This article describes a study in which changes in knowledge of science and attitudes regarding science among participants in a summer Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program were examined. It was discovered that existing survey instruments could not detect changes in participants' attitudes over the course of the program and also failed to detect differences between geoscience faculty ... Full description.

This article describes the use of service-learning practice in geoscience courses taught at the University of Connecticut. The stated objectives for instituting this practice are: to foster student interest in earth sciences through community service; to enhance university outreach through interactions with communities; to enhance students' learning ability by applying course knowledge to real-world ... Full description.

This article describes a study in which researchers evaluated responses from students with different learning styles to the use of computer technology as a supplemental tool in teaching soil erosion concepts. The students participated in an online lesson on soil erosion and were tested before and after the lesson. They also completed two assessment tools, the Student Assessment of Learning Gains (SALG) ... Full description.

The University of Kentucky Department of Agronomy instituted a system of peer review of teaching in 1996. Professors observe the teaching of their peers with the intent of helping one another improve. Reviews usually include a preliminary meeting between the instructor and two reviewers, several in-class visits, some analysis of classroom materials, and a wrap-up meeting. The peer review program now ... Full description.

This paper reports on the results of an investigation of the effectiveness of inquiry-based teaching modules for instructing a group of high school physics students. More specifically, the study attempted to answer whether students could learn natural science concepts with the use of modules developed by the South Carolina Earth Physics Project (SCEPP). Four teaching modules were tested on junior ... Full description.

NOTE: This is a large file, 5mb in size! Space-age technologies have revolutionized Earth science, but this revolution has yet to extend to Earth science education. This article points out that urban schools can be at the forefront of reform because cities offer a wealth of opportunities and resources for study. The authors present examples of urban investigations and educational tools, such as remotely-sensed ... Full description.

Researchers surveyed repeat attendees in a geology professional development program known as RockCamp in order to determine the reasons for their sustained involvement in this program. This article describes their findings, which suggest that the teachers' sustained involvement in the RockCamp Program is stimulated by situated learning experiences stressing a compare, contrast, connect, and construct ... Full description.

This article discusses the establishment of Shippensburg University's Burd Run Interdisciplinary Watershed Research Laboratory and the advantages of linking disciplinary perspectives across courses in geology, geography, biology, and teacher education. The laboratory provides an easily adaptable conceptual model for improving environmental science education at teaching-oriented institutions nationwide. ... Full description.

A major problem for large-enrollment, introductory college courses in natural resources and life sciences is poor attendance. To ameliorate this problem, the authors of this article designed a hybrid course (part online, part face-to-face) to incorporate the advantages of online learning while retaining benefits of face-to-face instruction. They taught a hybrid introductory college science course ... Full description.

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. This paper describes a variety of such strategies that may be adopted in introductory geology courses to encourage the development of higher-order thinking skills, and provides directions for implementing these ... Full description.