Advancing Atmospheric Sciences Education Research: Developing a Framework around Grand Challenges of the Broader Geoscience Education Research Community

In July 2017, a workshop was held at the Earth Educators’ Rendezvous (EER) focused on geoscience education research (GER). The workshop, Geoscience Education Research Grand Challenges and Strategies, brought together 45 education researchers from all sub-disciplines in the geosciences (e.g., Earth, Atmospheric, Ocean, Environmental Sciences) and engaged them in ten working groups. The goals of this workshop were to (a) discuss and prioritize "grand challenges" in GER, and (b) propose strategies to address these challenges that can be actionable in the near term and will impact geoscience practice over the next decade. Fourteen years ago the Wingspread Report (Manduca et al., 2003) helped establish geoscience education research (GER) as a legitimate research field and highlighted important research questions for GER at the time. Almost ten years ago there was also a call to the atmospheric sciences community (Charlevoix, 2008) to engage more formally in atmospheric sciences education research (ASER). The NSF-funded GER Grand Challenges workshop and subsequent development of a strategic white paper is an opportunity for the atmospheric science education community to re-examine our priorities within education research and organize around a framework consistent with the larger geo-education community.

The working group for environmental, ocean, atmosphere and climate science identified five initial Grand Challenges in education research and outlined preliminary strategies to address them. The first draft document was shared with EER participants and their feedback was incorporated. The goal of the working group is to create a framework document that can be used by others working within ASER. This framework will be tied to the broader GER community and Grand Challenges, allowing for the cross-disciplinary collaboration and engagement that will advance education research across the Geosciences. This presentation will provide an overview of the Grand Challenges the working group identified, summarize the progress to date, encourage broader participation from the atmospheric science community, and outline how the ASER can move forward with the larger GER community.