A New Approach to Earth and Environmental Science Undergraduate Instruction

哥伦比亚大学地质科学系和巴纳德大学环境科学系正在开发一门新的地球与环境科学课程，该课程建立在哥伦比亚大学、巴纳德大学、师范学院、拉蒙特-多尔蒂地球天文台和美国宇航局/戈达德空间研究所（GISS）的知识和信息资源的基础上。这个为期两年的项目包括为地质学和环境科学专业设计多学科入门核心课程。这三个学期的核心课程，同时为巴纳德大学和哥伦比亚大学服务，重点关注三个相互作用的全球系统：岩石圈、气候系统和生物圈。通过将巴纳德大学的入门课程与哥伦比亚大学的课程相结合，女性成为了这门强化课程的主要目标受众。核心课程采用了获取、分析和传递信息的新技术，从而缩短了研究科学家和本科生之间的信息路径。正在开发一个电子图书馆，其中载有数据、文本、模型、图形和分析工具。通过这个电子图书馆，学生可以探索这三个系统的特点和在它们之间运行的过程。设计团队从哥伦比亚大学社区内部聚集起来，开发和实施课程修订，并在此过程中吸引了各种各样的科学家和教育工作者。

Columbia's Department of Geological Sciences and Barnard's Department of Environmental Science are in the process of developing a new curriculum in Earth and Environmental Science that builds on the intellectual and information resources of Columbia, Barnard, Teachers College, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory and the NASA/Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS). This two-year project involves design of a multidisciplinary introductory core curriculum, for both geology and environmental science majors. This three semester core, serving both Barnard and Columbia, focuses on three interacting global systems: the lithosphere, the climate system, and the biosphere. Women form a key target audience of this enhanced curriculum, through merging of the Barnard introductory sequence with that of Columbia The core incorporates new technologies for accessing, analyzing and transmitting information, thus shortening the information path between research scientist and undergraduate. An electronic library containing data, text, models, graphics and analytical tools is being developed. Through this electronic library students can explore features of the three systems and processes that operate within and among them. The design team, brought together from within the Columbia community to develop and implement the curricular revisions, engages a wide variety of scientists and educators in the process.