Instructor Stories About Reformed Teaching Practice Dr. Christopher Berg University of West Georgia InTeGrate Research Team Leader Earth Educators’ Rendezvous July 21, 2016

Implementing InTeGrate Control Group: Fall 2015 Course taught in a “traditional” way Incorporated some “think-pair-share”, small-group exercises, human “models” 112 students, mostly non-STEM majors, majority underclassmen Pilot Group: Spring 2016 Half of “traditional” content replaced with InTeGrate materials Immersive, application-based activities in classroom Background content mastery left to students outside classroom 65 students, mostly non-STEM majors, majority underclassmen Experiment Group: Fall 2016 Repeats pilot methodology 112 seat section

InTeGrate Modules Environmental Justice and Freshwater Resources (part) A Growing Concern: Sustaining Soil Resources through Local Decision Making (part) Humans’ Dependence on Earth’s Mineral Resources (full) Living on the Edge: Building Resilient Societies on Active Plate Margins (full) Natural Hazards and Risks: Hurricanes (part)

Content Comparison: Topics Replaced by InTeGrate Materials Course Introduction Plate Tectonics Minerals Igneous Rocks Volcanoes Weathering & Soils Sedimentary Rocks Metamorphic Rocks Earthquakes The Ocean Floor Crustal Deformation Mass Wasting Streams Groundwater Glaciers Deserts Shorelines Geologic Time Global Climate Change Course Introduction Unit 1: Humans’ Dependence on Mineral Resources Minerals Sedimentary Rocks Igneous Rocks Metamorphic Rocks Unit 2: Living on the Edge Plate Tectonics Earthquakes Volcanoes The Ocean Floor Crustal Deformation Unit 3: Sculpting Earth’s Surface Weathering & Soils Mass Wasting Streams Groundwater Glaciers Deserts Shorelines Additional Units Geologic Time Global Climate Change Fall 2015 Spring 2016

What happened? Successes Engaged students and raised their awareness/interest Fostered interdisciplinary thinking No drop in performance on class exams Real-world context and problem-solving Challenges Classroom logistics for exercises in a large class Textbook or no textbook? Student access to and familiarity with technology Workload – assignments, grading Student perceptions

How to Increase Chances of Success Promote Accountability Instructor  Student Student  Instructor Student  Student Organize / Plan / Structure Think about logistics (space, time, class materials) Manage the material (what to keep / what to leave) Have an assessment strategy Be Mindful Know your students Know your limits Be ready to intervene Be positive!