THE SCIENTIFIC PROCESS MAPPING PROGRAM: AN IMAGE-BASED FLOWCHART TOOL FOR TEACHING GEOSCIENCE CONCEPTS

The ability to visualize patterns and processes is necessary to master and apply fundamental concepts in the geosciences. To facilitate learning, instructors often require students to create diagrams, and organize and summarize content in flowcharts and concept maps. For these tasks to be meaningful, students need scaffolding tools to independently construct their knowledge and receive individualized instructor feedback. The new Scientific Process Mapping Program (SPMP) is a platform for image-based mapping, which allows map construction directly on diagrams with active, clickable components. Developed by a team at University of California, Davis, in consultation with the Museum of Paleontology at University of California, Berkeley (UCMP), the modular design of SPMP enables users to make any image into a flowchart template to visualize diverse content in the geosciences, from the rock and carbon cycles to ocean circulation. Additionally, SPMP provides an interactive version of the Understanding Science flowchart developed by the UCMP to teach the complex, iterative nature of the scientific process. Students can revise maps, and link notes and images to flowchart steps as they acquire and synthesize information. Flowcharts and notes can be exported as image and PowerPoint files to facilitate classroom discussions. SPMP allows users to keep digital journals of their learning progressions, and provides opportunities to hone higher-order cognitive and metacognitive skills. This program has been piloted with middle and high school teachers, as well as UC Davis students, and will be incorporated into a new resource for learning about global change in development at UCMP.