REFLECTIONS OF IMPLEMENTING INVESTIGATION AND DESIGN CURRICULUM IN GEOSCIENCE COURSES: LESSONS LEARNED IN CREATING AN EQUITABLE LEARNING COMMUNITY

The NSF-funded Teaching with Investigation and Design (TIDeS) aims to develop curriculum where students learn science by planning investigations in which they ask questions, collect and analyze data, construct and communicate explanations. To date, curriculum for two full courses has been developed and piloted for Earth science and Physical science. The materials have been guided by and reviewed against a detailed curriculum development rubric that embeds scientific investigation and design with cultivating an equitable learning environment, addressing problems relevant to students using real-world data and models that reflect actual scientific practices. Similar to other geoscience curriculum rubrics (e.g., InTeGrate), it is divided into: guiding principles, learning objectives, assessment, resources and materials, instructional strategies, and alignment (https://serc.carleton.edu/249758).

As part of the evaluation of these materials, faculty provided written reflections of the development and implementation of the materials in relation to the rubric. Moreover, independent reviewers provided guidance on the curriculum using the rubric. Open-ended responses from the independent reviewers and the faculty underscored what aspects of the materials were likely to strengthen an instructor’s ability to create an equitable learning community and what challenges might be encountered with such approaches. Two examples reveal the trade-offs: 1) utilizing group work and 2) implementing ‘scientist spotlights.’ Faculty reported that giving opportunities for students to work together in class and share ideas was effective in fostering a learning community. Reviewers noted group brainstorming and jigsaw activities as strengths for engaging all students in the investigation. In implementation faculty identified the need for adequate skill development to ensure that students who may not have had the prior experience are able to contribute to group work and not fall behind. In 'scientist spotlights', faculty reported that students identified personal connections with some of the scientists featured. Reviewers noted this strategy as a strength and also cautioned that such materials not imply that for a diverse individual to become a scientist, they always need to overcome obstacles and accomplishments should also be stressed.