EXPLORING PLACE WITH SOUND – ASSESSING THE IMPACT OF STUDENT PRODUCED AUDIO IN INTRODUCTORY COURSES

The geosciences community (and the STEM community in general) needs to increase the number and diversity of students. Introductory, non-major students are a key population for this growth – they are potential new scientists. To access this resource, we must connect with these students during an introductory course, often taken for general education requirements. Students must view the sciences as accessible, relatable, interesting, and valuable to select it as a major and career. High impact practices, such as field and research experiences, writing assignments, and place-based research, are have been proven to be effective ways to connect with students. However, implementing these practices into large, introductory courses is particularly challenging. Often times the programs and instructors teaching these courses are underserved, understaffed, and under supported. We propose that student produced audio assignments, such as podcasts, are a particularly effective and efficient pedagogical tool to address this challenging situation.

Research has shown that student-produced audio can connect remote student populations and involve high-impact practices. We believe that it can also improve other outcomes that are important for the recruitment and retention of students such as self-efficacy and personal relevance. Therefore, we designed and tested a survey to determine the pedagogical impact of student-produced audio. The researchers developed the Questionnaire Assessing Connections to Science (QuACS) to assess students’ perceptions of their learning environment, their attitudes toward science, and their engagement with science content through narratives and place-based learning opportunities. A preliminary version of the QuACS was field-tested with a sample of 495 undergraduate students during Spring 2016. Following validity and reliability analyses, the final questionnaire contains six scales each with seven items, for a total of 42 items. The six scales are Personal Relevance, Innovation, Future Intentions to Study Science, Self-Efficacy in Science, Scientific Storytelling, and Place-based Learning.

We will present the results of the survey testing and the use of student-produced audio assignments within STEM fields and the geoscience in particular.