Integrating Earth and Environmental Science Education into a Business Curriculum Using Technology Enhanced Learning

该项目将为商科学生提供互动的教育体验，通过技术增强的、基于问题的学习，将他们的科学选修课直接与商业课程联系起来。该项目将(1)通过为科学和商业教师举办一系列夏季讲习班，开发新的跨学科主动学习课程模块，推动地球和环境科学及相关课程与商业课程的教学整合；(2)结合大学最近在环境和地球化学领域以及实验室分析仪器方面的投资，创建新的技术增强型课堂和实验室活动；(3)评估在实施技术创新、多学科课程改进和新的主动学习课程模块期间和之后的课程改进的有效性。这些学习模块将涉及可持续性主题，如水资源、全球气候变化、环境危害、能源和矿产资源以及农业，因此将为跨学科解决问题提供一些机会。通过一系列的形成性评估，课程模块将得到完善和改进。最终，课程模块将通过教育网站提供给更大的科学和商业社区。成果和经验将通过国家会议和教育出版物传达给更广泛的科学和商业教育界。该计划不但能促进未来商界领袖的科学学习和知识储备，提高他们的科学素养，而且有可能增加商业教师对科学和科学方法的欣赏和理解，以及增加科学家对商业问题的欣赏。

This project will provide an interactive educational experience for business students that relates their science electives directly to their business curriculum through technology-enhanced, problem-based learning. The project will (1) advance the pedagogic integration of Earth and environmental sciences and related courses into a business curriculum by developing new trans-disciplinary active-learning course modules through a series of summer workshops for science and business faculty; (2) create new technology-enhanced class and laboratory activities by incorporating recent university investment in environmental and geochemical field and laboratory analytical instrumentation; and (3) assess the effectiveness of the curriculum enhancements during and following implementation of the technological innovations, multi-disciplinary course enhancements, and new active-learning course modules. The learning modules will address sustainability themes such as water resources, global climate change, environmental hazards, energy and mineral resources, and agriculture, and thus will provide a number of opportunities for interdisciplinary problem solving. Through a series of formative evaluations, the course modules will be refined and improved. Ultimately, the course modules will be made available to the larger science and business communities through educational websites. Outcomes and experiences will be communicated to the broader science and business education communities at national conferences and through educational publications. The project will not only enhance science learning and knowledge retention and improve the scientific literacy among future business leaders, but it also has the potential to increase the appreciation and understanding of science and the scientific method among business faculty, as well as to increase the appreciation of business issues among scientists.