Incorporating Cutting Edge Scientific Results from the MARGINS-GeoPRISMS Program into the Undergraduate Curriculum: An Overview

Abstract:

The NSF-MARGINS Program funded a decade of research on continental margin processes, organized around four initiatives: (1) chemical cycling in subduction zones (SubFac), (2) seismogenic zone processes at subduction zones (SEIZE), (3) rupturing continental lithosphere (RCL), and (4) source to sink sediment cycling at continental margins (S2S). The outcomes of this research provided critical new observations and insights into fundamental geologic processes along continental margins, and associated geologic hazards and economic resources. The transition to the successor GeoPRISMS Program provided a unique opportunity to identify and synthesize the highlights of MARGINS research, and to disseminate this knowledge to educators and students who will carry out the next phase of cutting-edge scientific research. The NSF TUES Program funded a two-year project entitled: “Bringing NSF MARGINS Continental Margins Research into the Undergraduate Curriculum,“ enabling development of ~15 mini-lessons drawing on key MARGINS results and data sets. The mini-lesson development team consists of 18 educators and scientists, grouped by initiative, and guided by experts in MARGINS science and current educational research and practices. Webinars and virtual check-ins enable team interactions and exchange of ideas and experiences; in person workshops solidified pedagogical approaches and assessment strategies, as well as initiative frameworks for the mini-lessons. Field testing by team members and outside volunteers during AY 2013-14 identified challenges and opportunities, guiding mini-lesson revision and finalization. The MARGINS mini-lessons define coordinated, data-rich educational resources, easy to access and free to the public, ready to be incorporated into multiple common geoscience course frameworks, taking the first step toward building a community of practice of scientists and curriculum specialists with the shared goal of moving cutting-edge science into undergraduate classrooms. (Please visit several other abstracts in this session presenting specific MARGINS mini-lessons and experiences.)