Pilot Project for Research in Visualization for Geoscience Education

洛佩兹(0607195)地球科学教育可视化研究试点项目这个试点项目将调查地球和空间科学教育中选定主题中可视化的认知方面，并探索哪些可视化策略对学生的学习和理解有最大的积极影响。可视化是教授基本地球科学概念的常用工具，但学生们从中学到了什么，或者他们在传达正确信息方面的有效性还没有得到很好的记录。在物理学和天文学领域类似研究的基础上，该项目将进行研究，比较学生在使用2-D和3-D可视化教学时或在使用多种视觉表示法时学习常见地球科学概念的情况。这项研究还将探索学生如何解释(或曲解)广泛使用的地球科学教学视觉效果。测试前和测试后的比较将记录学生的理解及其与教学材料有效性的关系。录像访谈和分析将有助于澄清学生在解释形象化时的思维。研究将在佛罗里达理工学院的全球课程和天文学入门课程序列中进行，该课程由一群背景差异很大的学生(包括许多入职前教师)参加。这项研究的结果将改善佛罗里达理工学院的地球科学教育，特别是对参加全球课程的职前教师。

Lopez (0607195)Pilot Project for Research in Visualization for Geoscience EducationThis pilot project will investigate the cognitive aspects of visualization in selected topics in Earth and Space Science education, and explore which visualization strategies have the greatest positive effect on student learning and comprehension. Visualizations are a common tool for teaching fundamental geoscience concepts and yet what students learn from them or how effective they are at conveying correct information is as yet poorly documented. Building on similar research within the physics and astronomy communities, this project will conduct studies that compare how well students learn common geoscience concepts when they are taught using 2-D versus 3-D visualizations or when multiple visual representations are used. The study will also explore how students interpret (or misinterpret) widely used geoscience teaching visuals. Pre- and post-testing comparisons will be document student comprehension and how it relates to the effectiveness of instructional materials. Videotaped interviews and analysis will help to clarify student thinking as they interpret visualizations. Studies will be conducted in both the Florida Institute of Technologys Whole Earth course, taken by a disparate group of students with highly variable background (including many who are pre-service teachers), and the introductory Astronomy course sequence. The results of this research will lead to improved geoscience education at Florida Tech, particularly for the pre-service teachers participating in the Whole Earth Course.