Paper No. 8
Presentation Time: 3:05 PM
PROMOTING GEOSCIENCE EDUCATION THROUGH HIGH SCHOOL DUAL CREDIT PROGRAMS
ZHAI, Xiaoming1, LEONE, Matt
2, MIESZALA, Mike
3, HUTSON, Kelda
3, ROSENBERG, Robert
4, CARMICHAEL, Donald
5, GREENAWALT, Kedric
6, STAFFORD, William
7, KELLER, Ron
8 and MAZANEK, Deanna
9, (1)Earth Science, College of Lake County, 19351 West Washington St, Grayslake, IL 60030, (2)Libertyville High School, 708 West Park Ave, Libertyville, IL 60048, (3)Warren Township High School, 34090 Almond Road, Gurnee, IL 60031, (4)4. Round Lake High School, 800 N. High School Dr, Round Lake, IL 60073, (5)Stevenson High School, Illinois 60069, 1 Stevenson Dr, Lincolnshire, IL 60069, (6)Vernon Hills High School, 145 Lakeview Pkwy, Vernon Hills, 60061, (7)Deerfield High School, 1959 Waukegan Road, Deerfield, IL 60015, (8)Grayslake High School, Central, N Lake St, Grayslake, IL 60030, (9)Grayslake High School, North, 1925 North Route 83, Grayslake, IL 60030, xzhai@clcillinois.edu
Eight dual credit Earth Science programs in eight high schools of Lake County, Illinois have been established through the Earth Science Department at College of Lake County since 2007. As of this date, 698 students from these high schools have successfully completed the dual credit Earth Science course and obtained college level geoscience education experience and college credits. The program has continued to grow as noted by the number of schools added and students enrolled in the courses since it began in 2007. The dual credit Earth Science programs, along with other geoscience outreach programs offered to all grade levels by the Earth Science Department, have effectively promoted geoscience education in local high schools.
Geoscience curricula in many Lake County K-12 schools have been either nonexistent, poorly established, attended by the least prepared students, taught by unqualified teachers, or any combination of the above. As one of the many programs used by the Earth Science Department to promote geoscience education in K-12 schools, the dual credit programs have effectively helped establish and strengthen geoscience curricula in Lake County high schools. For example, Stevenson High School, the largest and one of the most prestigious high schools in Lake County, had no geoscience program before the dual credit Earth Science program was offered at the high school in 2011. In Round Lake High School, which serves a large Hispanic population and has few monetary resources, honors students have been enrolling in its Earth Science dual credit program since 2009. Our dual credit Earth Science programs have influenced many students to choose the geosciences as their major field of study for their college degrees. Qualified high school science teachers who meet the college’s criteria for adjunct faculty members are teaching the dual credit program in each of the eight high schools. The instructors are required to attend two training workshops per semester, where they discuss teaching strategies and tips, challenges and possible solutions, to ensure high academic quality and consistency.
