1. A NEW CURRICULUM AND A NEW VISION: MY HOW WE'VE GROWN… Thomas Hickson and Melissa Lamb University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, MN 55105 tahickson@stthomas.edu Thomas Hickson and Melissa Lamb University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, MN 55105 tahickson@stthomas.edu

2. Here’s what happened…

3. Majors courses Intro courses Total

4. Here’s what we did…

5. New faculty hired New curriculum implemented

6. Developed a clear vision of what we wanted to do  Unique situation: two new faculty, and no one else  Brought in Barb Tewksbury for workshop  PKAL workshop on geoscience curriculum  Carefully considered our ‘audience’: the student pool we would draw from

7. Pathways to a major... Good in high school science Love rocks and geology Take Math, Chem, Physics in freshman and sophomore years Finishes geology degree in 4 years

8. Pathways to a major... Loathed high school science and math Started in business major Forced to take a science course so decided to take geology Took second geology course at extreme risk to mental health Decided on a geology minor Decides to major at beginning of junior year Changed to psychology major Changed to political science major

9. Pathways to a major... Loathed high school science and math Started in on general requirements Forced to take a science course so decided to take geology Took second geology course at extreme risk to mental health Decided on a geology minor Decides to major at beginning of junior year Started on psychology major Changed to political science major Stopped out to work in a restaurant for 2 years Stopped out because of financial issues

10. Elements of the vision  Provide a challenging program with a strong field component  Create scientifically- informed problem- solvers  Welcome all students into science  Allow students to grow as individuals and stewards of the planet

11. Developed a new curriculum with this vision in mind

12. Elements of the curriculum  Choice of one intro course  Six core courses:  Earth Materials  Regional Geology and Geological Field Methods  Fundamentals of the Lithosphere I and II (year-long structure, petrology and tectonics course)  Sedimentology/Stratigraphy  Advanced Earth History (Capstone)  Three geology elective courses  One semester each of calculus, chemistry, and physics  B.S. option for those planning on grad school  Choice of one intro course  Six core courses:  Earth Materials  Regional Geology and Geological Field Methods  Fundamentals of the Lithosphere I and II (year-long structure, petrology and tectonics course)  Sedimentology/Stratigraphy  Advanced Earth History (Capstone)  Three geology elective courses  One semester each of calculus, chemistry, and physics  B.S. option for those planning on grad school

13. Elements of the curriculum  Focused-topic introductory courses: all count toward the major  Emphasizes field-based labs and research  Integrates considerable PBL techniques into all courses  Field camp comes early: only an intro course as a pre-requisite  Research opportunities early  Very flexible prerequisite structure  Can complete the major in two years  Changed allied course requirements: not every student is going to graduate school  Allows for course corrections along the way: BA to BS; minor to major; accounting to geoscience  Focused-topic introductory courses: all count toward the major  Emphasizes field-based labs and research  Integrates considerable PBL techniques into all courses  Field camp comes early: only an intro course as a pre-requisite  Research opportunities early  Very flexible prerequisite structure  Can complete the major in two years  Changed allied course requirements: not every student is going to graduate school  Allows for course corrections along the way: BA to BS; minor to major; accounting to geoscience

14. Focus on two aspects of this that seem most critical  Recruiting from introductory courses  Implementing field camp early  Recruiting from introductory courses  Implementing field camp early

15. Recruiting from large, introductory courses  Five different intro courses  Intro Physical  Geology of the National Parks  The Science of Natural Disasters  The Earth’s Record of Climate  Environmental Geology  Five different intro courses  Intro Physical  Geology of the National Parks  The Science of Natural Disasters  The Earth’s Record of Climate  Environmental Geology

16. Recruiting from large, introductory courses  Tenured or t-track faculty teach them  Emphasize student- faculty collaborative research  Have geology majors as TA’s  Regular communication with our best students  Funnel as many as possible into our field course

17. January-term field course  Only an intro as a prerequisite  Fairly traditional skills emphasized  At least one sub- project related to faculty research  Students involved in a primary question  Only an intro as a prerequisite  Fairly traditional skills emphasized  At least one sub- project related to faculty research  Students involved in a primary question

18. From the student’s perspective: what is working?

19.  Professors love their discipline, but they also love the ‘science’ of teaching  All courses contain quality, hands-on field labs  Faculty accommodate a wide range of student backgrounds  Faculty link geology to the real world: what you can do with a degree and how you can get a job  Many work & research opportunities  Professors love their discipline, but they also love the ‘science’ of teaching  All courses contain quality, hands-on field labs  Faculty accommodate a wide range of student backgrounds  Faculty link geology to the real world: what you can do with a degree and how you can get a job  Many work & research opportunities

20. From the student’s perspective: what is working?  Faculty convey the sense that you don’t have to be a ‘genius’ to be a scientist; that anyone can do it  Students really get to know faculty: they teach both intro and advanced courses  Faculty care about students  ENTHUSIASM of faculty

21. We changed a LOT of things… …what actually may have made the difference? In terms of attracting majors to the program…

22. Survey results  N=16 students in a junior level course in progress (Fundamentals of the Lithosphere I)  75% geology majors  6% geology minors  19% undecided, but leaning toward a geology major

23. How many were ‘converts’?  19% knew they wanted to major or minor in geology when they entered UST  63% did not  19% knew they wanted to major or minor in geology when they entered UST  63% did not

24. 56% changed their major or added geology as a double major 13% had geology as their first major

25. I was inspired to take more geology because of the quality of teaching in intro  63% strongly agree  19% agree  12% neither agree nor disagree  6% disagree

26. I was inspired to take more geology because the material in intro was interesting to me  75% strongly agree  19% agree  6% neither agree nor disagree  75% strongly agree  19% agree  6% neither agree nor disagree

27. I decided to take more geology because I could see a future career that would be satisfying to me.  38% strongly agree  38% agree  19% neither agree nor disagree  6% disagree  38% strongly agree  38% agree  19% neither agree nor disagree  6% disagree

28. I decided to take more geology because the department seemed like a welcoming place where I would fit in and be able to grow  75% strongly agree  13% agree  13% neither agree nor disagree  75% strongly agree  13% agree  13% neither agree nor disagree

29. I decided to major or minor after taking the j-term field course.  31% strongly agree  19% agree  6% neither agree nor disagree  6% disagree  13% strongly disagree  25% N/A

30. Conclusions  Required a strong commitment by all faculty  Helps to have a strong, common focus  Must focus on recruiting: nearly everything we do has a recruiting ‘spin’  Must adapt to:  Highly variable backgrounds and abilities  Very little prerequisite knowledge in some upper division courses  Quality of the program did not suffer: it improved!  Required a strong commitment by all faculty  Helps to have a strong, common focus  Must focus on recruiting: nearly everything we do has a recruiting ‘spin’  Must adapt to:  Highly variable backgrounds and abilities  Very little prerequisite knowledge in some upper division courses  Quality of the program did not suffer: it improved!