Successful Curriculum Development and Evaluation of Group Work in an Introductory Mineralogy Laboratory

Autor/inn/en	Dohaney, Jacqueline; Brogt, Erik; Kennedy, Ben
Titel	Successful Curriculum Development and Evaluation of Group Work in an Introductory Mineralogy Laboratory
Quelle	In: Journal of Geoscience Education, 60 (2012) 1, S.21-33 (13 Seiten) PDF als Volltext kostenfreie Datei Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	1089-9995
Schlagwörter	Foreign Countries; College Students; Curriculum Development; Cooperative Learning; Group Dynamics; Introductory Courses; Mineralogy; Laboratory Training; Teaching Methods; Evidence Based Practice; Feedback (Response); Curriculum Evaluation; Pretests Posttests; Student Surveys; Student Improvement; Scores; Student Satisfaction; Focus Groups; Achievement Gains; Canada + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Ausland; Collegestudent; Curriculum; Development; Curriculumentwicklung; Lehrplan; Entwicklung; Kooperatives Lernen; Gruppendynamik; Einführungskurs; Mineralogie; Laborkunde; Teaching method; Lehrmethode; Unterrichtsmethode; Evaluation; Curriculumevaluation; Rahmenplan; Evaluierung; Schülerbefragung; Achievement gain; Leistungssteigerung; Kanada
Abstract	Mineralogy is a core topic for tertiary geoscience programs worldwide. We report on the use of laboratory group work as an effective and integral part of a new introductory mineralogy curriculum at the University of British Columbia. The new laboratory curriculum was developed by incorporating student feedback with evidence-based pedagogies. These pedagogies include (1) learning goal-based restructuring of content, (2) use of applied topics (e.g., economic mineralogy) and custom projects to promote student engagement, and (3) use of group work and group assessment in order to provide students with opportunities for peer-supported learning and meaningful feedback from teaching assistants (TAs). The new curriculum was evaluated by using a pre- and posttest system and anonymous student surveys in the 2008 and 2009 fall terms. The pre- and posttest results indicate that groups performed better than did individual students, with groups of three and four showing the most positive effects, albeit in different ways. In addition, successful collaboration within groups led to an overall improvement in student performance over the term, with most groups showing an overall larger "success" in the posttest than in the pretest, and the range in student scores within groups getting smaller (by members benefiting from group peer education). Student surveys showed student satisfaction with the new laboratory curriculum and the use of group work and group assessment. Future improvements include the use of a validated instrument in order better understand learning gains and better use or training of TAs to encourage and maintain positive group dynamics. (As Provided).
Anmerkungen	National Association of Geoscience Teachers. Carleton College W-SERC, One North College Street, Northfield, MN 55057. Tel: 540-568-6675; Fax: 540-568-8058; e-mail: jge@jmu.edu; Website: http://nagt-jge.org
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2020/1/01