Using GIS Technology for Earth Systems-level Analyses

地球系统科学（40）根据美国国家科学基金会1996年的报告“塑造未来”，本科生的首要目标是直接体验调查的方法和过程。目前，在许多高校，非理科专业学生倾向于通过学习为专业设计的低年级内容为基础的科学课程来满足通识教育的科学要求。在这些类型的普通教育班的学生很少有机会体验开放式的调查，旨在发展科学推理或调查当地重要的，在地球系统层面的科学相关的问题。我们需要一个课程框架，可以作为理解和分析地球系统水平的科学概念的基础，可以纳入最早阶段的本科教育。我们对非专业科学课程的愿景是在地球系统过程的背景下，使用标准工业技术和计算机程序综合科学概念和推理。该项目的重点是将技术带入普通教育科学课堂。正在设计和评估一个跨学科的技术课程，该课程使本科非理科专业的学生参与地球系统水平的调查和研究。最近在波特兰州立大学的通识教育计划（UNST）的工作表明，地理信息系统可以是一个有吸引力的和有用的工具，教地球系统的本科通识教育的学生。然而，遇到的问题是缺乏一个统一的流域覆盖数据库，该数据库与易于理解的课程相关联。到目前为止，教师搜索，然后剪辑个人覆盖面和工作的可用信息到课堂活动。我们的目标是研究，选择和地理参考适当的环境“覆盖范围”内的哥伦比亚河流域，并制作和评估课程，以确定其能力，推进学生对流域和水质的系统性理解。其成果将是一个光盘，其中有适当的覆盖面、数据集、模块指令和教师课程。之所以选择哥伦比亚河流域（CRB），是因为UNST内有一系列以CRB为中心的通识教育课程，并且有大量的目标受众在PSU和整个地区测试课程。在成功完成项目的这一阶段后，可通过与其他机构的伙伴关系，为北美其他大流域编制类似的覆盖面和课程，供全国传播。

Earth Systems Science (40) According to the National Science Foundation's 1996 report "Shaping the Future," the overarching goal for undergraduate students is to directly experience the methods and processes of inquiry. At present, at many colleges non-science majors tend to meet general education science requirements by taking lower division content-based science courses designed for majors. Students in these types of general education classes seldom have the opportunity to experience open-ended inquiry geared towards developing scientific reasoning or to investigate locally significant, scientifically relevant questions at the earth systems level. We need a curricular framework that can be used as the foundation for understanding and analyzing scientific concepts at the earth systems level which can be incorporated into the earliest stages undergraduate education. Our vision of a science curriculum for non-majors is one that synthesizes scientific concepts and reasoning using standard industry technology and computer programs within the context of earth system processes. This project focuses on bringing technology to the general education science classroom. An interdisciplinary technology-based curriculum is being designed and assessed, which engages undergraduate non-science majors in earth systems level inquiry and research. Recent work at Portland State University in their general education program (UNST) has shown that Geographic Information Systems can be an engaging and useful tool for teaching earth systems to undergraduate general education students. The problem encountered though is the lack of a unified database of coverages for watersheds that is tied to an easily understandable curriculum. Until now, instructors searched for then clipped individual coverages and worked the available information into classroom activities. Our objectives are to research, select and geo-reference appropriate environmental "coverages" within the Columbia River Basin and to produce and evaluate a curriculum to determine its ability to advance students towards a systematic understanding of watersheds and water quality. The outcome will be a CD ROM with appropriate coverages, data sets, modular instructions and a teacher's curriculum. The Columbia River Basin (CRB) was chosen because there are a series of general education courses within UNST that center around the CRB and a large target audience for testing the curriculum within PSU and region wide. Upon successful completion of this phase of the project, similar coverages and curriculum can be developed for national dissemination for additional large watersheds within North America through partnerships with other institutions.