Edward C. Stoever

The Role and Scope of Evaluation in the Development of CEEP Modules.

The Crustal Evolution Education Project (CEEP) utilized three separate stages of evaluation in developing its instructional modules. All three included collection and analysis of three types of data: student background characteristics, student performance variables, and process or climate variables. All three achieved different and reinforcing objectives. The evaluation program overall is one of the most comprehensive and systematic yet attempted in science education. The ability to do this on a very limited budget was made possible through the use of self-instructional evaluation procedures, which are now available to others.

History of a CEEP Module

The development of a supplementary instructional module by the NAGT Crustal Evolution Education Project (CEEP) involves continual interaction between active scientists and teachers, at least two stages of classroom testing, and review by persons representing all relevant teachers. The course of events leading to development of the CEEP module titled, “Sea-Floor Spreading and Transform Faults,” published in this same issue of the Journal of Geolgoical Education, is described.

Expediting the Development of CEEP Instructional Modules.

The curriculum development model being developed and tested by the NAGT Crustal Evolution Education Project (CEEP) represents an attempt to shorten the time lag of translation of ongoing research into useful classroom materials. Each of the six development centers represents an experiment with this model. The center at Western Washington University has been successful in producing, testing, and completing a total of eleven instructional modules representing 33 classroom periods in an average time of less than nine months per module. The development process here is characterized by one writing team meeting, teacher responsibility for preliminary drafting of modules in conjunction with informal classroom testing, extensive interaction between teacher and researcher writing team members, and editing at various stages by the science educator center director. Elements contributing to the successful operations at Western Washington University include (1) clear assignment of team member responsibilities, (2) rea...

Some Basic Postulates of the Crustal Evolution Education Project Model of Curriculum Development.

A major purpose of the NAGT Crustal Evolution Education Project (CEEP) is to examine a system of curriculum development which will shorten the time lag for translation of ongoing research into useful classroom materials. Underlying the CEEP project design were six postulates: (1) that active research scientists would participate in developing junior high school instructional modules; (2) that research scientists and classroom teachers could effectively interact in developing modules; (3) that modules could be produced with only one or two short writing team meetings; (4) that internally consistent modules could be produced despite the widespread geographic distribution of project personnel; (5) that writing teams would be productive working in their home environments; and (6) that the module development process would benefit as a result of Development Center Directors working in their home environments. All postulates have been validated, and CEEP is accomplishing its major purposes.

Nature and Scope of Supplemental Instructional Modules Under Development by the NAGT Crustal Evolution Education Project (CEEP)

The requirements to be met in developing instructional modules which can translate the results of current crustal evolution research into useful supplementary classroom material for existing curricula in grades 8–10 are described. Project modules will follow a standard format which reflects their intended self-contained and student-centered nature, and will be accompanied by a teacher guide. Feedback from two stages of classroom testing is being utilized in refining the modules and in determining their optimum utilization in existing curricula. A partial list of module topics under development is presented.

FIELD COURSES IN GEOLOGY FOR HIGH-SCHOOL EARTH-SCIENCE TEACHERS

An elementary course in geology and an advanced course treating selected aspects of physical and historical geology are offered each summer at the University of Oklahoma School of Geologys field camp near Canon City, Colorado. In both courses approximately half of the participants time is spent in field demonstration of geologic principles and phenomena that have previously been discussed in lecture sessions. This type of instruction has many advantages, and has met with an enthusiastic response.