Modules
The intervention modules are embedded in introductory geosciences, chemistry, and physics courses. Each semester, four course modules designed for these introductory science courses are exposing ~800 prospective geoscience majors and minors to the applications of geoscience knowledge to tackle societal problems, role models, and career prospects.
- A career module focuses on raising initial awareness that geoscience is an excellent career option for those interested in the Earth. The module highlights required qualifications and different possible career options and future job prospects.
- A concept module takes students through the process of applying specific scientific concepts covered in the introductory courses to solve societal problems that need specialist input from geoscientists. The module's structure follows a review of the concept and then introduces and explains the applied problem using demonstrations, visualization tools, and/or active learning strategies.
- Two exploratory modules designed for independent online inquiry and discovery are linked to specific lectures in the introductory courses. The module structure reviews the scientific concept, introduces an applied geoscience problem of societal relevance, and asks students to solve a relevant aspect of it through critical thinking or calculations. Professional geoscientists are profiled to demonstrate how the concepts are employed in their work and to present role models of professional geoscientists.
Projects
The two-stage extracurricular service-learning program is designed to promote interest, increase motivation, and build geoscience identity and community. Service-learning projects engage students at Northwest Vista College (NVC), Palo Alto College (PAC), and the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA), including newly transferred students. They involve different student groups that represent increasing levels of geologic knowledge and service-learning experience, while decreasing the level of faculty involvement in related tasks.
One community need is addressed through two levels of service-learning projects, to create educational guides or stories to fully capture and describe the natural environment contained in local parks and campuses for the public good.
- Service-learning project level 1: Student participants coordinate with personnel from partner parks or campuses to design and implement an educational resource related to geologic features or environments, such as interpretative media projects as signs, audio tours, informative posters, and feature news stories.
- Service-learning project level 2: Student participants coordinate with personnel from partner parks to propose, develop and implement an educational resource that showcases key geological features in the parks, such as interpretative media projects such as signs or displays, printed trail guides, or audio tours.
Outcomes
Outcomes for student participation include academic, professional, and personal development in a number of areas:
Academic
- Geoscience concept application
- Critical thinking
- Public speaking
- Campus resources
Professional
- Project management
- Field work and analysis
- Communication
Personal
- Teamwork and leadership
- Problem solving
- Networking
- Sense of belonging in geoscience community
Disclaimer
This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant Number 2119446. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.
