Summaries of recent open-access articles
- Uneven increases in racial diversity of US geoscience undergraduates: Over the past 20 years, the proportion of US geoscience undergraduate degree recipients from racialized groups has increased threefold, more than for graduate degrees. Much of this progress currently is concentrated at relatively few universities. We have work to do to make our discipline more accessible, inclusive, and equitable for students everywhere.
- Design and Impact of the National Workshop for Early Career Geoscience Faculty: More than 1,000 faculty members have attended this national workshop that employs a “whole faculty” approach to support the transition into academic careers. Survey data indicate the workshop has been effective at promoting evidence-based teaching strategies and a community of practice
- Probing the National Geoscience Faculty survey for reported use of education practices that support inclusive learning environments in undergraduate courses: Analyses of survey data showed faculty use of inclusive education practices associated with four categories—geoscientist representations, curricular choices, learning strategies, and career pathways—differ based on their communication with colleagues, institution type, and course type (introductory or major).
- Accelerating change: The power of faculty change agents to promote diversity and inclusive teaching practices: Adoption of equitable and inclusive teaching practices may be accelerated with a professional development diffusion model. A successful example of this approach is the SAGE 2YC program, in which faculty change agents learn and practice strategies, implement changes in their own teaching, and then work in teams to lead workshops.
Geoscience education and faculty development citations
Beane, R., Macdonald, R.H., & Iverson, E., 2022. The Early Career Workshop for Geoscience Faculty: one model for multi-institution, discipline-based, holistic STEM faculty development. Forthcoming in Handbook for STEM Faculty Development. Information Age Publishing.
Beane, R., Baer, E., Lockwood, R., Macdonald, R.H., McDaris, J., Morris, V., Villalobos, J., & White, L., 2021. Uneven increases in racial diversity of US geoscience undergraduates. Communications Earth & Environment, 2: 126.
Beane, R., Altermatt, E., Iverson, E. and Macdonald, R.H., 2020. Design and Impact of the National Workshop for Early Career Geoscience Faculty. Journal of Geoscience Education, v.68, p. 345-359.
Beane, R., McNeal, K. and Macdonald, R. H., 2019. Probing the National Geoscience Faculty survey for reported use of education practices that support inclusive learning environments in undergraduate courses. Journal of Geoscience Education, v. 67, p. 427-445.
Macdonald, R. H., Beane, R., Baer, E., Eddy, P., Emerson, N., Hodder, J., Iverson, E., McDaris, J., O’Connell, K., and Ormand, C., 2019. Accelerating Change: The Power of Faculty Change Agents to Promote Diversity and Inclusive Teaching Practices. Journal of Geoscience Education.
Beane, R.J. and Urquhart, J., 2009. Providing Research Experiences to Non-Science Majors in an Introductory Science Course. In Boyd, M. and Wesemann, J., ed., Broadening Participation in Undergraduate Research: Fostering Excellence and Enhancing the Impact. Council on Undergraduate Research publication, p. 223-226.
Beane, R. J., 2004. Using the scanning electron microscope for discovery based learning in undergraduate courses. Journal of Geoscience Education, v. 52, p. 250-253.
