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
Using Asynchronous Quantitative Skills Modules to Improve Math Literacy in Geoscience Courses
Paper number: 170-5
Program: Technical Sessions
Time: 9:10 AM – 9:25 AM
Authors
Abstract
Major-level geoscience courses often incorporate some degree of quantitative analysis that may be intimidating to students depending on their relative comfort with and length of time since taking mathematics. The Math Your Majors Need, When They Need It are a series of asynchronous modules developed to address specific quantitative skills often used in upper-level classes. I tested a subset of these modules in Introduction to Mineralogy (Ternary Diagrams) and Geochemistry (Solving Math Problems, Scientific Notation, Exponential Equations) during the 2023-2024 academic year. Students all took a pre-test at the beginning of the course covering all topics, completed modules as part of a “math bootcamp” during the first week, took post-module tests to ensure understanding, and a comprehensive post-test near the end of the semester. Pre- vs. post-test analysis indicates a statistically significant score increase in both Mineralogy (average pre-post difference = 35.71%, p<0.0025) and Geochemistry (28.38%, p<0.0005) demonstrating the utility of the modules in learning. In Mineralogy, student overall math self-efficacy values changed from 5.23 to 5.33 out of 10 but their ternary diagram specific confidence increased from 2.35 to 7.29. In contrast, overall math self-efficacy in Geochemistry increased modestly (5.99 to 6.45) and topic-specific confidence increased broadly across topics. Qualitatively, students noted that working with the topical modules let them figure out the math in a low-stakes assignment rather than during class, allowing them to better participate in class discussions. Future iterations of these courses will incorporate additional applicable TMYN-M modules, as well as the relative efficacy of module use and timing (e.g., spread throughout class vs. bootcamp-style). A final relevant outcome of this work will be a list of TMYN-M modules applicable to standard upper-level geoscience courses to aid instructors in implementation of these quantitative skills modules.
Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 57, No. 6
doi: 10.1130/abs/2025AM-412267
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