Enhancing Climate Literacy in General Education Geoscience Courses through Individual Urban Heat Exposure Active Learning Projects

该项目旨在通过调查主动学习项目的有效性来提高大学地球科学课程中普通教育学生的气候素养，从而为国家利益服务。全球气候变化为了解学生居住地区的气候变化提供了机会和需求。然而，这个话题很难在本科通识教育课堂上教授，因为它在很大程度上是学生日常生活中一个无形的主题，而且因为学生们带着不同的教育背景和偏见参加讨论。通过该项目开发的课程将使用新颖的温度和湿度传感器技术，将学生的真实环境体验与全球气候变化的更大讨论联系起来。传感器技术将在四年制和两年制大学的许多不同的通识教育课程中进行测试，以探索涉及个人经验的主动学习项目如何提高学生对气候科学的理解，而不管他们的专业和背景如何。该项目将结合基于项目的学习与行动研究的优势，利用可穿戴传感器和热暴露研究的理论和适用性，将气候变化作为学生日常经历的问题。该项目将首先在中田纳西州立大学（一所四年制大学）实施，然后在合作的两年制大学实施，并在整个项目中完善课程。教员将接受培训，将积极的学习实践纳入他们的课程，以帮助发展他们对城市微气候科学的知识，并在更普遍的情况下增加教授全球气候科学的信心。为了提高他们对气候科学的理解，并将其与科学界的理解更紧密地结合起来，学生们将完成深入的气候研究和微气候课程，并使用可穿戴传感器在两天的时间内收集他们的个人热暴露数据。学生将分析数据，并将他们与班上其他人的数据进行比较，与同学一起解释结果，并将科学和社会学概念应用于他们的结果。形成性评估将每年进行两次。经过反复测试和改进的课程将向公众开放，使教师能够在自己的课堂上实施该计划。NSF IUSE: EDU项目支持研究和开发项目，以提高所有学生STEM教育的有效性。通过其参与学生学习轨道，该计划支持有前途的实践和工具的创建，探索和实施。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This project aims to serve the national interest by investigating the effectiveness of active learning projects to increase climate literacy among general education students in university geoscience courses. Global climate variation creates both an opportunity and a need to learn about the variability in the climate where students live. Yet, this topic can be difficult to teach in the undergraduate general education classroom as it is largely an intangible subject in the day-to-day lives of students, and because students come into the discussion with varied educational backgrounds and biases. The curricula developed through this project will use novel temperature and humidity sensor technology to tie students’ real-life environmental experiences to the larger discussion on how the global climate is experiencing variation. The sensor technology will be tested in numerous different general education courses at both 4-year and 2-year colleges to explore how active learning projects that involve personal experiences can improve understanding of climate science among students, regardless of their major and background. This project will combine the benefits of project-based learning with action research by utilizing the theories and applicability from wearable sensor and heat exposure research to frame climate variation as an everyday issue that students experience. This project will be implemented first at Middle Tennessee State University, a 4-year university, and then at partner 2-year colleges, with refinement to the curricula throughout the project. Instructors will receive training in the inclusion of active learning practices in their curricula to help develop their knowledge of urban microclimate science and increase confidence in teaching global climate science, more generally. With the goals of improving their understanding of climate science and more closely aligning that understanding to that of the scientific community, students will complete in-depth climate study and a microclimate curriculum, and collect their personal heat exposure data over a two-day period using wearable sensors. Students will analyze the data and compare their exposure to that of others in the class, work with fellow students to interpret results, and apply both scientific and sociological concepts to their results. Formative assessment will occur twice per year. Curricula resulting from repeated testing and refinements will be publicly available to enable instructors to implement the program in their own classes. The NSF IUSE: EDU Program supports research and development projects to improve the effectiveness of STEM education for all students. Through its Engaged Student Learning track, the program supports the creation, exploration, and implementation of promising practices and tools.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.