EARTH SYSTEMS SCIENCE – AN INNOVATIVE APPROACH TO TEACHING UNDERGRADUATE GENERAL SCIENCE

Based on outcomes of the Earth Science education workshop convened by NSF, AGU, and the Keck Consortium (“Shaping the Future of Undergraduate Earth Science Education”, 1996), we have designed an integrated, interdisciplinary Earth system approach to undergraduate general science education. Formerly, the general science curriculum was compartmentalized into separate courses consisting of Earth science, chemistry, and physics-astronomy. We have fully reorganized this disconnected curriculum into a three-course sequence that integrates the critical concepts of physics, chemistry, and geology in the context of understanding the Earth as a system. An in-depth curriculum that emphasizes the essential components of an Earth Systems Science (ESS) sequence was developed, the content was aligned with the National Science Education Standards, and linked inquiry-based lab exercises were designed. All K-8 Education majors are required to take general science courses, so a large percentage of the students in any given class are prospective teachers (up to 55%). Considering this, two important outcomes of this integrated ESS approach are: (1) to excite and invigorate students about science, and (2) to educate them about the relevance of science concepts. Assessment of the ESS sequence was conducted by use of pre- and post-term attitude surveys administered during curriculum implementation. Initial evaluation of the data suggests that, compared to the previous compartmentalized approach, students in the integrated ESS sequence felt more at ease in science class, were generally more interested in the content, felt like they had a better understanding of the material, and gained an appreciation for the principle that careful observation of natural phenomenon forms the basis for scientific explanations. The integrated Earth systems approach we have implemented is ideal for teaching general science at the undergraduate level, because it places scientific concepts and principles in a relevant, real-world context.