrate materials as part of the FMN:
"The two things that I really took home and am going to keep emphasizing is how well the students respond to place- based teaching, to student-led teaching models. I will work to incorporate activities and modules to that effect more fully in the class."
"As the exercise was unfolding, I thought most students understood the intent of the activity; however, grading the assessments revealed some confusion. I took another lecture session to resolve this confusion before our exam. Without this formative assessment, student performance on the exam would have suffered."
"In many regards, the FMN helped me to break through concerns about the limited scope of student capabilities to undertake the large scale analysis required of systems thinking ... Part of these limitations was my own lack of learning activities that guided students to these goals...the student learning resources modules are both elegant and highly effective."