A community framework for geoscience education research: Summary and recommendations for future research priorities

Abstract

The geoscience education research (GER) community has produced a collaborative research framework that summarizes guiding questions for future research to inform and improve undergraduate geoscience teaching and learning. The GER Framework (St. John [Ed.], 2018a) was developed through an iterative process involving multiple stages of community input. In total, approximately 200 geoscience educators and researchers contributed to this project in one or more of the following capacities: as authors, reviewers, survey respondents, workshop participants, webinar participants, town hall participants, and/or focus group participants. Review of survey data, reports, publications, and discussions resulted in a set of guiding questions and research strategies for ten research areas where individual researchers can make important contributions. While presented as distinct research areas, the ten themes have numerous cross-theme opportunities that integrate content areas, skills, and types of students. Cross-theme recommendations regarding strategies for future research are described here, along with suggested synergies with other national efforts in geoscience and STEM education.

Geoscience Education Perspectives on Integrated, Coordinated, Open, Networked (ICON) Science

“…The GER https://nagt.org/nagt/geoedresearch/toolbox/basics/CoP.html) (Lukes et al., 2015) uses ICON processes to build our community and GER resources through https://nagt.org/nagt/geoedresearch/index.html, https://nagt.org/nagt/divisions/geoed/webinars, an https://nagt.org/nagt/geoedresearch/toolbox/index.html, a https://nagt.org/nagt/profdev/workshops/GER_community/GER_webinar.html, and a recent https://nagt.org/nagt/geoedresearch/GER_framework/index.html (St John et al., 2020). They help shape our identity as a CoP, establish norms around GER practices, and drive a collective increase in the quality of GER (Arthurs, 2019).…”

Volcanology, Geochemistry, and Petrology Perspectives on Integrated, Coordinated, Open, Networked (ICON) Science

“…SERC Carleton (especially INTEGRATE) and FCAEM are wonderful examples of how such resources can be shared and widely distributed to the community. In addition, the Earth Educator's Rendezvous provides an annual opportunity to review items for SERC and to build a community of practice (St. John et al, 2020). For the VGP field, it would make sense to broaden the availability and distribution of such resources across diverse teams, application sectors, and regional boundaries.…”

“…https://serc.carleton.edu/teachearth/teach_geo_online/index.html (especially https://serc.carleton.edu/integrate/index.html) and https://case.fiu.edu/earth-environment/expertise/fcaem/ are wonderful examples of how such resources can be shared and widely distributed to the community. In addition, the Earth Educator's Rendezvous provides an annual opportunity to review items for https://serc.carleton.edu/teachearth/teach_geo_online/index.html and to build a community of practice (St. John et al., 2020). For the VGP field, it would make sense to broaden the availability and distribution of such resources across diverse teams, application sectors, and regional boundaries.…”