Collaborative Research: Enhancing the Geoscience Curriculum Using GeoBrowsers-based Learning Objects

地质学（42）该项目正在创建计算机资源和相关的课程计划，以帮助本科生使用b谷歌Earth （TM）可视化地质学，并将通过真实的研究数据来评估学习，而不是教科书的简化。全国的学生将能够通过b谷歌地球熟悉的界面来研究巨大地质规模和深层地质时间的概念，从而获得技术赋权的感觉。交互式模型正在开发中，以显示各种地质特征，如山脉、构造断层、火山、矿藏和碳氢化合物圈闭，当学生在电脑显示器上拖动鼠标时，这些特征就会从地下出现。通过研究覆盖在地球表面的古地理恢复，并结合代表性的岩石和矿物标本，学生们对了解地质时间尺度有了独特的帮助。在测试课堂上记录鼠标和键盘的动作被用来评估学生学习的系统性。由教学密集的2年制和4年制大学教授组成的焦点小组将参加适合州和地方需要的课程计划设计研讨会。他们将测试学习对象，并充当顾问委员会。两项规模更大的研究正在评估匹配的群体（不同班级的学生，他们有同一个教授，他们的gpa等大致相当）。测试将识别学生的误解，并将包括学生必须明智地概括的转移型问题。智力优势：本项目的学习对象是促进大学生对地质学和地球物理学的理解，并借助与研究数据超链接的4-D交互式地球仪更全面地了解地球。考虑到有关学生如何通过技术学习的研究结果，预计该项目将大大提高下一代地球科学家的知识和技能。更广泛的影响：在入门和高级地球科学课程中开发和使用创新的可视化材料，正在促进广大不同学生对科学本质和科学调查的发现和理解。免费下载这些材料将促进广泛传播。

Geology (42) The project is creating computer resources and associated lesson plans to aid undergraduate students in visualizing geology using Google Earth (TM) and will assess learning with real research data versus textbook simplifications. Students nationwide will be able to investigate concepts of vast geologic scale and deep geologic time via the familiar interface of Google Earth, and thereby gain a sense of technological empowerment. Interactive models are being developed to show a variety of geologic features, such as mountains, tectonic faults, volcanoes, mineral deposits, and hydrocarbon traps, that emerge from the sub-surface when students drag the mouse across their computer monitors. By studying paleogeographic restorations draped over the Google Earth surface in association with representative rock and mineral specimens, students have a unique affordance to understand the geological timescale. Logging of mouse and keyboard actions in test classes are being used to evaluate the systematicity of student learning.Focus groups of college professors in teaching-intensive 2- and 4-year colleges will attend workshops on lesson plan design suited to state and local needs. They will test the learning objects and serve as an advisory board. Two larger-scale studies are assessing matched cohorts (students in different classes who have the same professor and whose GPAs, etc., are roughly equivalent). Tests will identify student misconceptions and will include transfer-type questions in which students have to generalize wisely.Intellectual Merit: Learning objects from this project are promoting undergraduate comprehension of geology and geophysics and a more complete understanding of Planet Earth with the aid of 4-D interactive globes that hyperlink to research data. Mindful of research findings on how students learn via technology, it is predicted that the project will significantly improve the knowledge and skills of the next generation of geoscientists. Broader Impact: The development and use of innovative visualization materials in both introductory and upper-level geoscience courses are advancing discovery and understanding of the nature of science and scientific investigations among a wide and diverse population of students. The availability of these materials for free download will promote broad dissemination.