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Jane Dmochowski

Turning a Student into a Researcher: Challenges and Strategies of Teaching Research Methods to Environmental Studies and Earth Science Juniors. Jane Dmochowski. Why focus on research at the undergraduate level?.

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Jane Dmochowski

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  1. Turning a Student into a Researcher: Challenges and Strategies of Teaching Research Methods to Environmental Studies and Earth Science Juniors Jane Dmochowski

  2. Why focus on research at the undergraduate level? • Developing scientific knowledge is based on experience with generating and testing ideas(Darden, 1992; Lawson, 2000; Martin, 1985 and others). • It is important for these early student scientific inquiries, including formulating a hypothesis, to be instructor guided(National Research Council 1996 and 2000 and others).

  3. Who are our majors? • University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Ranked 5th in the Nation by the US News and World Report • Environmental Studies Majors: Env. Policy and Application, Global Environmental Systems, Environmental History and Regional Studies, and Sustainability and Environmental Management • Earth Science Majors: Geology, Environmental Science, and Paleobiology • 20-35 undergraduate students graduating per year. • >90% complete a senior thesis • 2011 graduates: • 11% underrepresented minority students • 67% female students • 63% Environmental Studies; 37% Earth Science • University of Pennsylvania College (~90-95%) and Liberal and Professional Studies Students (~5-10%)

  4. How to turn the student into a researcher? • Incorporate research and research papers into intermediate-level undergraduate classes • Use of the “Problem Method” in classes (Ogden, 1984; McBurney, 1995, and others) • Discussing research methods and how discoveries are made in all classes • End of junior year: Junior Research Seminar—TEACH them how to do research first • Two seminars during senior year • Senior Research Conference

  5. Why we introduced a research seminar at the end of the students’ junior year: • Some students • Getting late start on research before graduation. • Did not know how to come up with a research question. • Did not understand how to find a project and mentor. • ENVS399 first offered in spring of 2007 • 8 students • Since mandatory (ENVS majors): • 11 students; spring of 2009 • 27 students; spring of 2010 • 25 enrolled for spring of 2011

  6. Junior Research Seminar Components of Class: • Guest lectures from the dept and university (potential mentors) • Lecture from librarian on literature searches • Seniors discussing their own thesis projects • Analysis of past senior theses • Lectures on Gathering Data, Literature Reviews, Making Good Arguments, How to Summarize Data, Mathematical Modeling, Data Analysis… • Computer labs for Data Analysis aspects of the course Textbooks: • Student Projects in Environmental Science, 2008 Stuart Harrad, Lesley Batty, Miriam Diamond, and George Arhonditsis • The Craft of Research, Wayne Booth, Gregory Colomb and Joseph Williams.

  7. Overall Course Goal This seminar is designed to help Juniors prepare for their Senior Thesis research. Topic selection, library research, presentation of data, basic research methods, data analysis, advisor identification, and funding options will be discussed. Assignments Assignment 1: What is research and what are your interests? Assignment 2: Literature Search and Comprehension Assignment 3: Data Analysis Junior Research Seminar, Cont.

  8. Data Analysis Assignment • Assignment 3 • Using given datasets, use Excel and SPSS to do the following, using the tools we’ve discussed in class (t-test, chi-square test, histogram, standard deviation, linear regression, ANOVA, etc.) • 1. Plot the 25th, 50th and 75th percentile curves for the data in Table 1. • 2. Plot the data in Table 2 with error bars equal to one standard deviation. • 3. Plot a histogram of the data in Table 3. Are the data normally distributed? Make sure to run a “normality” test. • 4. Compute the mean, standard deviation, and coefficient of variation for the set of data in Table 4. • 5. Do the observed data fit the expected data in Table 5? How well (or badly)? Show the output table. • 6. Are the two groups of data in Table 6 significantly different? How different? Show the output table. • 7. Do the data in Table 7 fit a linear curve? What percentage of the data is described by the linear relationship? Show the graph. • 8. Is there more of a difference between the 4 groups in Table 8 than there is within each group? How significant is the difference, and which two groups are most different? Show the output table. • All graphs and tables should have figure captions.

  9. Strategies for designing a research question • Designing an “X-Y-Z” statement: • I am working on X to learn more about Y, so that my readers can better understand Z. (Booth et al., 2008) • X: First state the topic (with description) • I am trying to learn about_______ • Y: Add a question • What is it that is not yet understood • Because I want to find out who/what/where/when/why/whether • Z: Motivate your question • Introduce the motivation (or second question) with “in order to help my reader understand how, why, whether…”

  10. Final Paper, Proposal for the Senior Thesis (8-12 pages): • Intended audience: Grant reviewers somewhat familiar with your field of study, but not necessarily familiar with your particular project and subfield. • Abstract (clearly and succinctly, in 1-2 paragraphs, define topic and state why it is important) • Statement of the Problem • Hypothesis • Introduction • Background (literature review) • Approach (experimental design) • Predicted Outcomes • Proposed Timeline • Budget • Conclusion • References (at least 15).

  11. Challenges • Broad range of backgrounds and interests amongst Environmental Studies and Earth Science majors—all in one class • Introduce examples from many disciplines • Broad range of guest lecturers • Break students into working groups • Changing their minds/Changes in situations: • 36% of survey respondents (fall 2010 senior thesis survey) of 2011 graduating students have changed their thesis projects from what they proposed in ENVS399 • Find ways to strengthen proposals • Strengthen matches with mentors • Summer follow-ups • Finding mentors • 2010: • Standing Faculty in EES: 8 • Permanent Staff in EES: 7 • UPenn Faculty/Staff outside EES: 3 • Non-Penn mentors: 6 (partial/full) • Timing of applying for and obtaining summer opportunities • Involve UPenn’s Center for Undergraduate Research and Environmental Sustainability Advisory Committee early in the Junior Seminar

  12. Range of Research Examples of senior thesis titles from 2010 : • A Cathaysian Calamite and its Paleobiogeographic Implications • Policies Addressing Sea-Level Rise in the Mid-Atlantic States: A Case Study of North Wildwood, New Jersey • Identification of Nitrogen-Containing Organic Compounds in the Biomass-Burning Aerosol of Beetle-Infested Ponderosa Pines • Preventive Measures to Protect Urban Forests from the Emerald Ash Borer • Heavy Metals in Urban Community Gardens: Analysis of Risks in West Philadelphia • An Examination of the Challenges Facing the National Flood Insurance Program • Coastal Erosion of the Baldwin Peninsula in Arctic Alaska

  13. Results of Student Surveys Surveys Include: University course reviews, Instructor individual survey in 2009, Department survey of undergraduates in spring of 2010; Department surveys regarding Senior Thesis and Juniors Seminar in fall of 2010 From the University Course Review 2009 and 2010: • 1.00 = "Fair“ • 2.00 to "Good" • 3.00 to "Very Good" • 4.00 to "Excellent" • 2009: 2.55 (Course) Good-Very Good / 3.45 Very Good –Excellent (Instructor) • 2010: 2.59 (Course) Good-Very Good / 3.55 Very Good –Excellent (Instructor)

  14. From the 2010 Graduates Survey

  15. As part of an “Improving Geoscience Departments” Workshop (Science Education Resource Center, SERC): Defined a set of objectives for our majors.From the 2010 graduates survey (56% of respondents on old curriculum): “To what extent do you feel your undergraduate education in EES (and related courses and research experiences at Penn) helped you to understand the following items or develop the following skills/abilities?” • Average rating for 18 different objectives: 3.3/4 • Lowest: “Ability to model a geographic, environmental or geologic system.” • Something we have introduced in 3 new classes + ENVS399 • Ability to critically analyze scientific literature, interpret scientific data and understand the scientific process. 3.5/4

  16. What do our graduate students do? • 8/18 respondents of 2010 graduates had plans to enter a Ph.D. or M.S. program within one year of graduating (Duke, Villanova, UPenn, Univ of Mich.) • 1 law school • 1 government (BLM) • 1 employment at a university • 2 Environmental non-profit (Fellowship with EnvironmentAmerica, New Mexico Land Conservancy- Santa Fe, NM ) • 1 other business • 4 other

  17. Conclusions • From student reviews and questionnaires, we have found that students feel the most helpful aspects of our Junior Research Seminar course are: • Guest talks from professors about their research • Assignment 2 (writing a literature review) • Assignment 3 (data analysis) • Aside from preparing our students to get involved in research earlier and smarter, the course has had the added benefit of building a strong cohort of students who work well together, are excited about research and support each other.

  18. References Booth W., G. Colomb and J. Williams (2008) The Craft of Research. Darden, L. (1992). Strategies in anomaly resolution. In R. Giere (Ed.), Cognitive models of science (pp. 251-273). Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Press. Harrad, S., L. Batty , M. Diamond, and G. Arhonditsis (2008) Student Projects in Environmental Science. Lawson, A. E. (2000). How do humans acquire knowledge? And what does that imply about the nature of knowledge? Science and Education, 9, 577-598. Martin, M. (1985) Concepts of Science Educaiton: A philosophical analysis. Landham, MD: University Press of America. McBurney, D. H. (1995). The problem method of teaching research methods. Teaching of Psychology, 22, 36-38. National Research Council (1996). National Education Standards. Washington, D. C: National Academy press. National Research Council (2000). Inquiry and the National Education Standards: A guide for teaching and learning. Washington, D. C: National Academy press. Ogden, G. L. (1984). The problem method in legal education. Journal of Legal Education, 34, 654-673.

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