HOW SMALL FOSSILS IN THE DEEP SEA TELL US ABOUT ICE VOLUME AND TEMPERATURE CHANGES OVER THE PAST 65 MILLION YEARS: EMBEDDING STUDENT INQUIRY AND REAL DATA INTO NON-LAB COURSES ON CLIMATE CHANGE (Invited Presentation)

The composite stable oxygen isotope record derived from benthic foraminifera is one of the most widely accepted and scientifically cited lines of evidence for the 65 myr-long history of changes in ice volume and deep sea temperatures. It is therefore essential content for courses on climate change, paleoclimatology, and paleoceanography. Yet few exercises exist that focus on this important biogeochemical paleoclimate proxy. Those that do, tend to present the theory and equations up-front, ignoring more inquiry-based models, or focus only on interpretation of the late Pleistocene pattern of glacial-interglacial cycles in the data. Founded on the teaching philosophies that (1) addressing how we know is as important as addressing what we know about past climate change, and (2) inquiry is as essential to learning as it is to scientific research, a suite of data-rich, inquiry-based learning modules for undergraduates was developed. This includes a multi-part exercise on the composite δ¹⁸O record of benthic forams for the Cenozoic that scaffolds and systematically connects key concepts of the physical, chemical, biological, and geological processes that result in benthic forams as recorders of past climate change. Drawing from examples of teaching this module in an introductory course for non-majors, an upper level non-lab elective course for majors, and professional development workshops for faculty, a “do-talk-do-talk-due” instructional model will be presented. This approach alternates multiple stages of student active learning (do) with short follow-up lectures/discussion (talk) to provide opportunities for students to construct their own knowledge and have frequent feedback from the instructor, prior to the primary module assessment (due). Instructor observations and feedback from students and workshop participants suggest that the module and the pedagogical approach are effective and adaptable for multiple audiences.