MATH AND STATISTICS MODULES FOR MAJORS-LEVEL EARTH SCIENCE COURSES TO SUPPORT STUDENTS AND FACULTY

Strong quantitative skills help students succeed in Earth science, but students enter traditional courses with wide variation in their math experience and comfort; these courses often lack the time or resources needed to provide in-depth practice and math skill development. The Math Your Earth Science Majors Need is addressing this challenge by developing a suite of 14 online co-curricular math and statistics modules. The math modules include topics such as exponential equations, logarithms, log-log graphs, ternary diagrams, vectors, orders of magnitude, and scientific notation; the statistics modules include linear regression, correlation, descriptive statistics, probability, calculating uncertainty, and histograms. Each module includes an example problem page, a practice problems page, and an instructor page. The modules are designed for self-paced, asynchronous learning, and use real-world Earth science examples to illustrate concepts and offer students practice in applying math in Earth science contexts. Each module includes a set of quizzes that can be used through Wamap, an open-source math learning management system.

The project aims to bridge the gap between generic math proficiency and applied Earth science problems by providing targeted support for students with varying math backgrounds. The modules have the potential to broaden access to Earth science and create a community of educators focused on fostering quantitative literacy in Earth science education.

Each module was created by a two-person author team during materials development workshops. The authors span the disciplinary breadth of the Earth sciences and are from different institution types. The first eight modules have been tested, revised, and published. The second set of six modules will undergo testing during the upcoming academic year.