ENGAGING STUDENTS IN INTRODUCTORY-LEVEL EARTH SCIENCE COURSES THROUGH STUDENT PRODUCED AUDIO NARRATIVES (SPAN)

Communication skills are of critical importance in the sciences and in the workplace. Communication skills are also one of the proficiencies that have been identified as being lacking in many recent graduates. In an increasingly complex and online world, many students appear to be losing touch with the oral traditions of our ancestors, the simple telling of a story. Audio provides a form of engagement different from visual mediums in that it requires the listener to engage their imagination to visualize what is being told. Being on the receiving end of audible information has an effect that is limited by the attention span of the receiver, however, being the producer of the narrative requires the full commitment of the mind. Meanwhile, it has been observed that students often bypass STEM majors because these fields are perceived as being boring, difficult and lacking any creative outlet.

In this National Science Foundation-funded project, we assigned introductory-level Earth science students at two different college campuses to produce audio narratives on scientific topics in lieu of a term paper or similar project. Students are first introduced to finding reliable sources through meeting with a campus librarian. Through the listening of pre-existing audio recordings, students are taught the basics of storytelling and how it is different from report writing, the standard method of communicating science in science courses. Finally, students are shown various audio recording programs and instructed on recording techniques, such as adding sound effects, layering tracks, etc.

Quantitative and qualitative data collection is still ongoing, but students are showing an increased level of engagement and creativity in developing audio assignments and an improvement in communication skills and apparent understanding of their chosen topics.