A New Approach to Earth and Environmental Science Undergraduate Instruction

哥伦比亚地质科学系和巴纳德环境科学系正在开发一个地球和环境科学的新课程，该课程以哥伦比亚、巴纳德、师范学院、拉蒙特-多尔蒂地球观测站和美国航天局/戈达德空间研究所的知识和信息资源为基础。 这个为期两年的项目涉及一个多学科的介绍性核心课程的设计，地质学和环境科学专业。这三个学期的核心，同时服务于巴纳德和哥伦比亚，侧重于三个相互作用的全球系统：岩石圈，气候系统和生物圈。通过将巴纳德学院的入门课程与哥伦比亚学院的课程合并，妇女成为这一强化课程的主要目标受众 该核心采用了访问、分析和传输信息的新技术，从而缩短了研究科学家和本科生之间的信息路径。 目前正在开发一个电子图书馆，其中包括数据、文本、模型、图形和分析工具。通过这个电子图书馆，学生可以探索这三个系统和过程中运行的特点和它们之间。设计团队，从哥伦比亚社区内聚集在一起，制定和实施课程修订，从事各种各样的科学家和教育工作者在这个过程中。

Columbia's Department of Geological Sciences and Barnard's Department of Environmental Science are in the process of developing a new curriculum in Earth and Environmental Science that builds on the intellectual and information resources of Columbia, Barnard, Teachers College, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory and the NASA/Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS). This two-year project involves design of a multidisciplinary introductory core curriculum, for both geology and environmental science majors. This three semester core, serving both Barnard and Columbia, focuses on three interacting global systems: the lithosphere, the climate system, and the biosphere. Women form a key target audience of this enhanced curriculum, through merging of the Barnard introductory sequence with that of Columbia The core incorporates new technologies for accessing, analyzing and transmitting information, thus shortening the information path between research scientist and undergraduate. An electronic library containing data, text, models, graphics and analytical tools is being developed. Through this electronic library students can explore features of the three systems and processes that operate within and among them. The design team, brought together from within the Columbia community to develop and implement the curricular revisions, engages a wide variety of scientists and educators in the process.