Assessment of General Education Scientific Reasoning Principle in. GEOL-G 101 Introduction to Earth Science course. Department of Geosciences

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1 Assessment of General Education Scientific Reasoning Principle in GEOL-G 101 Introduction to Earth Science course Department of Geosciences College of Arts and Sciences Indiana University Northwest Scientific Reasoning, as defined in IU Northwest General Education guidelines, has the following two required outcomes: Demonstrate the ability and explain how scientific theories are formulated, tested, and validated Demonstrate the ability to integrate and apply scientific methods which include defining parameters of problem, seeking relevant information, subjecting proposed solutions to rigorous testing and drawing conclusions based on the process GEOL-G 101 Introduction to Earth Science course is a large (50-70 students) introductory level science course that attracts many IU Northwest students of various majors. This course provides an integrated and interdisciplinary approach to a true understanding of our planet. Earth science includes and applies knowledge from biology, chemistry, physics, ecology, and mathematics to solve and understand complex interdisciplinary issues. Everything we do each day is connected in some way to Earth: to its land, water, air, plants, and animals. The food we eat, the water we drink, our homes and offices, the clothes we wear, the energy we use, and the air we breathe are all grown in, taken from, surround, or move through the planet. If we are to continue extracting resources to maintain a high quality of life, then we, as individuals and citizens, need to know more about our planet its processes, its resources, and its environment. And only through Earth science education can students understand and appreciate our complex planet. Please refer to Assessment plan (attached) for further description of specific geology topics. We assessed Scientific Reasoning Principle by testing students understanding of the Plate Tectonics Theory through a series of objective questions that were incorporated on Exam 2 in each section of GEOL-G 101 course. The questions, which were prepared by all faculty teaching GEOL-G 101 course, were: 1

2 1. The arrows on this image are drawn based on the. a. Evolution Theory b. Theory of Relativity c. Plate Tectonics Theory d. Big Bang Theory 2. Which of the following geologic features would NOT form as a result of the current plate movement? a. volcanoes b. earthquakes c. new ocean crust d. deep sea trenches 3. Young ocean crust makes up the floor of the Red Sea. It is likely that some parts of the Red Sea floor are younger than others. Predict where the crust is likely the youngest. The arrows show relative motion of the plates a. in two thin linear belts along the shores of the Arabian Peninsula and the coast of northeastern Africa b. there is likely a random pattern of younger and older ocean crust that makes up the floor of the Red Sea. c. in a thin linear belt running lengthwise along the center of the Red Sea floor. d. along the southern tip of the Red Sea close to where it meets the Gulf of Aden 4. One good way to test the hypotheses above would be to. a. Test the salinity of sea water from the Red Sea and compare it to sea water from other locations around the world. The presence of very saline water is good evidence for new (young) ocean crust below. b. Look for the presence of a mid-ocean ridge in the Red Sea. This would be good evidence for the formation of new (young) ocean crust at this location. c. Look for the presence of a subduction zone in the Red Sea. This would be good evidence for the formation of new (young) ocean crust at this location. d. Compare the chemical composition of rocks from areas you predict are the youngest to areas you predict are somewhat older. Rocks from the youngest sea floor will have higher silica (SiO 2 ) concentrations. 2

3 5. If the current rates of plate movements continue for next 20 million years, there would be a. closure of Red Sea and East African Rift accompanied with mountain building. b. much wider Red Sea connected to new and younger sea in East Africa. c. subduction of East Africa under Arabian Peninsula accompanied with volcanism. d. no change in the size of Red Sea and transform motion between Africa and Arabian Peninsula. Each of the questions assessed one or more of general education outcomes or separate parts of the outcome. In Fall semester 2014 three sections of GEOL-G 101 had 148 students taking Exam 2 and answering the following questions: Question 1, with an accompanying map which contains arrows that show relative plate motions, assessed students ability to explain how Plate Tectonics Theory is formulated. 141 or 95.3% of students answered this question correctly. Question 2 assessed students ability to integrate scientific method of recognizing the specific type of plate boundary (divergent), and seeking relevant information (arrows direction), to draw conclusion that deep sea trenches are not found in these areas. 78 or 52.7% of students answered this question correctly. Question 3 assessed students ability to define parameters of problem (youngest crust location) and validate explanation of Plate Tectonics Theory (youngest crust occurs in the center of the divergent plate boundary). 89 of 60.1% of students answered this question correctly. Question 4 assessed student s ability to test Plate Tectonics Theory which states that mid-ocean ridges are found in the centers of divergent plate boundaries. 74 or 50% of students answered this question correctly. Question 5 assessed student s ability to validate Plate tectonics Theory, and draw conclusion based on the process of plate motion, that 20 million years from now Red Sea will be much wider and connected to new, younger sea in East Africa. 120 or 81.1% of students answered this question correctly. 3

4 We were not satisfied with assessment results, especially in questions 2,3, and 4, and we decided to rephrase or change some of the questions, in order to simplify the process. Same three instructors used three sections of GEOL-G 101 in Spring Semester 2015, with a total of 139 students taking Exam 2. The following is a list of revised questions used in our assessment: Exam 2 (New version) Name 1. This is a map of eastern Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. The arrows indicate the relative movement of the plates. Which type of plate boundary is represented on this map? a. Divergent b. Convergent c. Transform 2. The arrows on this image are drawn based on the. a. Evolution Theory b. Theory of Relativity c. Plate Tectonics Theory d. Big Bang Theory 3. In class we learned that different types of plate motions (and plate boundaries) are associated with different geologic features. Look carefully at the relative plate motion indicated by the arrows. Which of the following geologic features WOULD NOT be associated with the plate motion shown below? a. Earthquakes b. new ocean crust The arrows show relative motion of the plates. c. deep sea trenches d. volcanoes 4

5 4. Turn your attention to the Red Sea on the map above. New ocean crust makes up the floor of the Red Sea. While the entire sea floor is young, some parts of the Red Sea floor are younger than others. Predict where you would expect to find the youngest ocean crust. a. Along the shores of the Arabian Peninsula and northeastern Africa b. There is likely a random pattern of younger and older ocean crust that makes up the floor of the Red Sea. c. In a linear belt along the center of the Red Sea floor. d. At the southern tip of the Red Sea where it meets the Gulf of Aden 5. Hypothesis testing: Assume that you have unlimited resources available to conduct any type of test or find any type of geologic feature. Which of the following would best help you find the location of the youngest crust that makes up the Red Sea floor? a. Test the salinity of sea water from the Red Sea and compare it to sea water from other locations around the world. The highest salinity would be associated with the youngest ocean crust b. Try to locate a mid-ocean ridge in the Red Sea, because new (young) ocean crust forms at mid-ocean ridges. c. Try to locate a subduction zone in the Red Sea because new (young) ocean crust forms in subduction zones. d. Test the silica (SiO 2 ) content of different rocks that make up the Red Sea floor. Rocks with the highest silica content are the youngest. 6. Turn your attention once again to the Red Sea and to the Rift Valleys in Eastern Africa. Which choice best describes a likely scenario for both locations if the current plate motion continued for a long period of time (20 million years or so)? a. Red Sea could close and high mountains could form in the East African Rift valleys b. Red Sea could widen, and linear seas could occupy widening East African Rift valleys. c. East Africa could subduct under the Arabian Peninsula and large composite cones/stratovolcanoes could form in the Red Sea. d. The size of Red Sea would not change and transform faults could cause East Africa to fall into the Indian Ocean. Results: Question 1, with an accompanying map which contains arrows that show relative plate motions, assessed students ability to explain type of Plate boundary shown. 135 or 97.1% of students answered this question correctly. 5

6 Question 2, with an accompanying map which contains arrows that show relative plate motions, assessed students ability to explain how Plate Tectonics Theory is formulated. 136 or 97.8% of students answered this question correctly. Question 3 assessed students ability to integrate scientific method of recognizing the specific type of plate boundary (divergent), and seeking relevant information (arrows direction), to draw conclusion that deep sea trenches are not found in these areas. 79 or 54.0% of students answered this question correctly. Question 4 assessed students ability to define parameters of problem (youngest crust location) and validate explanation of Plate Tectonics Theory (youngest crust occurs in the center of the divergent plate boundary). 80 of 57.6% of students answered this question correctly. Question 5 assessed student s ability to test Plate Tectonics Theory which states that mid-ocean ridges are found in the centers of divergent plate boundaries. 74 or 53.2% of students answered this question correctly. Question 6 assessed student s ability to validate Plate tectonics Theory, and draw conclusion based on the process of plate motion, that 20 million years from now Red Sea will be much wider and connected to new, younger sea in East Africa. 118 or 84.9% of students answered this question correctly. Even though we saw some improvement in students grasping scientific reasoning principle, we were not satisfied with their overall performance. The department decided to assess this principle in a new format: We will assess student performance in GEOL-G 101 class by Field Trip Project, which contains all important elements of scientific reasoning: formulating hypotheses, collecting the data, testing the hypotheses, and writing a scientific report. Zoran Kilibarda, Chair September 1, 2015 Department of Geosciences 6