UNDERSTANDING THE NEEDS OF FACULTY FOR TEACHING UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS IN THE WATER SCIENCES

Undergraduate education about water resources is a crucial endeavor that involves faculty from diverse disciplines, as well as meaningful learning experiences for students that allow them to actively engage with various kinds of research experiences and understanding of water-related needs in various contexts. In 2022, the Consortium of Universities for the Advancement of Hydrologic Science (CUAHSI) launched a national survey to better understand the needs of faculty who teach water science to undergraduate students. The survey consisted of 56 questions which included a mixture of short-answer, multiple-choice, Likert, and long form. Here, we present the preliminary results of the survey from N = 95 respondents from doctoral-granting institutions (57%), liberal arts colleges (19%), master-granting institutions (18%), community colleges (2%), other 2-year colleges (1%), and others (3%). We obtained an aggregate score denominated “Teaching skills total score” based on 10 items that asked about respondents’ perceived abilities with teaching about water resources using a Likert scale of 1 = Novice to 5 = Expert. We conducted a Friedman test to evaluate the differences between each item of the aggregate score. We also conducted t-tests and ANOVAs to evaluate differences between demographic groups for the aggregate score. The results showed that the instructors’ Teaching skills total score was moderate (M = 38, SD = 7, Min = 19, Max=50). Instructors may need support to i) better identify and implement meaningful student-centered instructional strategies, ii) to better help students use evidence to formulate claims about water-related phenomena, iii) to better help students make connections between classroom learning and their daily lives and experiences, and iv) to design and use summative assessments. The results also highlight the importance of providing support to early career instructors and graduate students to improve their teaching skills related to water resources, and to provide funding to support research that involves undergraduate students. In the follow-on months, CUAHSI will implement a collaborative session with participants to further evaluate their teaching needs. The study can provide insights for the improvement of undergraduate water education to support students’ success.