GP-IMPACT: Integrating Geoscience to Engage Majors with Mathematics: iGEM2

GP-IMPACT：整合地球科学以吸引专业与数学：iGEM2

• 批准号: 1700896
• 负责人: Theresa Jorgensen
• 金额: $ 15.85万
• 依托单位: University of Texas at Arlington
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2017
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2017-08-15 至 2020-09-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1700896&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: GP; IMPACT; Integrating; Geoscience; Engage

Part IAt The University of Texas at Arlington (UTA), mathematics courses leading to Calculus constitute a major obstruction to success for alarming numbers of STEM-intended majors. This fact reflects a challenge faced by universities across the country. Our goals are to (1) improve success of intended STEM majors at UTA in mathematics courses that lead to Calculus, courses taken primarily by STEM-intended majors, but yielding D-F-Withdraw rates 60%, and (2) introduce first and second year students to the geosciences and related career pathways before they decide on a major, thereby increasing the number and diversity of students who choose to major in the geosciences. We will do this by modifying the laboratory/recitation component of Math 1302 (College Algebra) by integrating geoscience research of The Ohio State University (OSU) and UTA faculty into the mathematics curriculum, reaching approximately 1,000 students per semester. Weekly lab meetings in the mathematics courses will incorporate a video presentation by geoscience faculty describing how the mathematical skill is essential for his/her scientific research, and exercises the students perform will be cast in the context of that research project, followed by problem-solving activities that synthesize mathematical concepts and apply the concepts with problems related to geoscience research. In this way, the mathematical abstraction will be connected with geoscience content crossing the fields of geophysics, environmental geochemistry, and oceanography. This is a strategic partnership, as the geosciences incorporate research methods from across all of STEM and are therefore likely to be relatable to a broad range of STEM-intended students. This collaboration will empower beginning STEM students by placing abstract mathematical concepts in a scientific context at a critical transition, which constitutes statistically a major stumbling block for many STEM-intended majors. At the same time, it will expose students early in their college experience to geoscience as a potential major. This project will be made possible by building a new partnership between the School of Earth Science at OSU and Mathematics at UTA. Success of the project will be determined by monitoring D-F-W rates of this course, evaluate students? perceptions of the geosciences and confidence in mathematics, and tracking students through declaration of their major and beyond. In the final year of the project, the model implemented at UTA will be propagated to OSU, demonstrating long term transportability and sustainability.Part IIFreshman level math courses often form a roadblock for STEM-intended students, particularly when students do not test directly into Calculus when they enter college. This is certainly true at The University of Texas at Arlington (UTA), an access-oriented university. Calculus is the first mathematics course in all natural science degree plans at UTA; however, Algebra or Precalculus are common mathematics entry points for STEM-intended majors especially those who begin their major through nontraditional pathways. In 2012, UTA had the highest acceptance rate and highest number of new transfer students (8,649) in the country (National Student Clearinghouse Research Center) and this trend continues. Given these statistics, and the fact that the proposed work will directly affect ~1000 students per semester, this project will have an enormous impact on a diverse population of at-risk students who aspire to graduating in a STEM degree. Our goals are to (1) improve success of intended STEM majors at UTA in mathematics courses that lead to Calculus, courses taken primarily by STEM-intended majors, but yielding D-F-Withdraw rates 60%, and (2) introduce first and second year students to the geosciences and related career pathways before they decide on a major, thereby increasing the number and diversity of students who choose to major in the geosciences. We will recast College Algebra concepts in the context of research areas of Earth Science Faculty at The Ohio State University (OSU) and UTA without changing the content of the current course. In this way, we will empower beginning STEM students by placing abstract mathematical concepts in a scientific context - crossing the fields of geophysics, environmental geochemistry, and oceanography - at a critical transition which constitutes statistically a major stumbling block for many of STEM-intended majors. This is a new strategic partnership, as the geosciences incorporate research methods from across all of STEM and are therefore likely to be relatable to a broad range of STEM-intended students. At the same time, it will expose students early in their college experience to geoscience as a potential major. Success of the project will be determined by monitoring D-F-W rates of this course, evaluate students? perceptions of the geosciences and confidence in mathematics, and tracking students through declaration of their major and beyond. In the final year of the project, the model implemented at UTA will be propagated to OSU, demonstrating long term transportability and sustainability.

第一部分在德克萨斯大学阿灵顿分校（UTA），导致微积分的数学课程构成了大量STEM专业学生成功的主要障碍。 这一事实反映了全国各地大学面临的挑战。我们的目标是（1）提高预期的STEM专业在UTA的数学课程中的成功，导致微积分，主要由STEM专业的课程，但产生D-F-撤销率60%，以及（2）在他们决定主修之前，向第一和第二年的学生介绍地球科学和相关的职业途径，从而增加选择主修地球科学的学生的数量和多样性。我们将通过修改数学1302（大学代数）的实验室/背诵部分，将俄亥俄州州立大学（OSU）和UTA教师的地球科学研究整合到数学课程中，达到每学期约1,000名学生。在数学课程每周实验室会议将纳入由地球科学教师描述如何数学技能是他/她的科学研究必不可少的视频演示，和练习的学生执行将在该研究项目的背景下铸造，其次是解决问题的活动，综合数学概念和应用概念与地球科学研究相关的问题。通过这种方式，数学抽象将与地球科学内容相联系，跨越地球物理学，环境地球化学和海洋学领域。这是一种战略伙伴关系，因为地球科学结合了所有STEM的研究方法，因此可能与广泛的STEM学生相关。这种合作将通过将抽象的数学概念置于科学背景下的关键转变来增强STEM学生的能力，这在统计上构成了许多STEM专业的主要绊脚石。与此同时，它将使学生在大学早期就接触到地球科学作为一个潜在的专业。该项目将通过建立OSU地球科学学院和UTA数学学院之间的新伙伴关系来实现。该项目的成功将通过监测本课程的D-F-W率来确定，评估学生？对地球科学的看法和对数学的信心，并通过申报他们的专业和超越跟踪学生。在该项目的最后一年，在UTA实施的模型将传播到OSU，展示长期的可移植性和可持续性。第IIFreshman水平的数学课程往往会成为STEM学生的障碍，特别是当学生进入大学时不直接进入微积分考试时。在德克萨斯大学阿灵顿分校（UTA），这是一所以访问为导向的大学。微积分是UTA所有自然科学学位计划中的第一门数学课程;然而，代数或Precalcus是STEM专业的常见数学入门点，特别是那些通过非传统途径开始他们的专业的人。在2012年，UTA有最高的录取率和全国最高的新转学生（8，649）（国家学生交流中心研究中心），这一趋势仍在继续。鉴于这些统计数据，以及拟议的工作每学期将直接影响约1000名学生这一事实，该项目将对渴望获得STEM学位毕业的各种高危学生群体产生巨大影响。我们的目标是（1）提高预期的STEM专业在UTA的数学课程中的成功，导致微积分，主要由STEM专业的课程，但产生D-F-撤销率60%，以及（2）在他们决定主修之前，向第一和第二年的学生介绍地球科学和相关的职业途径，从而增加选择主修地球科学的学生的数量和多样性。我们将在不改变当前课程内容的情况下，在俄亥俄州州立大学（OSU）和UTA的地球科学系的研究领域的背景下，重新铸造大学代数概念。通过这种方式，我们将通过将抽象的数学概念置于科学背景下-跨越物理学，环境地球化学和海洋学领域-赋予开始STEM学生权力-在统计上构成许多STEM专业的主要绊脚石的关键过渡。这是一个新的战略伙伴关系，因为地球科学结合了所有STEM的研究方法，因此可能与广泛的STEM学生相关。与此同时，它将使学生在大学早期就接触到地球科学作为一个潜在的专业。该项目的成功将取决于监测本课程的D-F-W率，评估学生？对地球科学的看法和对数学的信心，并通过申报他们的专业和超越跟踪学生。在项目的最后一年，在UTA实施的模型将传播到OSU，展示长期的可运输性和可持续性。

项目成果

Highlighting altruism in geoscience careers aligns with diverse US student ideals better than emphasizing working outdoors

强调地球科学职业中的利他主义比强调户外工作更符合美国学生的多元化理想

• DOI: 10.1038/s43247-021-00287-4
• 发表时间: 2021
• 期刊: Communications Earth & Environment
• 影响因子: 7.9
• 作者: Carter, Samantha C.;Griffith, Elizabeth M.;Jorgensen, Theresa A.;Coifman, Karin G.;Griffith, W. Ashley
• 通讯作者: Griffith, W. Ashley