Using Just-in-Time Teaching in the Geosciences

Just-in-Time Teaching (JiTT) addresses a variety of teaching and learning challenges in college-level introductory geoscience courses (AGU Chapman Conference, 1994). For example, most students enroll in an introductory geoscience course to satisfy a general education requirement and have no plans to take additional courses in this area. Many of these students harbor negative attitudes about science and have minimal interest in the content (Libarkin, 2001). Because lecture is still the primary method of classroom instruction in these courses (Lammers & Murphy, 2002), students have little opportunity to interact with each other or the material in class. As a result, classroom learning remains passive and students feel isolated, adding to the lack of student engagement. JiTT can help break this pattern of disengagement and isolation.