A SET OF CONCEPT-BASED QUESTIONS FOR USE IN INTRODUCTORY GEOSCIENCE COURSES: IMAGE MAP QUESTIONS AND RANKING TASKS

A considerable amount of research has focused on the misconceptions commonly held by students entering introductory geoscience classes. In response to this research, as well as a need for higher-order, concept-based questions, a set of questions using two techniques, Image Map Questions and Ranking Tasks, was developed to assist students in learning and applying introductory geoscience concepts. This presentation will give examples of each type of question and describe the strategies used to develop them.

Image Map Questions present students with an image on a computer – such as a map, photograph, diagram, etc – and pose questions which require the student to click on the correct portion of the image. One advantage of Image Map Questions is that the students receive high quality feedback when an incorrect portion of the map is clicked. The feedback is designed to guide the students’ thinking and assist them in using logic and previously learned concepts to determine the correct feature or location. The guidance provided for incorrect answers is particularly valuable in assisting the students in confronting their misconceptions.

Ranking Tasks require students to order a series of items according to some characteristic such as ranking by age, elevation, or composition. Such questions have already been used in physics and astronomy, and the strategy is well-suited for many geoscience concepts. In a well-written question, ranking items in a sequence will require students to integrate multiple concepts and think about problems in complex ways.

These questions deviate from the usual multiple-choice questions, giving the students new ways in which to interact with the concepts they are learning. Although originally designed as a tool for online homework instruction, they can be adapted for classroom use and are valuable in lecture and class discussion as well as testing. Ranking Tasks can be printed out and make good small group activities, and the Image Map Questions can be used as clicker (ConcepTest) questions by placing letters on the locations on the image that correspond to the correct and incorrect responses.