Initial Publication Date: October 31, 2017

GER Webinars

Starting in Fall 2017, NAGT's GER division is proud to host a series of webinars that address different topics and methods in geoscience education research. We plan to host 1-2 of these each semester. An archive of webinars will be hosted here.

"Navigating life as a GER Student (or interested in becoming one): Getting involved and networking in the community" (October 7th, 2020)

Presenters: Bailey Zo Kreager, Northern Illinois University; Larry Collings, Washington State University

An essential component of graduate school is networking. Networking opportunities can include finding colleagues outside of your institution and through professional organizations. A great way to do this is by getting involved in NAGT and GSA. As more in-person networking events are canceled or moved online, it is important to create new opportunities for graduate students to interact. This webinar will provide one of these opportunities. During this hour, we will discuss opportunities for students to become involved in both GSA and NAGT, including the path that we took to our current leadership positions. Attendees will also have time to participate in small groups to meet each other and learn about each other's interests/research. This webinar is for students who are conducting geoscience education research and those who are interested in this discipline. You do not have to be an NAGT-GER Division member to attend.

Link to webpage: https://nagt.org/nagt/profdev/webinars/ger_student/index.html

"Funding opportunities for Geoscience Education Related Initiatives and Research" (May 6th, 2020)

Presenter: Dr. Brandon Jones, National Science Foundation

This webinar will provide an overview of funding opportunities from the National Science Foundation available for work related to Geoscience Education. The speaker, Dr. Brandon Jones, is an NSF Program Officer who oversees programs related to introducing students to geoscience disciplines, workforce development and development of learning ecosystems (collaborations, partnerships, etc.) to support students, and in some cases educators, in the geosciences. We will discuss underutilized opportunities and also provide general tips for successful Geoscience Education proposals.

Link to webpage: https://nagt.org/nagt/geoedresearch/funding_ger/index.html

"How to be an effective reviewer for the Journal of Geoscience Education" (December 6, 2019)

This webinar included a a panel discussion on the nuts-and-bolts of crafting a valuable review of colleagues' papers for JGE. Editor-in-Chief Anne Egger discussed the characteristics of valuable reviews from the Editor's perspective (Slides for Effective Reviewing JGE), and how Editors use those reviews in crafting feedback and recommendations for the authors. A panel of four recipients of the JGE Outstanding Reviewer Award (Glenn Dolphin, Kyle Gray, Kaatje Kraft, and Peggy McNeal) discussed their review process, and how they craft reviews that help advance the discipline. Finally, the panel answered questions about their process and how to adapt or adopt your own practice as a reviewer.
Video Recording File (MP4 Video 1072.5MB Jan2 20)
GER Webinar December 2019 Chat.txt (Text File 2kB Jan2 20)



"Careers in Academia: Options with Your GER Background" (April 24, 2018 )

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Five panelists on the webinar represent a range of academic career options:

  • Kelsey Bitting: Associate Director, Center for Advancing Teaching and Learning through Research at Northeastern University
  • Briana Ingermann: Education Manager at Fiske Planetarium at the University of Colorado at Boulder
  • Dawn Kopacz: Professor of Practice at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln
  • Karen Kortz: Professor of Geology at the Community College of Rhode Island
  • Eric Riggs: Associate Dean at Texas A&M

Often an "academic career" is associated with a career doing research; however, research is only one possible component of an academic career. Academia is broadly defined as the life, community, or world of teachers, institutions, and the greater education enterprise. Thus, there are a wide variety of possible careers within academia. These include, for example: professors of practice/instructors, administrators at various levels, staffs for centers of teaching and learning, staffs at university/college museums, and faculty at other types of institutions other than R1 institutions. The goals of this webinar are for participants to be able to:

  1. Describe the range of career opportunities in academia, especially those which may be different than the ones that their advisors/supervisors hold
  2. Explain how their training and experience in Geoscience Education Research can be an asset to academic careers that may not necessarily be focused on GER
  3. Construct mental models of pathways they might follow from their current graduate studies or early career positions to other careers in academia

Each panelist will give a 4 minute lightning talk, followed by two breakout sessions with 2-3 of the panelists. Participants can rotate between panelists for the two breakout sessions OR spend both breakout sessions with the same panelists. Panelists will be asked to address the following questions as their time permits:

  1. How and where did you obtain your training and/or experience conducting GER?
  2. Describe your career pathway – how did you get to the position you hold/held for which you were invited to discuss?
  3. Describe what an average week on the job in that position is like.
  4. How has your training and/or experience conducting GER helped you in that position?
  5. What advice do you have for graduate students and/or early career folks who might be interested in pursuing a position such as the one that you've discussed?

Watch the screencast recording:

Webinar Screencast - Academic Career Paths in GER (Quicktime Video 267MB Apr25 18)Webinar Screencast - Academic Career Paths in GER (Quicktime Video 267MB Apr25 18)

Click to view the webinar screencast (Quicktime Video 267MB Apr25 18)

Resources shared by panelists and participants (Acrobat (PDF) 337kB Apr26 18)


"Introduction to Geoscience Education Research Methods with Julie Sexton" (October 17, 2017)

Other relevant webinars:

The Benefits and Challenges of having Geoscience Education Research Faculty in your Department (March 28, 2016)