Eric Baer

Making Undergraduate Geoscience Quantitative

Modern geoscience uses equations, models, and numbers in conjunction with observations, maps, and words as fundamental tools for investigating Earth. Yet the U.S. public persists in viewing the study of Earth processes as highly qualitative and, in many states, as a remedial science course that is not accepted as appropriate preparation for admission to U.S. colleges and universities. Geoscience teachers and faculty are working to change this perception by increasing the quantitative content of the geoscience curriculum. From the most mathematical of senior theses to the most basic of introductory courses, geoscience instructors can make these courses more reflective of the full range of tools used in the geosciences by including the quantitative content and methods that pervade geoscience. In addition to being provided with a more realistic perception of our science, college students whose major study is the Earth sciences will be better prepared for geoscience careers and all of our students will be more quantitatively literate.

The Case for Infusing Quantitative Literacy into Introductory Geoscience Courses

Abstract We present the case for introductory geoscience courses as model venues for increasing the quantitativeliteracy (QL) of large numbers of the college-educated population. The geosciences provide meaningfulcontext for a number of fundamental mathematical concepts that are revisited several times in a single course.Using some best practices from the mathematics education community surrounding problem solving,calculus reform, pre-college mathematics and five geoscience/math workshops, geoscience and mathematicsfaculty have identified five pedagogical ideas to increase the QL of the students who populate introductorygeoscience courses. These five ideas include techniques such as: place mathematical concepts in context, usemultiple representations, use technology appropriately, work in groups, and do multiple-day, in-depthproblems that place quantitative skills in multiple contexts. We discuss the pedagogical underpinnings of thesefive ideas and illustrate some ways that the geosciences represent ideal places to use these techniques.However, the inclusion of QL in introductory courses is often met with resistance at all levels. Faculty whowish to include quantitative content must use creative means to break down barriers of public perception ofgeoscience as qualitative, administrative worry that enrollments will drop and faculty resistance to change.Novel ways to infuse QL into geoscience classrooms include use of web-based resources, shadow courses,setting clear expectations, and promoting quantitative geoscience to the general public. In order to helpfaculty increase the QL of geoscience students, a community-built faculty-centered web resource (TeachingQuantitative Skills in the Geosciences) houses multiple examples that implement the five best practices of QLthroughout the geoscience curriculum. We direct faculty to three portions of the web resource: TeachingQuantitative Literacy, QL activities, and the 2006 workshop website - Infusing Quantitative Literacy intoIntroductory Geoscience Courses. These portions of the website are designed to give geoscience faculty theresources they need to infuse quantitative content into their entry-level courses, thereby building the QL ofthe students who enroll. The infusion of QL in the introductory geoscience classroom allows faculty torealistically represent the quantitative nature of the science to the students who may need it most. Ultimately,the inclusion of pedagogically sound quantitative activities and exercises will serve to increase QL of oureducated citizenry.

The Math You Need, When You Need It (TMYN): Leveling the Playing Field

The Math You Need, When You Need It (TMYN) is a set of online tutorials designed to help students develop and review mathematical skills that are applied in undergraduate geoscience courses. We present results of a three-year study of more than 4000 students in 106 geoscience courses at a variety of post-secondary schools who were assigned TMYN tutorials as supplemental mathematics instruction. Changes in student scores from preto post-test suggest that the support provided by programs such as TMYN can begin to reduce the gap between mathematically well-prepared and underprepared students; in essence, TMYN levels the quantitative playing field for all geoscience students. On average, both highand low-performing students who fully participated in the use of TMYN as a part of their course showed learning gains, although gains were larger for students who performed poorly on the pre-test. Our findings emphasize the conclusion that students who interact with context-specific quantitative problems can potentially improve their mathematical skills, regardless of initial level of mathematical preparation. We suggest that this type of support could generalize to other science courses.

Embedded Mathematics Remediation Using The Math You Need, When You Need It: A 21st-Century Solution to an Age-Old Problem

Using the need for math skills in geoscience courses as an example, Helen E. Burn and Eric M. D. Baer from Highline Community College and Jennifer M. Wenner from the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh make the case for just–in–time embedded remediation to improve student learning while using class time efficiently.

Discipline-Based Remediation: Bridging the Mathematics Gap

Geoscience relies on numbers, data, equations, graphical representations, and other quantitative skills; therefore, introductory geoscience courses need to accurately portray the science as quantitative [e.g., Wenner et al., 2009]. However, up to 57% of students arrive at college underprepared to perform mathematics at the level necessary to succeed in introductory courses [ACT, 2011]. Although some institutions have turned to prerequisites as a way to ensure appropriate preparation, these extra courses can place undue financial, temporal, and academic burdens on interested students, keeping them from enrolling in science courses that may interest them. As an alternative to mathematics prerequisites, geoscience faculty at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh and Highline Community College in Des Moines, Wash., funded by the National Science Foundation, developed a model of successful integration of discipline-based mathematics remediation into an introductory geoscience course: The Math You Need, When You Need It (TMYN; http://serc.carleton.edu/mathyouneed/).

Teaching All Geoscience Students: Lessons Learned From Two-Year Colleges

Geoscience faculty at 2-year colleges (2YCs) are at the forefront of efforts to improve student learning and success while at the same time broadening participation in the geosciences. Faculty of 2YCs instruct large numbers of students from underrepresented minority groups and many students who are the first in their families to pursue higher education. Geoscience classes at 2YCs also typically have large enrollments of nontraditional students, English language learners, and students with learning disabilities.