Document Type
Article
Publication Date
5-2013
Journal or Book Title
Journal of Geoscience Education
Volume
61
Issue
2
First Page
173
Last Page
186
DOI
10.5408/12-335.1
Abstract
We describe the rationale and process for the development of a new hybrid Earth and Space Science course for elementary education majors. A five-step course design model, applicable to both online and traditional courses, is presented. Assessment of the course outcomes after two semesters indicates that the intensive time invested in the development of the course results in a manageable workload during the semester for faculty with an already full teaching load. We also found that average scores in proctored online exams for this cohort of students are identical to the average scores of students from the same major enrolled in a face-to-face (F2F) course. Exam scores significantly improved in the second semester after adjustments to the workload and the introduction of explicit test-taking tips at the beginning of the semester. We found that our students, at all stages of their studies, were not used to the self-guided instruction required for success in online courses, and were often not as comfortable using Web-based technology for instruction as we expected.
Rights
This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Copyright Owner
National Association of Geoscience Teachers
Copyright Date
2013
Language
en
File Format
application/pdf
Recommended Citation
Cervato, Cinzia; Kerton, Charles; Peer, Andrea; Hassall, Lesya M.; and Schmidt, Allan, "The Big Crunch: A Hybrid Solution to Earth and Space Science Instruction for Elementary Education Majors" (2013). Geological and Atmospheric Sciences Publications. 8.
https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/ge_at_pubs/8
Included in
Astrophysics and Astronomy Commons, Curriculum and Instruction Commons, Educational Methods Commons, Geology Commons, Online and Distance Education Commons, Science and Mathematics Education Commons
Comments
This article is from Journal of Geoscience Education 61 (2013): 173, doi:10.5408/12-335.1. Posted with permission.