Development of Environmental Geochemistry Modules Across an Earth Science Curriculum

地质学(42)这个项目在本科教学实验室中加入了新的分析仪器--一台电感耦合等离子体原子发射光谱仪和一台离子色谱仪。根据Ireton、Manduca和Mogk在“塑造本科地球科学教育的未来”(AGU，1996)中的建议，利用这些工具，我们正在调整地球科学课程，更加重视学习地球化学原理和过程。五个关键变化正在发生。(1)正在重新设计高级地球化学课程，重点放在低温和环境地球化学上。这些课程的实验室部分包括技能提高部分和项目部分。(2)项目部分是教学生制定具有实验设计的研究方案，实施研究，并分析研究结果，重点是技术写作技能。我们项目的这一部分正在改编凯瑟琳·卡尔森在东康涅狄格州立大学设计水文地球化学课程的工作，《作为学习水文地球化学和科学写作技能的教学工具的实地研究》，《地球科学教育杂志》(1999)第47卷，第150-157页。(3)我们将在地质学入门课程中增加一个基于项目的部分，让学生体验分析仪器的使用、数据收集和分析。这一特点采用了Dunnivant等人开发的方法，“为地球科学本科非专业课程设计的综合Stream研究”，地球科学教育期刊(1999)第47卷，第158-165页。学生被要求利用当地可用的地下水和地表水资源进行环境调查。(4)我们正在为荣誉课程和自主学习的本科生提供更多机会，让他们在项目中使用先进的分析技术。(5)此外，我们正在为本科生提供更多参加高级研讨会的机会。我们重新设计了这个研讨会，使之成为一门最重要的课程。目的是提高学生获取和解释地球化学数据的能力，以支持更广泛的地球科学概念和理论。

Geology (42) This project is incorporating new analytical instrumentation in undergraduate instructional laboratories -- an ICP-AES and an ion chromatograph (IC). With these instruments, we are restructuring the Earth Science curriculum, putting more emphasis on learning geochemical principles and processes, following the recommendations in Ireton, Manduca, and Mogk, "Shaping the Future of Undergraduate Earth Science Education" (AGU, 1996). Five key changes are taking place. (1) Upper-level courses in geochemistry are being redesigned to focus on low-temperature and environmental geochemistry. The laboratory component to these courses includes a skills enhancement component and a project component. (2) The project component is teaching students to develop a research proposal with an experimental design, to implement the research, and to analyze the research findings with an emphasis on technical writing skills. This part of our project is adapting the work of Catherine Carlson in designing a hydro-geochemistry course at Eastern Connecticut State University, "Field Research as a Pedagogical Tool for Learning Hydrogeochemistry and Scientific Writing Skills," Journal of Geoscience Education (1999) Vol. 47, pp. 150-157. (3) We are adding a project-based component to the introductory geology course, giving students experience in the use of analytical instruments, data collection, and analysis. This feature is adapting the approach developed by Dunnivant et al., "A Comprehensive Stream Study Designed for an Undergraduate Non-Majors Course in Earth Science," Journal of Geoscience Education (1999) Vol. 47, pp. 158-165. Students are required to undertake an environmental investigation using locally available groundwater and surface water resources. (4) We are providing enhanced opportunities for undergraduates in the honors program and in independent study to use advanced analytical techniques in their projects. (5) In addition we are providing enhanced opportunities for undergraduates in the senior seminar. We have redesigned this seminar to be a capstone course. The objective is to increase students' ability acquire and interpret geochemical data in support of broader earth science concepts and theories.