DISCIPLINE-BASED PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND MENTORING AS A CATALYST FOR TRANSFORMATIONAL CHANGE IN TEACHING PRACTICE

To make changes within college science departments, sometimes it simply takes professional development (PD) opportunities that not only increase knowledge and provide activities, but inspire instructors and provide mentor support. While the initial faculty goal of the MSI-REaCH (Reconstructing Earth’s Climate History) PD was to increase knowledge and integrate authentic data into classes, it became a catalyst for transformational change. Data activities that use ODP/IODP sediment core and SST data from the MSI-REaCH and GEODE programs, and activities from Ocean Observatories were integrated into introductory face-to-face (FTF) and online ocean science courses. The goals were to 1) introduce students to underwater technology and sampling methods, 2) make science data accessible to non-STEM and STEM majors, 3) teach scientific uncertainty, 4) reinforce the scientific process and fundamental concepts while 5) making interdisciplinary connections. Activities in the FTF classes included group data activities with class discussion while online activities were modified with added background material, detailed screen print instructions and divided into shorter discrete activities without any discussions. In both the online and FTF classes, the students gained a deeper understanding of sampling methods, equipment, the scientific process, general concepts and inter-relationship between topics. Two new courses were designed and integrated into the curriculum, an Honors Oceanography and an Interdisciplinary Undergraduate Research course, both using additional activities from NSF funded programs (MSI-REaCH, OOI and InTeGrate). In an effort to increase using authentic data across geoscience classes, activities and Faculty experiences were presented at an In-service with a repository created within the college LMS for faculty to share and collaborate. The next steps planned are to research and apply for grant funding to support undergraduate student research at 2YC's. PD designed with content, active teaching methods and time for colleagues to discuss future use of the activities and strategies can lead to greater adoption of activities. Since time is often a constraint after PD, creating an action plan with timeline and having mentors can assist faculty to make greater changes at their institutions.