258 Quantitative and Data Analysis Skills in Geoscience Education: Supporting Student, Course, and Program Outcomes (Posters)
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.
Wednesday, 22 October 2025
8:00 AM - 5:30 PM
HBGCC, Hall 1
Improving Quantitative Confidence and Competence through Targeted Math Modules in an Introductory Geospatial Course
Paper number: 258-0
Program: Technical Sessions
Time: 8:00 AM – 8:00 AM
Authors
Abstract
Quantitative reasoning remains a key barrier to student success in geoscience courses, particularly at the introductory level. To address this challenge, we implemented the NSF-supported The Math Your Earth Science Majors Need, When They Need It (TMYN-Majors) modules in a majors-level introductory course, Introduction to Geospatial Technologies, during Fall 2024 at the University of Texas at San Antonio. The “Log-Log Plots” and “Orders of Magnitude” modules were integrated in the course to improve students’ mathematical understanding in geoscience contexts. Among 10 enrolled students, 7 completed the modules, with 4 completing both the pre- and post-assessments. Results showed an average improvement in post-test scores (+0.14), with paired data indicating a moderate gain (0.79 to 0.93). Although the dataset is small, all students who completed the pre- and post-tests showed improvements in their scores. The observed improvement and qualitative feedback suggest that the modules offer pedagogical value. More notably, self-efficacy measures showed a positive shift across tasks related to the modules, with students reporting increased confidence in interpreting log-log plots, estimating quantities, and working with orders of magnitude. Students also indicated that the modules were helpful and relevant to course content, despite some perceiving them as difficult. Building on this experience, these modules will be implemented again in Fall 2025 along with the Ascend Survey through UTSA’s Student Experience Project. This initiative aims to enhance student success by transforming learning environments and fostering a stronger sense of community. We anticipate that aligning modular math instruction with community-building interventions will further support both skill development and student persistence in STEM. NSF support for TMYN-Majors is gratefully acknowledged.
Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 57, No. 6
doi: 10.1130/abs/2025AM-413312
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