7123 Views (as of 05/2023)
  1. Cathryn Manduca
  2. https://serc.carleton.edu/serc/cathy.html
  3. Director
  4. Presenter’s NSFRESOURCECENTERS
  5. SERC at Carleton College, NAGT
  1. Timothy Bralower
  2. http://www.geosc.psu.edu/academic-faculty/bralower-timothy
  3. Professor
  4. Presenter’s NSFRESOURCECENTERS
  5. Pennsylvania State University
  1. Anne Egger
  2. http://www.geology.cwu.edu/facstaff/egger/
  3. Associate Professor
  4. Presenter’s NSFRESOURCECENTERS
  5. Central Washington University
  1. Cailin Huyck Orr
  2. https://serc.carleton.edu/serc/cailin.html
  3. Assistant Director
  4. Presenter’s NSFRESOURCECENTERS
  5. SERC at Carleton College

InTeGrate

NSF Awards: 1125331

2018 (see original presentation & discussion)

Undergraduate

By the time today's undergraduates send their children to college, there will be more than eight billion people on Earth. Our climate will be punctuated by extreme weather events, metropolitan areas may have experienced a devastating earthquake or volcanic eruption and energy resources will be strained. This world requires both an Earth literate public and a workforce that can bring geoscience to bear on tough societal issues. Achieving these goals requires a revolution in how geo-education is perceived and practiced, as well as the roles that learning about the Earth play in the broader curriculum in institutions of higher education.

The InTeGrate STEP Center is a community effort developing materials and strategies for faculty and instructors teaching about Earth for a sustainable future and supporting sustainability beyond the classroom by developing models for programmatic change at the departmental or institutional level.  InTeGrate materials engage students in understanding the earth system as it intertwines with key societal issues. They challenge students to address interdisciplinary problems, engage in geoscientific habits of mind, work with authentic geoscience data and develop system thinking. Our strong and growing community of educators are adopting and adapting the InTeGrate materials and approaches to bring learning about Earth into novel, interdisciplinary settings across the country, working together to connect sustainability to the world we live in.

Learn more about InTeGrate and explore the teaching materials and program models: serc.carleton.edu/integrate

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Discussion from the 2018 STEM for All Video Showcase (22 posts)
  • Icon for: Cailin Huyck Orr

    Cailin Huyck Orr

    Co-Presenter
    Assistant Director
    May 13, 2018 | 08:49 p.m.
    Welcome! InTeGrate is a community-based program that has taken a systems approach to improving teaching and learning about Earth in the context of sustainability. Our collaborative community includes faculty in the sciences and other disciplines, educational specialists, and evaluation experts at a diverse group of institutions. The teaching materials, modules and courses, referenced in the video are available on the website, along detailed program models for instigating and sustaining change at scales bigger than a course and information about how the InTeGrate materials and approach can impact student attitudes and learning.
    https://serc.carleton.edu/integrate/index.html   We are coming to the end of the project timeline, but continue to offer webinars and workshops for those teaching about Earth, including the annual Earth Educator's Rendezvous. See opportunities to participate here.
    https://serc.carleton.edu/integrate/participate/index.html

    As you view our video, we're interested in your ideas about engaging community members online to support each other in teaching with new materials or using new methods. Where do you go online to talk to other educators, and why is that your go to 'place'?
  • Icon for: William Spitzer

    William Spitzer

    Facilitator
    Vice President
    May 14, 2018 | 09:44 a.m.

    It's great that as you are nearing the end of your project you are thinking about how to sustain community engagement!

     

    It sounds like you have had a real impact in introducing and spreading innovation in undergraduate teaching, which is not an easy task. Based on your experience and program evaluation, what strategies do you think have been most effective for promoting adoption of new teaching techniques?

  • Icon for: Anne Egger

    Anne Egger

    Co-Presenter
    Associate Professor
    May 14, 2018 | 10:15 a.m.

    Hi William, 

    That's a good question. We've done at least two things at different scales that have been effective:

    • For the authors of the materials, professional development was embedded in the work and sustained over at least two years; they effectively became part of a professional learning community that supported them in not only developing new curricular materials but in enhancing their own teaching practice. 
    • The authors themselves are a relatively small group, but all of the materials we developed that are available online are built using evidence-based teaching techniques, and the why and how of these is described in detail, which lowers the barrier for adoption for a much broader group.

    Other presenters can chime in here with more things we've done, but those are two that are centered on the materials development part of the project.  

     
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    Discussion is closed. Upvoting is no longer available

    Billy Spitzer
  • Icon for: Cailin Huyck Orr

    Cailin Huyck Orr

    Co-Presenter
    Assistant Director
    May 14, 2018 | 11:25 a.m.


    That's a great question and an ongoing area of research for the project. InTeGrate has taken a multi-faceted approach to reaching educators and providing follow up support including face-to-face workshops, virtual workshops and webinars, the website and online discussions, and traveling workshops in partnership with the NAGT. We're learning how the InTeGrate community is acting as a community of practice, promoting use of the materials and also the guiding principles and pedagogy the materials are built on.  So far the biggest aggregations of InTeGrate adopters are at institutions where local leaders initiated implementation programs. These projects were proposed by community members, and supported by InTeGrate, to instigate change at scales bigger than a course using InTeGrate materials and principles. Our community is still expanding as we are able to reach new groups of faculty members, especially through meetings like the Earth Educator's Rendezvous and making more explicit connections to the Next Generation Science Standards.


    More information about the impact of the project is here:
    https://serc.carleton.edu/integrate/about/pubs....


    Kim Kastens and Cathy Manduca's recent article in Change: Leveraging the Power of a Community of Practice to Improve Teaching and Learning about the Earth
    https://doi.org/10.1080/00091383.2017.1398997


     
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    Discussion is closed. Upvoting is no longer available

    Billy Spitzer
  • Icon for: Sandra Laursen

    Sandra Laursen

    Researcher
    May 16, 2018 | 09:08 a.m.

    The digital library model of putting stuff out there (no matter how good it is) and expecting that 'if you build it they will come' has failed numerous times. It seems that InTeGrate and its predecessors have been unusually successful in this because the PD is embedded.  Cailin's comment that the biggest aggregations come at institutions where there is a local leader is another good clue about the importance of people power.  It would be great to know about the approaches these local leaders are using to engage others.  Do one or a few intriguing activities serve as a foot in the door for broader course revisions?  Are students carrying useful skills or Earth insights to another course? Do local leaders plan a strategy or seize teachable moments with colleagues? 

     
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    Discussion is closed. Upvoting is no longer available

    Donna Charlevoix
    Claire Pillsbury
  • Icon for: Cailin Huyck Orr

    Cailin Huyck Orr

    Co-Presenter
    Assistant Director
    May 16, 2018 | 09:56 a.m.

    Thank you for this comment! I think you're right. The InTeGrate model was based on a system approach to help overcome the issue you're describing. The 'we' that built the and tested materials is the community of users, with guidance and support from InTeGrate.

    The Implementation Programs are focused on making changes at scales larger than a course, so only some focused on course revision. The 16 program have goals and work at various scales from multiple departments across a campus, to cooperation between institutions in a community, to teacher preparation programs from institutions across a state. This was intentional to help the community imagine a broad range of possible innovations.  Each of the leaders has written about what they think were the most important elements in 'making change happen' in their specific program. You can see what they've written on the individual program profile pages.There are themes that recur, like having a common vision, meeting on a regular basis to support each other, and finding ways to showcase their work to their institutions.

    Following their work with InTeGrate, the leaders came together to write a synthesis of lessons learned from across the 16 projects and the resulting toolkit includes a section on 'making change happen' along with four other themes including Attracting and supporting diverse learners, Teaching across the curriculum, Building connections to strengthen K-12 teaching and Supporting transitions to workforce, transfer and careers. This synthesis is based on their experience and links out to examples from all the implementation programs.

  • Icon for: Julianne Mueller-Northcott

    Julianne Mueller-Northcott

    Facilitator
    Science Teacher
    May 15, 2018 | 12:00 p.m.

     I love the interdisciplinary approach and the summative assessment project for students where they redevelop an area to make it more sustainable. Is there a community connection where students take the next step and propose their suggestions to an authentic audience? 

     
    1
    Discussion is closed. Upvoting is no longer available

    Claire Pillsbury
  • Icon for: Anne Egger

    Anne Egger

    Co-Presenter
    Associate Professor
    May 15, 2018 | 12:25 p.m.

    Thanks for asking! InTeGrate authors developed several different modules and courses that could involve working with an authentic community audience. In many cases, these types of engagements are given as suggestions, since the materials are meant to be widely adaptable and adoptable, but the summative assessments are designed to be used in that way. For example:

    • In the summative assessment for the module Major Storms and Community Resilience, students prepare for and participate in a town hall meeting, where they evaluate their community's Hazard Mitigation Plan.
    • In the module Map Your Hazards, students develop presentations in which they describe the results of their mapping of hazards, vulnerabilities, and risks, taking into account that different stakeholder groups might have different backgrounds, interests, and concerns. 
    • In the module Lead in the Environment, the summative assessment involves developing a policy memo recommending a particular course of action for a local community with regard to lead exposure;  that could be shared with a local community.

    Many other modules and courses have activities that could be adapted to working directly with local communities. 

  • Icon for: Cailin Huyck Orr

    Cailin Huyck Orr

    Co-Presenter
    Assistant Director
    May 15, 2018 | 12:34 p.m.

    The curricular modules all make the connection between the Earth system and societal issues and we have examples of instructors making a direct connection to their local communities at the course scale and at the program scale. There isn't a prescribed way this happens across the project, but people have provided stories and details about the work they've done in their local contexts to give others ideas about how to replicate or expand on what they've done.

    Martha Richmond at Suffolk University taught Lead in the Environment and had her students present to the mayor. Her instructor story is here:
    https://serc.carleton.edu/integrate/teaching_ma...

    Sarah Fortner lead an implementation program at Wittenberg University where they created a new First Year experience that connected course-based projects with community partners:
    https://serc.carleton.edu/integrate/programs/im...

     

  • Icon for: Julianne Mueller-Northcott

    Julianne Mueller-Northcott

    Facilitator
    Science Teacher
    May 15, 2018 | 01:52 p.m.

    Wow! These are awesome examples and serve as great examples for others wanting to create similar experiences for their students. Thank you!

  • Icon for: Cathryn Manduca

    Cathryn Manduca

    Lead Presenter
    Director
    May 16, 2018 | 10:04 a.m.

    InTeGrate is part of the EarthConnections INCLUDES Design and Development Launch Pilot.  EarthConnections builds on the InTeGrate model by making the connection to work in the community explicit.  Learn more: http://stemforall2018.videohall.com/presentatio...

  • Icon for: Claire Pillsbury

    Claire Pillsbury

    Facilitator
    Program Director
    May 15, 2018 | 01:15 p.m.

     What a timely and interesting project of great relevance to students and their local communities.   Are these curric materials used more in special topic geoscience classes or can they be easily integrated into introductary geoscience classes?  I agree with some of the other comments that it would be terrific if whenever possible, there was an opportunity after students have gone through these activities to apply them to real world situations, the next level of interdisciplinarity with social, political, economic factors at play.

     

  • Icon for: Timothy Bralower

    Timothy Bralower

    Co-Presenter
    Professor
    May 15, 2018 | 01:34 p.m.

    Hi, Claire:

    We have a range of materials for intro modules and courses both face-to-face and online. You can check out the materials here:

    https://serc.carleton.edu/integrate/teaching_ma...

    The courses are all modular to you can mix and match modules. The materials were all written with the same design principles so they fit well together.

    Almost all of the courses use real world data sets. Two of the guiding principles were to have the students learn about complexity and big data so we use real data wherever possible. In the online courses that I was involved in we have Capstone activities based on such data for example in the Water Science and Society course we have students look at hydro data for a city which has a challenging water situation and to think about policy issues for that location.

  • Icon for: Cailin Huyck Orr

    Cailin Huyck Orr

    Co-Presenter
    Assistant Director
    May 15, 2018 | 01:56 p.m.

    You might also be interested that, of the 112 materials authors, 30% were geologists, 29% environmental scientists, 10% from education and the humanities combined. The balance were mostly from other STEM disciplines. The first 1,200 participants in the InTeGrate community were 40% geoscientists and 60% people from other disciplines. So the materials are also being used broadly outside of geoscience.

  • Icon for: Claire Pillsbury

    Claire Pillsbury

    Facilitator
    Program Director
    May 16, 2018 | 01:54 p.m.

    Thanks Cailin - encouraging to read that it is an interdisciplinary resource!

     

  • Icon for: Miyoko Chu

    Miyoko Chu

    Senior Director of Communications
    May 15, 2018 | 10:16 p.m.

    Thank you for this interdisciplinary project that helps our next generation of science leaders think about these critical issues for society, the environment, and sustainability!

  • Icon for: Gretal Leibnitz

    Gretal Leibnitz

    TECAID PI & Project Director
    May 16, 2018 | 01:43 p.m.

    Hi Cailin!

    In your comments above, you say, "We're learning how the InTeGrate community is acting as a community of practice, promoting use of the materials and also the guiding principles and pedagogy the materials are built on."  I am curious, is this community of practice formal or informal?  If formal, can other faculty new to this work join?

    Also, I understand from Cathryn's comment that "InTeGrate is part of the EarthConnections INCLUDES Design and Development Launch Pilot."  This is fabulous!  AND I am wondering about collaborations with entities like the Center for Integration of Research Teaching and Learning (CIRTL) that targets preparing future STEM faculty.  Your work sounds like an incredible resource for not only current faculty but helping prepare future faculty.  Thoughts?

    Warmly,

    Gretal

  • Icon for: Cailin Huyck Orr

    Cailin Huyck Orr

    Co-Presenter
    Assistant Director
    May 16, 2018 | 02:28 p.m.

    Hi Gretal,

    Thank you for these comments! The project external evaluator Kim Kastens and lead Cathy Manduca published an article in Change recently about the community of practice that starts with a definition of the CoP. The model certainly includes opportunities for new people to join and InTeGrate has seen exponential growth in participation.

    Change: Leveraging the Power of a Community of Practice to Improve Teaching and Learning about the Earth
    https://doi.org/10.1080/00091383.2017.1398997

    Cathy can comment more directly about collaborations with EarthConnections, but there is a lot of potential to work with groups like CIRTL.  We've made InTeGrate resources available to future faculty through the NAGT sponsored Preparing for an Academic Career program that runs at the Earth Educator's Rendezvous and the Workshop for Early Career Faculty.

  • Icon for: Cathryn Manduca

    Cathryn Manduca

    Lead Presenter
    Director
    May 16, 2018 | 02:24 p.m.

    SERC and NAGT are both  collaborators with several CIRTL activities.  We have both a large collection of pedagogic resources suitable for STEM and can complement their work with disciplinary activites including the annual Early Career  Workshop for Geoscience Faculty.  Learn more: https://nagt.org/nagt/profdev/workshops.html (geoscience) and https://serc.carleton.edu/highered/index.html (For Higher Ed)

  • Icon for: William Spitzer

    William Spitzer

    Facilitator
    Vice President
    May 17, 2018 | 08:03 a.m.

    Thanks Cathy and Caitlin, it is so helpful to hear about the details of the work and all the collaborations involved to make it successful.

  • Icon for: Jillian Conry

    Jillian Conry

    Graduate Student
    May 21, 2018 | 10:00 a.m.

    Thank you for sharing your project. Your interdisciplinary approach and clear attention to instructors' needs is refreshing. I will certainly share this lovely resource. I am wondering if any of the modules use GIS? In a course I took that required us to solve a problem in a nearby area undergoing redevelopment, GIS mapping really helped me see the community through various lenses and from past, present, and projected perspectives. It strikes me that this might benefit students as they work on the summative project.

  • Icon for: Cailin Huyck Orr

    Cailin Huyck Orr

    Co-Presenter
    Assistant Director
    May 21, 2018 | 10:39 a.m.

    Hi Jillian,

    Is this something you're interested in building on in your own teaching?

    Several of the modules have units that include use of GIS including The Wicked Problem of Global Food Security, Coastal Hazards, Processes and Society, Map Your Hazards, and Water Science and Society. If you search the site for GIS you will also come up with these and also essays instructors have written on using GIS in their classes, beyond the modules. For example this essay written by Abu Badruddin from Cayuga County Community College about using GIS to investigate environmental justice.

  • Further posting is closed as the event has ended.