This work is supported by a National Science Foundation (NSF) collaboration between the Directorates for Education and Human Resources (EHR) and Geosciences (GEO) under grant DUE - 1125331

Creating Curricula for a Sustainable Future: A Team-based, Rubric-supported Approach

Anne E. Egger, Central Washington University Hannah Scherer, Virginia Tech

Transforming STEM Higher Education

AAC&U Meeting; Atlanta, GA November 7, 2014

Who are you? •  Find three other people in the room who are here for

similar reasons as you. You might ask questions like: –  Are you interested in redesigning your own course based on a

rubric? –  Are you an administrator interested in promoting curricular

redesign? –  Or perhaps simply: Why are you here?

•  Once you find your new friends, you’ll tell us why your group is here.

A 5-year community effort to improve Earth literacy and build a workforce prepared to tackle environmental and resource issues

NSF’s STEP Center in the Geosciences

InTeGrate supports integrated interdisciplinary learning about resource and environmental issues across the

undergraduate curriculum to create a sustainable and just civilization.

What is InTeGrate?

A systems model for transformation of

individuals, institutions, and the geoscience

community

Courses Programs/ Institutions

Community/ Network

Preparing students for the future Curricular materials that … •  Engage all students in a variety of settings •  Address grand challenges society is facing •  Use rigorous science •  Use best practices in learning •  Are adaptable and adoptable by instructors

How do we ensure that all of these conditions are

met in the materials we develop?

1. Design of development teams

•  Three instructors from three different institutions

•  Assessment consultant •  Web consultant •  Team leader

2. Goals are encoded in a materials design rubric

•  Guiding Principles •  Learning Objectives

and Outcomes •  Assessment and

Measurement •  Resources and

Materials •  Instructional Strategies •  Alignment

Guiding  principles  (Must  score  15/15) Points ScoreCourse/module  addresses  one  or  more  geoscience-­‐related  grand  challenges  facing  society   3Course/module  develops  student  ability  to  address  interdisciplinary  problems 3Course/module  improves  student  understanding  of  the  nature  and  methods  of  geoscience  and  developing  geoscientific  habits  of  mind 3Course/module  makes  use  of  authentic  and  credible  geoscience  data  to  learn  central  concepts  in  the  context  of  geoscience  methods  of  inquiry 3Course/module  incorporates  systems  thinking 3

Learning  objectives  (Must  score  13/15)Learning  objectives  describe  measureable  geoscience  literacy  goals 3Instructions  and/or  rubrics  provide  guidance  for  how  students  meet  learning  goals 3Learning  objectives  and  goals  are  appropriate  for  the  intended  use  of  the  course/module 3Learning  objectives  and  goals  are  clearly  stated  for  each  module  in  language  suitable  for  the  level  of  the  students 3Learning  objectives  and  goals  address  the  process  and  nature  of  science  and  development  of  scientific  habits  of  mind 3

Assessment  and  Measurement  (Must  score  13/15)Assessments  measure  the  learning  objectives 3Assessments  are  criterion  referenced 3Assessments  are  consistent  with  course  activities  and  resources  expected 3Assessments  are  sequenced,  varied  and  appropriate  to  the  content 3Assessments  address  goals  at  successively  higher  cognitive  levels 3

Resources  and  Materials  (Must  score  15/18)Instructional  materials  contribute  to  the  stated  learning  objectives 3Students  will  recognize  the  link  between  the  learning  objectives,  goals  and  the  learning  materials 3Instructional  materials  should  be  sufficiently  diverse  and  at  the  depth  necessary  for  students  to  achieve  learning  objectives  and  goals 3Materials  are  appropriately  cited 3Instructional  materials  are  current 3

Instructional  materials  and  the  technology  to  support  these  materials  are  clearly  stated 3Instructional  Strategies  (Must  score  13/15)

Learning  strategies  and  activities  support  stated  learning  objectives  and  goals 3Learning  strategies  and  activities  promote  student  engagement  with  the  materials 3Learning  activities  develop  student  metacognition 3Learning  strategies  and  activities  provide  opportunities  for  students  to  practice  communicating  geoscience 3Learning  strategies  and  activities  scaffold  learning 3

Alignment  (Must  score  5/6)Teaching  materials,  assessments,  resources  and  learning  activities  align  with  one  another 3All  aspects  of  the  module/course  are  aligned 3

Total 84

Guiding principles •  Address one or more geoscience-related grand

challenges facing society •  Develop student ability to address interdisciplinary

problems •  Improve student understanding of the nature and

methods of geoscience and developing geoscientific habits of mind

•  Make use of authentic and credible geoscience data to learn central concepts in the context of geoscience methods of inquiry

•  Develop students’ ability and propensity to use systems thinking

à geoscientific thinking skills

The Rest of the Rubric

•  Drawn from high-impact practices and research on learning

•  Based on a backward design model – Learning objectives and outcomes – Assessment and measurement – Resources and materials –  Instructional Strategies – Alignment

Hannah Scherer, Sarah Fortner, & Martha Murphy

Proposal: sustainable agriculture as an interdisciplinary grand challenge .

Foley et al., 2005

Module  development:  objec1ves    

Students build earth systems thinking by

●  Examining landscapes & geospatial

figures ●  Evaluating soil properties ●  Using technology (SoilWeb™) ●  Forecasting climate change impacts

on regional agriculture ●  Proposing solutions to meet local soil

resource challenges

Compare soil porosity & permeability before & after compaction

Module development: pedagogy ●  Practicing geoscience

communication o  Think-Pair-Share o  JigSaw o  Small Group

Collaboration o  Fact Sheet

●  Scaffolding ●  Working with authentic

data

●  Constructivist/ active learning classroom

Summative Assessment: Fact sheet

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SOIL!EROSION!CLIMATE(CHANGE!Why!Should!YOU!Take!Action?!To keep your waterways clean!

Recharge groundwater for instead of contributing to runoff!

Conserve soil to be used in agriculture and food production!

Take care of our planet!

For more information please check out

http://www.ext.vt.edu!!!!!!!!!!!or!!!!!!!www.usgs.gov!!!!!!!!

!

!Recommendations:!the!4!A’s!of!reducing!Erosion!

!

#1!Avoid!bare!soilE!plant!cover!crops!or!mulch!

around!trees!and!shrubs!

!

#2!Across!slope!tilling!instead!of!down!the!

slope!

!

#3!Add!landscaping!to!slow!down!waterE!it’s!

pretty!too!!

!

#4!Augment!soil!with!organic!matter!such!as!compost!to!improve!

quality!

!ECOLOGICAL!AGRICULTURE!

905530712!

905608652!

905502789!!

905547951!!

!

!Feasibility!of!Reducing!Erosion!in!Your!

Community!

Reducing erosion in your community can be done by following the recommendations here, and by consulting local specialists, but the feasibility of each recommendation depends on your own situation. Here are some things to keep in mind: when you improve the actual structure of soil so that the plant’s roots become healthier you can improve water infiltration which results in higher crop yields, even when faced with drought. This is feasible for smaller farms with the use of on-farm composting, but if you are a larger operation you might have to partner with a composting company. Adding cover crops during the winter months can also add to the organic matter in the soil. This practice is very easy, but will cost money in those months where revenues are lower. Another note is that the slope gradient and length of that slope on your land will affect the erosivity of the soil. The steeper the slope of your field the more erosive your soil is likely to be due to gravity contributing to the other erosivity factors. Splitting up fields into smaller ones can reduce slope and erosivity, but might not be feasible for all farms. While the field setup might not be changeable, the amount of vegetation can also increase or decrease erosivity. The more vegetation you have, especially along waterways, the less soil erosion you will have. Similarly, decreasing the use of heavy machinery in agriculture is difficult, as machinery is required in most highly efficient, abundant agriculture systems which are responsible for feeding much of the world’s population. Major infrastructure changes are possible, but will take time to implement. Educational programs to spread this knowledge are also possible, though time consuming. Irrigation is less feasible, as it is expensive and is simply depriving another area of water instead of truly fixing the problem. !

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SOIL!SUSTAINABILITY!IS!WHEN!YOU!WORK!WITH!THE!NATURAL!PROCESSES!TO!ACHIEVE!A!DESIRED!OUTCOME!FOR!THE!QUALITY!OF!SOIL!AND!CONTINUE!TO!KEEP!A!HIGH!QUALITY!INTO!THE!FUTURE.!SOME!OF!THESE!PROCESSES!INCLUDE!REDUCING!TILLAGE,!IMPROVING!CROP!ROTATIONS,!AND!PLANTING!COVER!CROPS!AND!AUGMENTING!SOIL!WITH!ORGANIC!MATTER!SUCH!AS!COMPOST!TO!IMPROVE!QUALITY.!SOIL!SUSTAINABILITY!IS!INFLUENCED!BY!SOIL!DEGRADATION!FROM!VARIOUS!FACTORS!SUCH!AS!FARMING!PRACTICES,!NATURAL!SOIL!EROSION!AND!CLIMATE!CHANGE.!FOOD!SECURITY,!SECURE!WATER!SUPPLIES,!AND!BIODIVERSITY!CONSERVATION!RESTS!ON!THE!FOUNDATION!OF!DEVELOPING!HEALTHY!AND!SUSTAINABLE!SOIL!FOR!OUR!EARTH,!MAKING!SOIL!SUSTAINABILITY!A!PRIORITY!IN!AGRICULTURE!TODAY.!

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RAINFALL!IN!MANY!HIGHLY!PRODUCTIVE!AGRICULTURAL!AREAS,!SUCH!AS!THE!MIDWESTERN!US,!IS!EXPECTED!TO!DECREASE!DUE!TO!CLIMATE!CHANGE.!ALTHOUGH!LESS!PRECIPITATION!INITIALLY!MEANS!LESS!WATER!WASHING!AWAY!SOIL,!CLIMATE!CHANGE!WILL!EVENTUALLY!INCREASE!EROSION!RATES!IN!KEY!AGRICULTURAL!AREAS.!LESS!MOISTURE!COMPROMISES!SOIL!INTEGRITY!AND!DECREASES!CROP!YIELDS,!LEADING!TO!DECREASED!ABILITY!TO!ABSORB!RAIN!WATER,!INCREASING!RUNOFF!AND!EROSION!RATES.!PRECIPITATION!INCREASES,!SUCH!AS!ARE!EXPECTED!IN!THE!EASTERN!US,!WILL!INCREASE!EROSION!MORE!IMMEDIATELY!BY!FREQUENT,!HEAVY!RAINS!CONTACTING!THE!SOIL.!SLOWING!THE!WORLD^WIDE!PHENOMENON!OF!CLIMATE!CHANGE!IS!DIFFICULT;!HOWEVER,!DECREASING!GREENHOUSE!GAS!EMISSIONS!BY!LIMITING!AGRICULTURAL!MACHINERY!AND!GENERAL!VEHICLE!AND!FOSSIL!FUEL!USE!IN!ALL!INDUSTRIES!COULD!HELP.!USING!COVER!CROPS!TO!IS!A!POTENTIAL!METHOD!FOR!MANAGING!CLIMATE!CHANGE!EFFECTS!BY!BOLSTERING!CROP!YIELDS!AND!SOIL!NUTRIENTS!AND!MOISTURE!

!

EROSIVITY!CAN!BE!DEFINED!AS!SOIL!DETACHING!OR!CRUMBLING!OFF!OF!ITSELF.!A!GOOD!WAY!TO!MANAGE!YOUR!EROSION!RATES!AND!ALLOW!WATER!TO!REACH!YOUR!PLANTS!ROOTS!IS!TO!HAVE!HIGH!ORGANIC!MATTER!CONTENT!IN!YOUR!SOIL.!ORGANIC!MATTER!IS!ONCE!LIVING!MATTER!SUCH!AS!COMPOST.!COMPOST!IS!A!SIMPLE!WAY!TO!ADD!ORGANIC!MATTER!TO!YOUR!SOILS!TEXTURE!AND!CREATE!A!MORE!FERTILE!AND!LESS!EROSIVE!FARM.!ACROSS!SLOPE!TILLING!INSTEAD!OF!DOWN!THE!SLOPE!AND!AVOIDING!BARE!SOIL!ARE!TWO!ADDITIONAL!WAYS!TO!MITIGATE.!!!

Summative assessment: evaluation

Degree  to  which  assessment  reflects  …    

Module  Learning  Goals  Fact  Sheet  Assignment  

…ability  to  use  geological  data  to  develop  a  plan  for  sustainable  soil  management  in  one  or  more  agricultural  se@ngs.  

2.5  

…ability  to  predict  agricultural  challenges  that  might  result  from  climate  change  using  systems  thinking.   2.5  

InTeGrate  Guiding  Principles  …  competence  explaining  one  or  more  geoscience-­‐related  grand  challenges  facing  society  .   3  

…  ability  to  address  interdisciplinary  problems.   2.5  …  the  nature  and  methods  of  geoscience  and  developing  geoscienJfic  habits  of  mind.   2.5  

…  use  of  authen1c  and  credible  geoscience  data  to  learn  central  concepts  in  the  context  of  geoscience  methods  of  inquiry.   3  

…  ability  to  incorporate  systems  thinking.   2.5  

Summative assessment: evaluation

Degree  to  which  assessment  reflects  …    

Module  Learning  Goals  Fact  Sheet  Assignment  

Student  Work  

…ability  to  use  geological  data  to  develop  a  plan  for  sustainable  soil  management  in  one  or  more  agricultural  se@ngs.  

2.5   2  

…ability  to  predict  agricultural  challenges  that  might  result  from  climate  change  using  systems  thinking.   2.5   2  

InTeGrate  Guiding  Principles  …  competence  explaining  one  or  more  geoscience-­‐related  grand  challenges  facing  society  .   3   3  

…  ability  to  address  interdisciplinary  problems.   2.5   2.5  …  the  nature  and  methods  of  geoscience  and  developing  geoscienJfic  habits  of  mind.   2.5   2  

…  use  of  authen1c  and  credible  geoscience  data  to  learn  central  concepts  in  the  context  of  geoscience  methods  of  inquiry.   3   2  

…  ability  to  incorporate  systems  thinking.   2.5   1.5  

Technical review and revisions: improvements to module

(SoilWeb: http://casoilresource.lawr.ucdavis.edu/)

Authentic data

(Pruski, and Nearing, 2002)

Systems thinking

(Wilkinson and McElroy, 2007)

Local context

Tour of A Growing Concern

In your like-minded groups:

•  How do you envision using faculty teams and/or the rubric in your setting?

•  What adaptations would you make? •  Be prepared to report out in 20 minutes.

Other ways we’ve used the rubric

Rubric-Structured Developer’s Meetings

Impact of Corrective Actions 2012 Teams (6) 2013-14 Teams (11)

50%

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Average Rubric Element Scores 1 Grand  Challenges2 Interdisciplinary3 Nature  of  Science4 Data  driven5 System  Thinking6 Geoscience  Outcomes7 Grading  Rubrics8 Learning  Outcomes  (LO)9 Understandable  LO's10 Scientific  Habits  Mind11 Assessments  for  LO's12 Critereon  Referenced13 LO's  Consistent  with  Course14 LO's  Sequenced  and  Varied15 Multiple  Cognitive  Levels16 Materials  Support  Goals17 Materials  Link18 Diverse  Acitivites19 References20 Current21 Technology  States22 Mutitple  Learning  Strategies23 Student  Engagement24 Metacognition25 Communicating  Science26 Scaffold  Learning27 Materials  Align28 Module  Segments  Align

Professional Development Webinars

Impact of Corrective Actions 2012 Teams (6) 2013-14 Teams (11)

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55%

60%

65%

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75%

80%

85%

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95%

100%

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28

Average Rubric Element Scores 1 Grand  Challenges2 Interdisciplinary3 Nature  of  Science4 Data  driven5 System  Thinking6 Geoscience  Outcomes7 Grading  Rubrics8 Learning  Outcomes  (LO)9 Understandable  LO's10 Scientific  Habits  Mind11 Assessments  for  LO's12 Critereon  Referenced13 LO's  Consistent  with  Course14 LO's  Sequenced  and  Varied15 Multiple  Cognitive  Levels16 Materials  Support  Goals17 Materials  Link18 Diverse  Acitivites19 References20 Current21 Technology  States22 Mutitple  Learning  Strategies23 Student  Engagement24 Metacognition25 Communicating  Science26 Scaffold  Learning27 Materials  Align28 Module  Segments  Align

Other projects have adopted it

•  GETSI (Geodesy Tools for Societal Issues): modified guiding principles slightly to focus on geodesy

•  GeoPRISMS mini-lessons

Get involved

•  Sign up for InTeGrate email news and updates

•  Consider proposing an implementation program

•  Express interest in (and come to!) the Earth Educators’ Rendezvous