Principal Investigators:
Catherine Macris, Associate Professor, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, School of Science. Anna Jessee, Lecturer, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, School of Science.
Project Title:
Authentic Assessments through Place-Based Learning and Environmental Justice
Funding Level:
$5000
Abstract:
The goal of this project is to redesign the Earth and Environmental Sciences (EES) course, G205: Reporting Skills in Geoscience, to increase student learning outcomes, self-efficacy, sense of belonging, and disciplinary identity. G205 is a required course for all EES majors that provides training in scientific writing and oral communication as students research geoscience related topics. The proposed intervention will incorporate place-based learning, authentic assessments, and environmental justice into the course, while still achieving existing course learning objectives regarding scientific communication skill building. The semester will be divided into two large projects. In both projects, students will research local brownfields through publicly available government documents and the scientific literature. Brownfields are abandoned/underutilized parcels of land that were polluted from industrial use and are often near homes of marginalized communities. For Project 1, students will write a technical report and give a presentation about it to a hypothetical ‘client’. For Project 2, students will create a community report and give a town hall style presentation.
