132-7 Case Study: Incorporating Digital Collections, Hands-on Exercises, and Field Trips into Geoscience Education Workshops

Abstract:

With the growing use of climate proxies and modeling projections for near-future climate change gives rise to a parallel need to promote engagement in climate research and mitigation planning. Increased student interest can be motivated by educational experiences in real-world settings highlighting large-scale issues with high socio-economic impact. To address this, we conducted a five-week educational workshop with university undergraduate students focusing on climate proxies from the Miocene Climatic Optimum (~17-14 million years ago) and development of future climate projections. This study utilized Design-Based Research (DBR) to develop an interactive methodological approach for addressing preconceived notions regarding climate change. Our approach applies Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and Mindfulness practices to enhance the translation, transfer, and impact of the curriculum.  

Preliminary results of the surveys showed that a majority of participants saw an importance in learning about climate change. When asked if learning about climate change is important, on a scale of 1-5 (1=not at all; 5=very important), the average score was 4.8. Further, a mean score of 4.9 indicated perceived importance in understanding past climate. However, the surveys revealed that a majority of participants presented feelings of "Climate Anxiety". 72% indicated they felt a negative emotion while 28% described a neutral or indifferent emotion about the topic. Despite this, when asked how the participants felt when thinking about taking direct action toward climate change solutions, 81% of participants indicated a positive emotion. This suggests that learning about actionable solutions could potentially help alleviate "Climate Anxiety" and improve engagement in climate sciences.  

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