Collaborative Research: Community Development of an Expanded Geoscience Concept Inventory: A Webcenter for Question Generation, Validation and Online Testing

学生对地质过程有什么理解？教学是否会影响学生的观念？如果是，又是如何影响的？许多学生可以背诵常用术语，并权威地谈论板块构造等重要概念，但新出现的研究表明，很少有学生真正理解潜在概念。在这个项目中，我们正在修订和扩大地球科学概念清单(GCI)，这是一项全面的多项选择测试，评估地球科学中最重要的概念的潜在基础。这份清单上的问题和答案都经过了广泛的研究和统计分析，以确定哪些非科学观念在入门级大学生中最普遍，问题是否措辞得当，是否存在任何意想不到的偏见。归根结底，地球科学概念清单中包含的问题和错误回答不会是科学家发明的，而是基于学生普遍持有的误解。全国各地的教师将能够通过网络中心访问和定制库存，并将他们的课程与全国各地的学生进行比较。有兴趣为GCI发展作出贡献的地质学家也有机会参加探讨问题发展战略的研讨会。我们让地球科学界参与GCI扩展的努力正在成为其他STEM学科和研究人员的典范。

What do students understand about geological processes? Does instruction impact student conceptions, and if so, how? Many students can recite common terminology and speak authoritatively about such important concepts as plate tectonics, but emerging research suggests that very few students truly understand underlying concepts. Within this project, we are revising and expanding the Geoscience Concept Inventory (GCI), a comprehensive multiple-choice test that assesses underlying foundations of the most important concepts in Earth Science. Both the questions and the answers on this inventory are subject to extensive research and statistical analysis to determine which non-scientific ideas are most prevalent in entry-level college students, if questions are worded appropriately, and if there are any unexpected biases. Ultimately, questions and incorrect responses included in the Geoscience Concept Inventory will not be invented by scientists but will be based on commonly held student misconceptions. Faculty nationwide will be able to access and customize the inventory through a webcenter, and compare their courses against students across the nation. Geologists interested in contributing to GCI development also have the opportunity to participate in workshops exploring question development strategies. Our efforts to involve the geoscience community in GCI expansion are serving as a model for other STEM disciplines and researchers.