Developing Workforce Skills in Analyzing Large and Complex Earth Science Datasets

地球科学数据集的规模在许多地球过程和系统的研究中是一个重大挑战，因为先进的技术使我们能够收集比以往任何时候都大得多的数据集。操纵和分析这些数据集的能力很重要，因为它们包含有关我们的世界状况、自然灾害的影响和自然资源范围的关键信息。大型地球科学数据集传统上只对那些接受过地理信息系统(GIS)工具等计算机程序专门培训的人才能访问。该项目将解决学习如何使用大型地球科学数据集和解决实际问题的障碍，而不必掌握地理信息系统工具本身的所有方面。该项目将创建一个示范课程，侧重于热带气旋的主题：探索热带气旋的生命周期、危害及其在大气和海洋环流中的驱动因素，重点放在与气候变化可能存在联系的及时问题上。它将对破坏性和科学上独特的飓风--台风海燕和飓风桑迪--展开新的调查。它还将提高我们对学生如何使用地理信息系统强大的分析和可视化工具进行学习的理解，以及这些学习经历如何影响他们对地球科学和其他依赖于分析大型复杂数据集来解决重要社会问题的职业的兴趣、认识和执着。该项目将通过提供与领先的免费开源和商业地理信息系统应用程序一起工作的高质量课程，促进将地理信息系统作为入门级分析工具的广泛使用。它通过修改地理信息系统应用程序的用户界面，使新手能够访问这些地理信息系统工具。为增加可及性，将使用低成本电子出版战略发布课程。新的课程设计模式将包括劳动力技能部分，挑战学生思考数据分析、表示和可视化方面的选择如何影响解释和理解。它将通过训练学生批判性地思考如何最好地分析和表示数据来解决问题，来培养学生推理和解决问题的能力。这个项目将调查它在多大程度上成功地通过在课程模块中嵌入强制选择问题来帮助学生提高目标知识、技术技能和科学思维能力。此外，学生将完成一项最终的开放式调查，以测试他们应用所学知识的能力。这将由PI团队开发的一套红字来评分。该项目还将调查它在多大程度上能够影响学生对STEM职业的总体认识、兴趣和意图，特别是那些在地球科学领域的学生。这将使用测试前/测试后模型来衡量学生对这些问题的情感反应的变化。以前经过验证的工具将增加更多的问题，以具体衡量一般和地球科学事业对地球科学的认识和兴趣。推论统计将被用来确定考试前/考试后答案的变化领域，以表明课程可能产生的影响。

The size of Geoscience datasets is a significant challenge in the study of many Earth processes and systems because sophisticated technology allows us to collect datasets much larger than ever before. An ability to manipulate and analyze these datasets is important because they contain critical information about the state of our world, the impact of natural disasters, and the extent of natural resources. Large geoscience datasets have traditionally been accessible only to those with specialized training in computer programs such as Geographic Information Systems (GIS) tools. This project will address obstacles to learning how to use large Geoscience datasets and solve authentic problems without having to master all aspects of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) tools themselves. This project will create a model curriculum focused on the topic of tropical cyclones: exploring their lifecycle, hazards, and drivers in atmospheric and ocean circulation, with an emphasis on the timely question of possible linkages to climate change. It will develop new investigations on the devastating and scientifically unique cyclones, Typhoon Haiyan and Hurricane Sandy. It will also improve our understanding of how students learn with the powerful analytical and visualization tools of a GIS and how these learning experiences influence their interest in, awareness of, and persistence towards geosciences and other careers that depend upon analysis of large complex data sets to solve important societal problems. This project will facilitate widespread use of GIS as an introductory level analysis tool by providing high quality curriculum that works with both the leading free open source and commercial GIS applications. It makes these GIS tools accessible to novices through modifications to the GIS applications' user-interfaces. To increase accessibility, the curriculum will be published using low cost e-publishing strategies. The new curriculum design model will include workforce skills components that challenge students to think about how choices in data analysis, representation, and visualization impact interpretation and understanding. It will develop students' abilities to reason and solve problems by training students to think critically about how best to analyze and represent data to solve a problem. This project will investigate the extent to which it successfully leads to student improvement of targeted knowledge, technical skills, and scientific thinking abilities by using embedded forced choice questions within the curriculum modules. In addition, students will complete a culminating open-ended investigation testing their ability to apply what they have learned. This will be scored by a set of rubrics developed by the PI team. This project will also investigate the extent to which it is able to influence students' awareness of, interest in, and intent to pursue STEM careers generally, and those in geoscience specifically. This will be accomplished using a pre-test/post-test model to measure changes in students' affective responses to these issues. Previously validated instruments will be augmented with additional questions to specifically measure awareness of and interest in geoscience in general and geoscience careers. Inferential statistics will be used to determine areas of change in the pre-test/post-test answers, indicating likely impact of the curriculum.