David A. McConnell

Assessment and Active Learning Strategies for Introductory Geology Courses

Educational research findings suggest that instructors can foster the growth of thinking skills and promote science literacy by incorporating active learning strategies into the classroom. Active learning occurs when instructors build learner participation into classes. Learning in large, general education Earth Science classes was evaluated using formative assessment exercises conducted by students in groups. Blooms taxonomy of cognitive development was used as a guide to identify critical thinking skills (comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, evaluation) that could be linked to specific assessment methods such as conceptests, Venn diagrams, image analysis, concept maps, open-ended questions, and evaluation rubrics. Two instructors conducted a series of analyses on sample classes taught with traditional lecture and inquiry-based learning methods. Qualitative and quantitative analyses show that such methods are preferred by students, improve student retention, produce no decrease in content knowledge, promote deeper understanding of course material, and increase logical thinking skills.

Using Conceptests to Assess and Improve Student Conceptual Understanding in Introductory Geoscience Courses

Conceptests are higher-order multiple-choice questions that focus on one key concept of an instructors major learning goals for a lesson. When coupled with student interaction through peer instruction, conceptests represent a rapid method of formative assessment of student understanding, require minimal changes to the instructional environment and introduce many of the recognized principles of effective teaching that enhance student learning. In this study, instructors from several different institutions developed over 300 conceptests for the geosciences. These instructors then used this suite of concept questions in a wide range of classroom settings, including large introductory general education Earth Science courses for non-majors at open enrollment institutions, smaller physical geology classes suitable for majors at private colleges, and in introductory geology laboratory settings. Results of pre- and post-class Geoscience Concept Inventory (GCI) testing and qualitative feedback from students and instructors showed that conceptests increased attendance, improved student satisfaction, and enhanced student achievement. Participating instructors found implementation of conceptests into their classes straightforward and required less than 30 minutes of preparation per class. The conceptest question database is available on-line for geoscience instructors.

Distribution of fault slip in outcrop-scale fault-related folds, appalachian mountains

Abstract Current kinematic models of ramp-related folds predict a direct relationship between ramp angle and fold shape and imply specific sequences of deformation. Analyses of outcrop-scale structures in the Valley and Ridge province of the Appalachians reveal configurations that depart from model predictions. The models fail to account for the presence of footwall synclines, and are inconsistent with measured displacement distributions on some natural faults. Observations support the interpretation that faults can grow by propagation both up- and down-dip from a nucleation point. Fault propagation in either direction may result in the formation of folds primarily on the side of the fault that is displaced in the direction of fault propagation.

How Students Think: Implications for Learning in Introductory Geoscience Courses

Non-major students in introductory geoscience classes exhibit a wide range of intellectual development. Approximately half of these students do not have the skills to understand the abstract scientific concepts traditionally discussed in introductory classes. Many geological concepts will remain unlearned without appropriate activities that build on a foundation of concrete examples. The good news is that these same students can improve their logical thinking skills when they participate in challenging in-class collaborative learning exercises with their more intellectually sophisticated peers. While the exercises themselves are important in promoting the development of higher-order thinking skills, the group interaction also appears to be a significant contributor to the improvement of reasoning.

Challenging Students Ideas About Earth's Interior Structure Using a Model-based, Conceptual Change Approach in a Large Class Setting

A model-based, conceptual change approach to teaching was found to improve student understanding of earth structure in a large (100+ student) inquiry-based, general education setting. Results from paired pre- and post-instruction sketches indicated that 19% (n = 18/97) of the students began the class with naïve preconceptions of the structure of the interior of the Earth. Many of the remaining students (95%; n = 75/79) began the lesson believing that the crust is several hundred kilometers thick. Peer discussion and instruction appeared to be effective in eliminating most naive preconceptions. Analyses of post-instruction sketches indicated that 3% (n = 3/97) of all students retained naïve preconceptions, 18% (n = 18/97) changed their views from naïve to the “thick crust” view, 58% (n = 58/97) began to recognize the relative scales of the boundaries with 30% (n = 28/97) drawing the sketch with scaled boundaries. Many of the students (65%; n = 76/117) could correctly answer formative earth structure conceptual questions that were asked five lessons after the earth structure lesson was taught. A comparison of pre- and post-course conceptual test question responses indicated that 13–20% more students could correctly answer similar questions two months after the model-based, conceptual change plate tectonics lessons were taught.

The influence of structural lithic units in fault-related folds, Seminoe Mountains, Wyoming, U.S.A.

Abstract Analysis of basement-involved folds in the Seminoe Mountains, south-central Wyoming, reveals that lithological contrasts within the sedimentary section created a mechanical anisotropy that influenced both fault geometry and the relative rates of fault propagation and fault slip. Two structural lithic units are identified, a competent lower unit and an overlying incompetent unit. The upper unit is made up of moderate ductility rocks that were thinned ahead of the Hurt Creek fault. Offset formations in the upper unit have small relative stretch (ϵr) values and are interpreted to have represented an impediment to fault growth. In contrast, fault propagation was rapid relative to fault slip in the competent rocks of the lower structural lithic unit which have a correspondingly higher relative stretch. The Black Canyon fault is oriented at a low-angle to bedding in the lower structural lithic unit and is layer-parallel near the base of the upper unit. The Red Spring fault is a thin-skinned thrust fault and is interpreted to be linked to the Black Canyon fault to generate a triangle-zone geometry. Similar structures can be identified elsewhere in the Rocky Mountain foreland and this configuration may represent a previously unrecognized indicator of low-angle basement faults. Changes in the deformation style between structural lithic units must be reflected in changing fold form, thus preventing the direct application of geometric and kinematic models that predict a uniform fold profile.

Improving undergraduate STEM education: The efficacy of discipline-based professional development

Effective teaching practices are more common in courses taught by faculty who spend time learning about teaching. We sought to determine whether instructional practices used by undergraduate faculty in the geosciences have shifted from traditional teacher-centered lecture toward student-engaged teaching practices and to evaluate whether the national professional development program On the Cutting Edge (hereinafter Cutting Edge) has been a contributing factor in this change. We surveyed geoscience faculty across the United States in 2004, 2009, and 2012 and asked about teaching practices as well as levels of engagement in education research, scientific research, and professional development related to teaching. We tested these self-reported survey results with direct observations of teaching using the Reformed Teaching Observation Protocol, and we conducted interviews to understand what aspects of Cutting Edge have supported change. Survey data show that teaching strategies involving active learning have become more common, that these practices are concentrated in faculty who invest in learning about teaching, and that faculty investment in learning about teaching has increased. Regression analysis shows that, after controlling for other key influences, faculty who have participated in Cutting Edge programs and who regularly use resources on the Cutting Edge website are statistically more likely to use active learning teaching strategies. Cutting Edge participants also report that learning about teaching, the availability of teaching resources, and interactions with peers have supported changes in their teaching practice. Our data suggest that even one-time participation in a workshop with peers can lead to improved teaching by supporting a combination of affective and cognitive learning outcomes.

Not Just "Rocks for Jocks": Who Are Introductory Geology Students and Why Are They Here?

ABSTRACT Do students really enroll in Introductory Geology because they think it is “rocks for jocks”? In this study, we examine the widely held assumption that students view geology as a qualitative and remedial option for fulfilling a general education requirement. We present the first quantitative characterization of a large number of Introductory Geology students, their demographic characteristics and motivations at the start of the course, and their reasons for enrolling. More than 1,000 undergraduate students from seven institutions across the U.S. participated in this study, providing demographic information and responses to the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire. Students taking Introductory Geology either to fulfill a general education requirement (72% of the survey population) or because they thought it would be easy (19%) had relatively low motivation. The youngest students (18 or 19 years, 62% of the survey population) and those who had not declared a major or were planning a nonscience major (79%) also had relatively low motivation. In contrast, students taking the course for a major or minor (26%), because of prior interest in geology (31%), or because of interest in the interactions between humans and the environment (15%) had relatively high motivation. The differences in motivation we identify have important implications for Introductory Geology instructors, particularly those teaching large-enrollment courses, and validate the need for understanding student characteristics when designing course goals and selecting instructional strategies.

Effect of initial fault geometry on the development of fixed-hinge, fault-propagation folds

Abstract This paper describes how a model of fixed-hinge, basement-involved, fault-propagation folds may be adapted to apply to thin-skinned thrust faults to generate footwall synclines. Fixed-hinge, fault-propagation folding assumes that the fold-axial surfaces diverge upwards, fold hinges are fixed in the rock, the fault propagated through the forelimb, thickness changes occur in the forelimb and the forelimb progressively rotates with increasing displacement on the underlying fault. The original model for fixed-hinge, fault-propagation folds was developed for the case of a planar fault in basement with a tip line that was at the interface between basement and the overlying sedimentary cover rocks. The two geometries applicable to thin-skinned thrusts are for the cases where a fixed-hinge fault-propagation fold develops above an initial bedding-parallel detachment, and an initial fault ramp of constant dip which flattens down-dip into a bedding-parallel detachment.

A multidimensional assessment of reformed teaching practice in geoscience classrooms

This study analyzed quantitative and qualitative data from classroom observations combined with instructor survey results to characterize the application of reformed teaching practices in undergraduate geoscience classes in the United States. Trained observers used the Reformed Teaching Observation Protocol (RTOP) to score 204 geoscience classes. Observed faculty represent a diversity of institutions, teaching rank, and years of experience. Classrooms observed included introductory and upper-level undergraduate courses that ranged in size from 6 to 275 students. Total RTOP scores do not correlate with class size, class level, institution type, instructor gender, instructor rank, or years of teaching experience. Classroom instruction was separated into three categories based on total RTOP scores: Teacher Centered (≤30), Transitional (31–49), or Student Centered (≥50). Statistical analyses of RTOP subscales and individual item scores are used to identify the instructional practices that are characteristic of each category. Instructor survey responses and qualitative classroom observations provide additional details about instructional practices common within each instructional category. Results of these analyses provide a coherent picture of instructional strategies used in geoscience classrooms. Instruction in the most Student Centered classrooms differs from that in Transitional and Teacher Centered classrooms in at least one of three ways. Student Centered classes are more likely to include (1) students engaged in class activities with one another; (2) activities in which instructors assess student learning and adjust lessons accordingly; and (3) opportunities for students to answer and pose questions that determine the focus of a lesson.