170 Quantitative and Data Analysis Skills in Geoscience Education: Supporting Student, Course, and Program Outcomes, Part I

Quantitative and data analysis skills are critical for geoscientists but often a barrier for students. This session includes strategies for skill development, from activities to geoscience-focused quantitative skills courses to departmental innovations supporting quantitative and analysis skills across degree programs.

Tuesday, 21 October 2025
8:00 AM - 12:00 PM
HBGCC, 301B

Development of The Math You Need, When Your Earth Science Majors Need It Modules

Paper number: 170-4
Program: Technical Sessions
Time: 8:55 AM – 9:10 AM

Authors

Abstract

The fourteen Math You Need, When Your Earth Science Majors Need It modules were developed by geoscience faculty from diverse subdisciplines through two one-week workshops held in 2023 and 2024. Faculty authors, selected from a competitive application pool, represented a broad range of geoscience specialties and undergraduate institutions, ensuring a comprehensive approach to quantitative skill development. Each author collaborated in two-person teams to design, author, refine, and implement the modules.

Workshop activities included pre-meetings to familiarize participants with module structures and pedagogical frameworks, followed by an in-person phase focused on module and web page construction, an introduction to the assessment platform (WaMAP), and course implementation planning. A significant portion of the workshop was dedicated to module review and revision, incorporating feedback from other instructors and the workshop conveners. After classroom testing, each module underwent subsequent expert review for mathematical accuracy, pedagogy, copy-editing, and accessibility.

Post-workshop surveys indicated that faculty participants gained valuable insights into student engagement with quantitative concepts, inspiring them to refine their teaching strategies and integrate concrete examples in their curricula. Collaborative discussions fostered professional growth and deeper reflections on Earth science education improvements. As one participant noted, the workshop “has made me think more deeply about how process is important, and also how else I can gauge the progress made by students through checkpoints like reflections.” On a six-point survey scale, all participants “strongly” (96%) or “moderately” (4%) agreed that “participating in module development has been a valuable professional development experience for me as an Earth science educator.” All participants in the workshops also strongly (88%) or moderately (12%) agreed that “I would recommend participating in the module development process to other Earth science faculty members.”

Additional details and workshop materials are available at https://serc.carleton.edu/mathyouneed/geomajors/events/index.html 

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 57, No. 6

doi: 10.1130/abs/2025AM-411915

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