Shaping the Future of Geoscience Education Research: Synthesizing Results and Articulating Future Directions

College Of William And Mary, Williamsburg VA

Investigators

Abstract

The project is investigating the current status of geoscience education research (GER), focusing on undergraduate education and building on recent reports on Discipline-Based Education Research (DBER). The project supports a collaborative effort by the geoscience education research community to identify and synthesize the accomplishments, results, and claims of GER, compile an annotated list of methods used in such research, and recommend future research directions and ways to support such efforts. The project includes engagement of the GER and broader geoscience education communities through a three-day workshop as well as virtual activities to engage the community before, during, and after the workshop. The project website supports community-wide engagement and dissemination. The project is providing a focus on the current status and future directions of GER and ultimately, as research translates into practice, in shaping undergraduate geoscience education at the individual, institutional, and national level. The project supports the development of the geoscience education research community through the workshop and virtual opportunities for engagement. The project includes crowd-sourced engagement of the GER and broader geoscience education communities through a three-day workshop, as well as virtual opportunities to engage the community before, during, and after the workshop. Virtual activities include virtual discussions before the workshop, a virtual poster session and discussion during the workshop, and feedback and comments on draft products after the workshop. The project website is hosted by the National Association of Geoscience Teachers (NAGT). Primary deliverables from the project include resources focused on the methods used in GER, what has been learned to date in GER, critical topics and questions for future GER work, and strategies for building the GER community and support new researchers in the field.