The Jackson School of Geosciences (JSG) at The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin) is home to GeoFORCE and STEMFORCE. Students from underserved communities in Texas enter these programs after 8^th grade and participate every summer for four years in weeklong geology fieldtrips to different parts of the U.S. The project leveraged resources and expertise from four participating institutions, the STEMFORCE program and a private sector company to generate educational and human resources for out-of-school summer experiences that emphasize field learning in the geosciences and investigated the interplay between geoscience field learning, classroom preparation and exposure to geoscience careers. Research focused on STEMFORCE student learning and attitudes by studying a single cohort of 30 STEMFORCE students over three years. Evaluation documented changes among all participants, Including STEMFORCE staff, as a consequence of their participation.

Early findings revealed that the trips sparked interest in geosciences, but revisions to content and content delivery were needed to motivate more students to consider geoscience as a career. In response, the 12^th grade trip was redesigned as a Challenge Base Learning (CBL) capstone experience set in Central Texas where students were housed in UT Austin dormitories and had access to JSG research labs, technology and communication experiences available on the campus of UT Austin, and geology field sites that span more than a billion years of Earth history. Curriculum and instruction follow the STAR Legacy Cycle in which the challenge is an authentic task that drives student-centered learning with specific deliverables, shifting the emphasis away from memorization to active learning. The curriculum resides on the Science Education Resource Center (SERC) website and is freely available to the public. 

The single instructor-led direct teaching (via lecture) of previous 12^th grade trips was replaced with learning facilitated by a multi-person instructional team that more closely resembled the racial, ethnic and cultural composition of the STEMFORCE student population. This change created opportunities for undergraduate students to participate as Educational Coaches-in-Training (ECITs). Eighteen ECITs from the UTeach program, Geological Sciences and Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering Departments, Austin Community College and Fort Valley State University participated on eight trips. They reported positive and rewarding experiences, especially in their role of near-peer mentors to the high school students. Through their participation in the project, they improved their ability to communicate geoscience knowledge, developed a deeper understanding of fundamental geoscience concepts, and gained experience in geoscience field instruction and teaching inquiry activities that support learning within a CBL framework. ECITs were introduced to geoscience education research through interaction with the geoscience education researchers, the project evaluator, and by reading and discussing scholarly articles. Combining preservice teachers from the UTeach program with STEM/ Geoscience majors led to peer-peer mentoring and knowledge transfer between geoscience, education and communication. The CBL Legacy Cycle curriculum has been implemented in both GeoFORCE and STEMFORCE 12^th grade experiences and ECITs continue to be involved as instructional team members. 

By the end of project, STEMFORCE students were thinking more like geoscientists and emphasizing skills in addition to content. They were better able to interpret landscapes, recognize geologic processes, improved their understanding of time and scale, and reported a greater appreciation for the environment. The Legacy Cycle curriculum propelled students into the role of apprentice geoscientists by asking them to address a challenge that required knowledge acquisition and the development of both hard and soft skills, including being able to make predictions and interpretations, and communicate results. Students expressed that STEMFORCE trips helped to awaken their natural curiosity, promoted self-reflection and personal growth, boosted their confidence, and taught them about health, self-care and how to recognize personal limitations. They reported that being exposed to different cultures encouraged them to become more social, learning to interact with others who may be different from them or come from dissimilar places, and forming friendships that they expect to last. Participation in STEMFORCE potentially contributed to their development as better citizens, good neighbors, students, and productive workers. The life skills of cultural competence, collaboration, self-reflection, and confidence will serve them well no matter what career path they chose or where they live or travel in the future. It may open them up to experiences that they may not have contemplated previously.  

The project demonstrated how CBL can be used to promote student learning in out-of-school programs, a finding that has application beyond the STEMFORCE and GeoFORCE programs. Outcomes contribute to the growing body of geoscience education research that focuses on diversity and learning in the field.   

URL: https://serc.carleton.edu/dig_blueprints/blueprints/geoforce_academy/index.html

Last Modified: 11/30/2019
Modified by: Katherine K Ellins