DEVELOPMENT OF A PROBLEM BASED INQUIRY SEMINAR (PBIS) USING GEOLOGIC EXAMPLES

Recently, the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh introduced the Problem Based Inquiry Seminar (PBIS) as an alternative for the general education mathematics requirement. This curricular change arose from the realization that traditional entry-level mathematics courses such as algebra and trigonometry did not provide students with life-long quantitative literacy and problem-solving skills. Every citizen’s need for basic quantitative skills to function effectively in modern society has been well documented, not only by mathematicians but within other disciplines as well. Many students who struggle with mathematics have difficulty with the level of abstraction and lack of real-world motivation in traditional math courses. By introducing necessary skills in a scientific framework with hands-on activities and laboratories, we hope to make these concepts more concrete and hence clearer and more interesting to these students.

This summer we have developed a Mathematical Geology PBIS that we will co-teach in Fall 2004. Specifically we are developing and field-testing several modules that require minimal background geologic knowledge. Topics to be addressed include map making, grain-size analysis, streams and flooding, groundwater flow, rock density and isostasy, a water and nutrient budget for a lake, and climate change. Although each module addresses different quantitative skills, recurring topics include the following: graphical literacy, conceptualization of a problem as an equation, recognition of specific functions, fitting curves to data, and statistical concepts such as mode, mean, standard deviation, and probability. For each module, students will gather data in the field, in the laboratory, or from the worldwide web; analyze and synthesize the data; and present their results in a written report. The PBIS courses are designed to help students develop their analytical writing abilities.

The success of the course will be evaluated in several ways. We will be keeping a teaching journal chronicling our perceptions of the effectiveness of each module and methods of improvement. To gauge student perception of the effectiveness of the teaching style, we will administer student evaluations several times during the semester. Student learning will be assessed using high-stakes pre- and post-tests.