Interactive Earth Systems - A Curriculum and Course Development Project

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Six faculty members from several departments are developing a multidisciplinary two term course sequence titled "Interactive Earth Systems". The two courses at the introductory level, are intended to help beginning college students understand that scientific knowledge is applicable to their lives and is important for contemporary human society. Students are introduced to an understanding of the evolving earth and its environments via four key concepts, each introduced by a specific case study: the nature of earth systems and interactions; cycles and flows in the earth systems; long time- scale changes; and human interactions and catastrophic events. A special feature of the design is the use of individual modules of learning, each constructed on a specific topic. Each module consists of two one-hour lectures each week and two two- hour sessions in which the students solve specific problems or answer specific questions in small cooperative groups of 3-4 students. Students taking these courses are gaining an understanding of the scientific laws governing changes in the natural world and the human implications of global changes.