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了解？教学是否会影响学生的观念，如果是，是如何影响的？许多学生可以背诵常见的术语，并以作者的身份谈论板块构造等重要概念，但新兴的研究表明，很少有学生真正理解基本概念。在这个项目中，我们正在修订和扩展地球科学概念清单（GCI），这是一个全面的多项选择测试，用于评估地球科学中最重要概念的基础。这个清单上的问题和答案都经过了广泛的研究和统计分析，以确定哪些非科学思想在入门级大学生中最普遍，问题是否措辞恰当，以及是否有任何意想不到的偏见。 最终，地球科学概念清单中包含的问题和不正确的回答将不是科学家发明的，而是基于学生普遍持有的误解。 全国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。有兴趣为全球通信基础设施的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讲习班。我们努力让地球科学界参与GCI扩展，为其他STEM学科和研究人员树立了榜样。

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.