Design, Implementation, and Evaulation of GIS-Based Learning Materials in an Introductory Geoscience Course

Little is known about how well GIS-based learning lives up to its potential for improving students' skills in problem solving, analysis, and spatial visualization. This article describes a study in which researchers determined ways to quantify student learning that occurred with a GIS-based module on plate tectonics and geologic hazards, and to improve the materials design with the use of classroom observations and field testing. The study found that student difficulties in working with GIS-based activities can be overcome by making some features of the GIS transparent to the user, that a lack of basic geography skills can interfere in the progression of a GIS-based activity, and that some conceptual difficulties can be overcome by providing guiding questions that help students interrogate visual data. In addition, it was noted that some misconceptions in interpretation of two-dimensional maps and three-dimensional block diagrams can persist even after direct instruction. In general, a positive correlation was noted between spatial thinking and GIS-based learning. Educational levels: Graduate or professional

The evolving SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in Africa: Insights from rapidly expanding genomic surveillance

INTRODUCTION Investment in Africa over the past year with regard to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) sequencing has led to a massive increase in the number of sequences, which, to date, exceeds 100,000 sequences generated to track the pandemic on the continent. These sequences have profoundly affected how public health officials in Africa have navigated the COVID-19 pandemic. RATIONALE We demonstrate how the first 100,000 SARS-CoV-2 sequences from Africa have helped monitor the epidemic on the continent, how genomic surveillance expanded over the course of the pandemic, and how we adapted our sequencing methods to deal with an evolving virus. Finally, we also examine how viral lineages have spread across the continent in a phylogeographic framework to gain insights into the underlying temporal and spatial transmission dynamics for several variants of concern (VOCs). RESULTS Our results indicate that the number of countries in Africa that can sequence the virus within their own borders is growing and that this is coupled with a shorter turnaround time from the time of sampling to sequence submission. Ongoing evolution necessitated the continual updating of primer sets, and, as a result, eight primer sets were designed in tandem with viral evolution and used to ensure effective sequencing of the virus. The pandemic unfolded through multiple waves of infection that were each driven by distinct genetic lineages, with B.1-like ancestral strains associated with the first pandemic wave of infections in 2020. Successive waves on the continent were fueled by different VOCs, with Alpha and Beta cocirculating in distinct spatial patterns during the second wave and Delta and Omicron affecting the whole continent during the third and fourth waves, respectively. Phylogeographic reconstruction points toward distinct differences in viral importation and exportation patterns associated with the Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron variants and subvariants, when considering both Africa versus the rest of the world and viral dissemination within the continent. Our epidemiological and phylogenetic inferences therefore underscore the heterogeneous nature of the pandemic on the continent and highlight key insights and challenges, for instance, recognizing the limitations of low testing proportions. We also highlight the early warning capacity that genomic surveillance in Africa has had for the rest of the world with the detection of new lineages and variants, the most recent being the characterization of various Omicron subvariants. CONCLUSION Sustained investment for diagnostics and genomic surveillance in Africa is needed as the virus continues to evolve. This is important not only to help combat SARS-CoV-2 on the continent but also because it can be used as a platform to help address the many emerging and reemerging infectious disease threats in Africa. In particular, capacity building for local sequencing within countries or within the continent should be prioritized because this is generally associated with shorter turnaround times, providing the most benefit to local public health authorities tasked with pandemic response and mitigation and allowing for the fastest reaction to localized outbreaks. These investments are crucial for pandemic preparedness and response and will serve the health of the continent well into the 21st century

Earth Exploration Toolbook Chapter: Investigating Earthquakes: GIS Mapping and Analysis

This activity describes the technique of preparing "GIS-ready" data and shows how to map that data and conduct basic analyses using a geographic information system (GIS). First, you will download and format near real-time and historical earthquake data from the USGS. Using latitude and longitude fields, you will then plot these data in a GIS. Next, you will analyze patterns by querying records and overlaying datasets. Finally, you will examine earthquake distributions, monitor current earthquake activity, and try to predict where the next big earthquake will occur on Earth. Educational levels: Graduate or professional, High school, Middle school

Design, Implementation, and Evaulation of GIS-Based Learning Materials in an Introductory Geoscience

Little is known about how well GIS-based learning lives up to its potential for improving students\' skills in problem solving, analysis, and spatial visualization. This article describes a study in which researchers determined ways to quantify student learning that occurred with a GIS-based module on plate tectonics and geologic hazards, and to improve the materials design with the use of classroom observations and field testing. The study found that student difficulties in working with GIS-based activities can be overcome by making some features of the GIS transparent to the user, that a lack of basic geography skills can interfere in the progression of a GIS-based activity, and that some conceptual difficulties can be overcome by providing guiding questions that help students interrogate visual data. In addition, it was noted that some misconceptions in interpretation of two-dimensional maps and three-dimensional block diagrams can persist even after direct instruction. In general, a positive correlation was noted between spatial thinking and GIS-based learning

Mapping Environmental Quality Around the World

In this activity, users construct and analyze maps of the the Environmental Sustainability Index (ESI) and its component data sets to compare ESI rankings around the world. The ESI is a numerical index, produced by the Environmental Performance Measurement Project, that measures the progress of 146 countries toward environmental sustainability. Seventy-six data sets, tracking factors such as land conservation, water quality, health, waste management, and air pollution, are aggregated to calculate each country's ESI score. Users download the ESI dataset from the Environmental Performance Measurement Project, and import it into My World, a geographic information system (GIS) tool designed for education. The ESI and its component data sets can be sorted and mapped to investigate the factors that affect countries' progress towards environmental sustainability. Educational levels: Middle school, High school

Teaching for understanding in earth science: Comparing impacts on planning and instruction in three professional development designs for middle school science teachers

Abstract This paper compares and contrasts the impacts of three professional development designs aimed at middle school Earth science teachers on how teachers plan and enact instruction. The designs were similar in their alignment to researchbased practices in science professional development: each design was of an extended duration and time span, included follow-up support to teachers, and incorporated active learning approaches in the professional development. In addition, the designs had a high level of coherence with other reform activities and with local standards. The main difference among the designs was in the roles of teachers in designing, adopting, or adapting curriculum materials. Evidence from teacher survey and observation data indicated that all programs had positive impacts on how teachers planned and enacted teaching for understanding, but differences among programs was more evident in their impacts on instructional planning