NSF Award
2315364
This project aims to serve the national interest by investigating the effectiveness of active learning projects to increase climate literacy among general education students in university geoscience courses. Global climate variation creates both an opportunity and a need to learn about the variability in the climate where students live. Yet, this topic can be difficult to teach in the undergraduate general education classroom as it is largely an intangible subject in the day-to-day lives of students, and because students come into the discussion with varied educational backgrounds and biases. The curricula developed through this project will use novel temperature and humidity sensor technology to tie students’ real-life environmental experiences to the larger discussion on how the global climate is experiencing variation. The sensor technology will be tested in numerous different general education courses at both 4-year and 2-year colleges to explore how active learning projects that involve personal experiences can improve understanding of climate science among students, regardless of their major and background. <br/><br/>This project will combine the benefits of project-based learning with action research by utilizing the theories and applicability from wearable sensor and heat exposure research to frame climate variation as an everyday issue that students experience. This project will be implemented first at Middle Tennessee State University, a 4-year university, and then at partner 2-year colleges, with refinement to the curricula throughout the project. Instructors will receive training in the inclusion of active learning practices in their curricula to help develop their knowledge of urban microclimate science and increase confidence in teaching global climate science, more generally. With the goals of improving their understanding of climate science and more closely aligning that understanding to that of the scientific community, students will complete in-depth climate study and a microclimate curriculum, and collect their personal heat exposure data over a two-day period using wearable sensors. Students will analyze the data and compare their exposure to that of others in the class, work with fellow students to interpret results, and apply both scientific and sociological concepts to their results. Formative assessment will occur twice per year. Curricula resulting from repeated testing and refinements will be publicly available to enable instructors to implement the program in their own classes. The NSF IUSE: EDU Program supports research and development projects to improve the effectiveness of STEM education for all students. Through its Engaged Student Learning track, the program supports the creation, exploration, and implementation of promising practices and tools.<br/><br/>This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
