Rachel Teasdale

Unit 1: Monitoring Volcanic Activity at Mount St. Helens part of Monitoring Volcanoes and Communicating Risks
How can data from an impending volcanic dome-building event be used to forecast the hazard to a surrounding community? In this activity, students will examine geodetic data (GPS and lidar) and seismic data in a ...

Unit 4: Comparing risks at different volcanoes part of Monitoring Volcanoes and Communicating Risks
Students assess the risks from three different volcanoes based on the Risk Equation, Risk = Hazard x Value x Vulnerability. The three volcanoes--Fuego Guatemala, Rinjani Indonesia, and Moana Loa Hawaii--have ...

Unit 6 Hazards and Risk at Convergent Plate Boundaries (Day 2 of activity) part of Living on the Edge
In this two-day activity, students monitor a simulated evolving volcanic crisis at a convergent plate boundary (Cascadia). Using monitoring data and geologic hazard maps, students make a series of forecasts for the ...

Unit 1 Hazards at Transform Plate Boundaries part of Living on the Edge
This unit uses scientific data to quantify the geologic hazard that earthquakes represent along transform plate boundaries. Students will document the characteristics of the Pacific/North American plate boundary in ...

Unit 5 Hazards and Risks at Convergent Plate Boundaries (Day 1 of activity) part of Living on the Edge
In this two-day activity, students monitor an evolving volcanic crisis at a convergent plate boundary (Cascadia). Using monitoring data and geologic hazard maps, students make a series of forecasts for the ...

Unit 4 Risk at Divergent Plate Boundaries part of Living on the Edge
Volcanoes typically give warning that they are coming out of dormancy and entering an eruptive phase. Being able to recognize those warning signs and take appropriate actions (e.g. evacuations) are important ...

part of Living on the Edge
This unit builds on what students have learned about transform fault hazards to introduce the idea of risk. Students examine earthquake risk along the San Andreas Fault in San Francisco by examining public school ...

Living on the Edge: Building resilient societies on active plate margins part of Living on the Edge
This module, intended to take two weeks in an introductory-level class, is divided into three units that focus on geologic hazards and associated risks at representative plate boundary settings: transform, ...

Unit 3 Hazards at Divergent Plate Boundaries part of Living on the Edge
Students work in small groups to examine data and videos of earthquakes, submarine volcanic eruptions, and black smokers at submarine divergent plate boundaries, and then predict similar processes at subaerial ...

Unit 3: Yellowstone is active, but will it erupt? part of Monitoring Volcanoes and Communicating Risks
An eruption at Yellowstone could have devastating effects on large areas of the United States and Canada, but what is the likelihood of such an eruption occurring? This unit has students explore seismic data for ...

Rivers and Streams part of Introductory Courses:Activities
This lab activity has students collect stream data in the field and calculate flow velocity, discharge and gradient. Additional activities include plotting clast size on a Hjulstrom Diagram, and unit conversions.

Prework for Rivers and Streams Lab (Intro Geology) part of Quantitative Skills:Activity Collection
In order to give Introductory Geology (Physical Geology) undergraduate non-majors students experience and confidence in using basic algebra to calculate very simple stream flow properties, we use a prework assignment prior to the Rivers and Streams Lab. Prework is a worksheet assigned 2 weeks in advance, which asks students to calculate velocity and discharge as well as unit conversions and calculations of stream load. The questions are put into the context of activities they completed earlier in the semester during visits to the stream (on campus) so questions are relevant to their previous experiences. The prework timeframe gives students the opportunity to seek extra help from their instructor prior to the lab period in which they will make additional measurements, similar calcualations and interpretations of their data.

VEPP: Monday Morning Meeting at the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory part of NAGT:Our Resources:Teaching Resources:Volcano Exploration Project: Pu`u `O`o:Examples
This jigsaw groups students as volcano monitoring data experts, and then regroups students into interdisciplinary teams. The teams will discuss volcano monitoring data collected within the past week from Pu'u ...

Attracting students to geoscience departments: New research-based materials for your department part of Earth Educators Rendezvous:Rendezvous 2026:Program:Poster Session:Tuesday Poster Session
Some estimates indicate that by 2030, there will be a shortfall of 100,000 geoscientists [1]. Many national priorities support the growth of geoscience industries, such as critical minerals and natural hazards. ...

Using a new critical minerals introductory geology lesson to measure the impact of reformed teaching practices on student learning part of Earth Educators Rendezvous:Rendezvous 2026:Program:Oral Sessions:Monday Oral Session
Previous studies have reported that student achievement improves with student-centered instruction, but this has not yet been quantified, and the relationship between student learning and the use of active learning ...

Opportunities for Classroom Observation Protocols to Advance the GER Community Framework part of Earth Educators Rendezvous:Previous Rendezvous:Rendezvous 2024:Program:Poster Sessions:Friday Poster Session
Third-party observations using validated observation protocols (OPs) provide a reliable way of recording teacher and student behaviors across different classrooms and institutions. Observations can be used to ...

Developing capacity to attract diverse students to the geosciences: A public relations framework part of Earth Educators Rendezvous:Previous Rendezvous:Rendezvous 2024:Program:Poster Sessions:Monday Poster Session
The decreasing number of students graduating from Earth science programs combined with the lack of diversity in the geosciences plague the strength of academic departments and the professional workforce (1,2). ...

Used a Teach the Earth Teaching Activity? Share your experiences through the new Community Contribution Tool part of Earth Educators Rendezvous:Previous Rendezvous:Rendezvous 2024:Program:Poster Sessions:Monday Poster Session
Over the last 20 years the Earth education community has collectively and openly shared over 5000 teaching activities through SERC-hosted websites, as highlighted in the NAGT-managed Teach the Earth portal. These ...

Characteristics of student interest in online introductory geology labs part of Earth Educators Rendezvous:Previous Rendezvous:Rendezvous 2022:Program:Oral Sessions:Monday Oral Session A
Inquiry-based lab activities offer students opportunities to engage in authentic geoscience learning experiences in which they also interact with their instructors and peers. We hosted a 2020 EER workshop in which ...

Engaging students in the scientific process: A case study of inquiry within five introductory geology courses part of Earth Educators Rendezvous:Previous Rendezvous:Rendezvous 2022:Program:Oral Sessions:Monday Oral Session A
Introductory geology courses provide crucial opportunities to learn how to apply scientific information and practices, and help recruit students to the major. As such, high quality instruction is important, ...

Do students learn science best with hands-on activities in introductory geology labs? part of Earth Educators Rendezvous:Previous Rendezvous:Rendezvous 2022:Program:Poster Sessions:Friday Poster Session
Laboratory activities provide opportunities to engage undergraduates in the "hands-on" portion of introductory courses. We conducted a study in which 11 teaching assistants (TAs) were asked a series of ...

Changes in TA Beliefs from Teaching Inquiry-Based Activities in Introductory Geology Labs part of Earth Educators Rendezvous:Previous Rendezvous:Rendezvous 2021:Program:Poster Sessions:Wednesday:Poster Session I
Inquiry laboratory activities provide opportunities to engage undergraduates in introductory geoscience courses. Often, labs are considered the "hands-on" portion of introductory courses, but activities ...

Making Sense of Interest and Learning in Introductory Geology Courses: Teaching Assistant and Student Perspectives part of Earth Educators Rendezvous:Previous Rendezvous:Rendezvous 2021:Program:Oral Sessions:Oral Session V
How undergraduate students experience our introductory geoscience labs can have a profound effect on how much they learn and retain about our discipline, and how interested they are in learning more about it in ...

Evidence for Reformed Teaching in Undergraduate Geoscience Course Syllabi part of Earth Educators Rendezvous:Previous Rendezvous:Rendezvous 2020:Program:Oral Sessions:Oral Session III
A syllabus introduces students to information about a course, is one of the first ways students and instructors interact, and sets the tone of the course. We reviewed course syllabi of instructors who we observed ...

Quantifying the Effects of Discipline-Based Professional Development Programs on Undergraduate Geoscience Teaching part of Earth Educators Rendezvous:Previous Rendezvous:Rendezvous 2018:Program:Oral Sessions:Thursday A
We investigated the impact of geoscience-specific professional development (PD) on undergraduate teaching by comparing instructor PD histories and classroom practices. Trained observers used the Reformed Teaching ...

Aligning active learning teaching with active learning assessment: More accurate measures of student learning and mitigating the achievement gap part of Earth Educators Rendezvous:Previous Rendezvous:Rendezvous 2018:Program:Oral Sessions:Monday A
The degree to which student learning experiences and course assessments are both activity-based has a big impact on student performance in introductory geoscience courses newly revised at California State ...

Reformed teaching in geoscience classrooms: How engaged are our students and what can we do to engage them more? part of Earth Educators Rendezvous:Previous Rendezvous:Rendezvous 2017:Program:Oral Sessions:Wednesday B
A team of trained observers made direct observations of 204 unique geoscience classes across the US using the Reformed Teaching Observation Protocol (RTOP). Observed classes were taught by faculty of diverse ...

Effectiveness of incorporating active-learning techniques into a large introductory geology class part of Earth Educators Rendezvous:Previous Rendezvous:Rendezvous 2017:Program:Oral Sessions:Monday A
The CSU, Chico introductory geology general education class (GEOS 101) was redesigned in fall 2016 to infuse active learning into all class periods of two sections of 65 and 140 students. The redesign included use ...

Integrating Sustainability: Adapting InTeGrate Modules for Sustainability Pathway courses to Engage Students in Societal Issues at CSU, Chico part of Earth Educators Rendezvous:Previous Rendezvous:Rendezvous 2016:Program:Oral Sessions:Monday B
The Integrate Sustainability project at CSU, Chico is a collective effort of eight faculty to incorporate InTeGrate curriculum in lower and upper division courses in a GE Pathway focused on Sustainability. Online ...

Geology in the Field: Assessing and Redesigning Field Courses to Improve Student Learning in the Geology Program at CSU, Chico part of Earth Educators Rendezvous:Previous Rendezvous:Rendezvous 2016:Program:Oral Sessions:Wednesday A
A suite of three required field courses at CSU, Chico provides early and repeated exposure to field experiences throughout the junior and senior year of geology majors. Five faculty members teach the suite of ...

Living on the Edge: Engaging students in evaluating hazards and societal risks at active plate boundaries part of Rendezvous 2015:Program:Abstracts
The InTeGrate module, "Living on the Edge: Building Resilient Societies on Active Plate Margins" (LOE) consists of six units in which students use qualitative and quantitative information to assess risk ...

Teaching Critical Minerals and Designing Lessons for Student-Centered Instruction part of Earth Educators Rendezvous:Rendezvous 2026:Program:Afternoon Workshops
This workshop will integrate new (to many) content and instructional practices. We will share a newly designed lesson on critical minerals (CM; Aird et al., to be uploaded to TTE in fall 2025) that has been ...

Opening Reception part of Earth Educators Rendezvous:Previous Rendezvous:Rendezvous 2021:Program:Sunday Events
× Join us for the opening reception for the 2021 Earth Educators' Rendezvous, taking place via Zoom! Take this opportunity to meet new colleagues, catch up with old ones, learn about new session ...

Opening Reception part of Earth Educators Rendezvous:Previous Rendezvous:Rendezvous 2020:Program:Sunday Events
× Join us for the opening reception for the 2020 Earth Educators' Rendezvous, taking place via Zoom! Take this opportunity to meet new colleagues, catch up with old ones, and anticipate a great week of ...

Friday Closing Session part of Earth Educators Rendezvous:Previous Rendezvous:Rendezvous 2020:Program
The closing session will allow us to collectively reflect on the lessons we learned as a community at the Rendezvous, and to address any opportunities we see for collective action or impact. Join us to provide your ...

Supporting TA Success in your Classes part of Earth Educators Rendezvous:Previous Rendezvous:Rendezvous 2018:Program:Roundtable Discussions
A 2016 survey of geoscience faculty across US institutions revealed that GTAs serve in a wide variety of instructional roles and perform a myriad of important tasks such as leading labs, grading papers, and holding ...

Strengthening TA Teaching Capacity part of Earth Educators Rendezvous:Previous Rendezvous:Rendezvous 2017:Program:Roundtable Discussions
Teaching Assistants (TAs) play a major role in undergraduate instruction, and their teaching practices and beliefs influence student learning. Nonetheless, TAs often begin their positions with little to no teaching ...

February 2016 Spotlight: Rachel Teasdale part of NAGT:About NAGT:Divisions:Geoscience Education Research Division
This webpage is a researcher spotlight profile from the NAGT Geoscience Education Research Division, featuring Rachel Teasdale, a geoscience education researcher who transitioned from geology to study teaching practices, classroom observation protocols, field-based learning, and professional development through collaborative projects and institutional teaching centers.

What is "Sustainability Education" and How do We Get There? part of Earth Educators Rendezvous:Previous Rendezvous:Rendezvous 2016:Program:Panel Discussions
Sustainability themes, in terms of meeting the needs of human society while sustaining environmental support systems of the planet, can be applied to a broad range of courses in the geosciences and provide the ...

CSU Chico Sustainability Project part of Integrate:Program Design:InTeGrate Program Models:California State University, Chico
The California State University - Chico team developed a new General Education Sustainability Pathway at the university. An interdisciplinary group of faculty infused Earth science content into courses across the ...

MELTS Worked Example part of Integrating Research and Education:Teaching Phase Equilibria
Instructional page providing a step-by-step guide with annotated screenshots for using the MELTS Java Applet to model crystallization of a MORB composition, covering liquidus temperature calculation, phase equilibria, constraints, and graphical output interpretation.

Advanced Modeling Programs: MELTS part of Integrating Research and Education:Teaching Phase Equilibria
Educational resource page on the MELTS software for modeling phase equilibria in magmatic systems, covering its thermodynamic principles, applications in partial melting and crystallization, strengths and limitations, user guidance for web and Unix versions, and links to literature and teaching activities.

Improving the Sustainability of Data-rich Activities through the Community Contribution Tool part of Earth Educators Rendezvous:Previous Rendezvous:Rendezvous 2024:Program:Morning Workshops:Improving the Sustainability of Data-rich Activities through the Community Contribution Tool
Some curriculum materials have datasets and related resources that can become out-of-date or unavailable. To address this issue, this workshop will introduce the Community Contribution Tool (CCT), which facilitates ...

Creating Inquiry-Based Labs for Introductory Geology Courses part of Earth Educators Rendezvous:Previous Rendezvous:Rendezvous 2020:Program:Morning Workshops:Creating Inquiry-Based Labs for Introductory Geology Courses
Inquiry based laboratory activities in undergraduate introductory geoscience courses are important opportunities to engage students in face-to-face and online environments. Often, laboratory activities are ...

Wednesday Town Hall: Building on the Legacy of the InTeGrate Project part of Earth Educators Rendezvous:Previous Rendezvous:Rendezvous 2019:Program
How can we design the future of Earth Education for sustainable societies? We look to the EER community to develop a vision of how we can build on the successes of InTeGrate and launch a new era of facilitating ...

Teaching Introductory Geoscience with Data and Math in a Societal Context Using GETSI Modules part of Earth Educators Rendezvous:Previous Rendezvous:Rendezvous 2019:Program:Morning Workshops:Teaching Introductory Geoscience with Data and Math in a Societal Context
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 ...

Adapting Active Learning Strategies in Your Courses part of Earth Educators Rendezvous:Previous Rendezvous:Rendezvous 2019:Program:Morning Workshops:Adapting Active Learning Strategies in Your Courses
Research in STEM disciplines has revealed that empirically validated instructional practices that can contribute to improvements in student learning and a reduction in attrition. We will outline a series of ...

Research on Teaching about Earth in the Context of Societal Problems part of NAGT:Our Work:Geoscience Education Research:Community Framework for GER:Societal Problems
A webpage outlining a geoscience education research framework focused on teaching Earth science through societal problems, detailing three grand challenges on student learning impacts, curriculum design principles, and assessment methodologies, with contributions from multiple geoscience educators and links to related resources.

Introducing Active Learning Strategies to Large Intro Courses part of Earth Educators Rendezvous:Previous Rendezvous:Rendezvous 2016:Program:Morning Workshops:Active Learning
Research in STEM disciplines has revealed a suite of empirically validated instructional practices that can contribute to improvements in student learning and a reduction in attrition. We will outline a series of ...

Using Classroom Observations to Improve your Teaching part of Rendezvous 2015:Program:Mini Workshops:Classroom Observations
Small changes can make a big difference in engaging your students! This workshop will briefly review some of the results of the RTOP research project, in which more than 200 introductory and majors geoscience ...