293-10 Students’ Perceptions of the Practice of Dispositions in Geoscience Courses

Session: Developing and Assessing Workforce Skills in Geoscience Courses and Programs

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Abstract:

Dispositions such as collaboration, desire to learn, and flexibility are as important to geoscience employers as technical geoscience skills when hiring entry-level employees. The development and recognition of dispositions is therefore important for geoscience students. Geoscience faculty report using a variety of strategies in their courses to help students develop dispositions identified as critical for success in the geoscience workforce (attention to detail, collaboration, desire to learn, flexibility, initiative, integrity, organization, positive attitude, professionalism, work ethic). Surveyed faculty most frequently report intentionally asking students to practice collaboration, attention to detail, and organization, with faculty teaching upper-level courses (numbered 300 and 400) reporting more intentional practice of all dispositions than faculty teaching lower-level courses (numbered 100 and 200). 

Geoscience graduates seeking employment will need to recognize where and how they have developed dispositions so that they can demonstrate them. We surveyed undergraduate students enrolled in geoscience courses during two semesters at a single institution, and asked them if they were provided opportunities to develop any dispositions. Students completed the survey for a specific course and could select all that applied from a list of dispositions. Students’ responses to the survey were compared with faculty responses for the same courses. Paired responses were available for 6 lower-level and 8 upper-level courses. The number of student responses for individual classes ranged from 1 to 16. Multiple student responses for a course were collapsed into a single value: if more than 50% of student respondents reported having opportunities to practice a disposition then we report that the disposition was practiced in that course as recognized by students.

In upper-level courses, students most frequently report having opportunities to practice collaboration, organization, and attention to detail, but overall report fewer opportunities to practice all dispositions than faculty report for the same courses, with the exception of organization and initiative. These preliminary results suggest that students in upper-level courses do not recognize all of the ways they are practicing and developing dispositions, which may hinder their competitiveness when entering the workforce. In addition, upper-level students report few opportunities to practice flexibility and initiative, which are highly valued by geoscience employers. 

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