The Value of Click-on-Diagram Questions in Geoscience

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The study of geology requires diagrams to represent the extreme spatial and temporal scales of most geologic structures and processes, yet diagrams can be the source of student misconceptions. Recent advancements in web-based technology have resulted in classroom tools that allow students to click directly on a diagram in response to an instructor's question. Instructors can then display a heat map of the diagram that shows the frequency of students' responses and use this feedback to guide instruction. The principle investigators of this proposal have pilot tested this technique and found that click-on-diagram questions reveal spatial misconceptions that are not documented in the geoscience education literature. The goals of this project are to: (1) Combine click-on-diagram questions with qualitative methods to validate the existence of novel spatial misconceptions; (2) Contrast the learning from multiple choice and open-ended click-on-diagram questions; and (3) Train instructors to develop click-on-diagram questions that can improve students' spatial understanding in geology.This project aims to improve STEM learning by building evidence about improved STEM instructional practices and by implementing and testing approaches to improve adoption of education research into teaching practice. The work will focus on geology courses, but improved understanding of student misconceptions about diagrams and charts is applicable to most, if not all STEM fields. A classroom study will test two learning mechanisms identified in the education research literature: spatial feedback and cued versus open retrieval. In addition to its education research activities, the project also aims to foster widespread use of evidence-based resources and pedagogies in undergraduate STEM classrooms. To this end, a faculty workshop will help instructors develop questions that assess documented geology misconceptions and that explore conceptual challenges that instructors have observed in their own classrooms. A workshop deliverable will be design recommendations for how to change existing classroom questions into effective click-on-diagram questions. The questions developed in this project will be hosted for open access on the STEM Education Resources Center Pedagogy in Action webpage.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.