Sara Harris

Professor of Teaching, Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences University of British Columbia

  • Vancouver BC

Sara Harris's current research explores how people learn climate science.

Contact

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Biography

Sara Harris is a Professor of Teaching in the department of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences at the University of British Columbia (UBC) and a 3M National Teaching Fellow. She has a PhD in oceanography from Oregon State University and a research background in paleoceanography and paleoclimate. During seven years as a chief scientist at Sea Education Association in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, she studied modern oceans and sailed thousands of miles with undergraduate students. Since 2007, she has been a Departmental Director for the Carl Wieman Science Education Initiative at UBC, a major effort to improve undergraduate learning in science by implementing evidence-based, student-focused pedagogy. Sara's current research explores how people learn climate science. She teaches a MOOC on edx.org called "Climate Change: The Science" and she is a co-author of Understanding Climate Change: Science, Policy, and Practice.

Industry Expertise

Education/Learning
Research
Maritime

Areas of Expertise

Science Education
Climate Change
Energy Systems and Public Policy
University Teaching
Public Speaking
Environmental Awareness
Science Policy
Oceanography
Paleoceanography

Accomplishments

3M National Teaching Fellowship

2015

Awarded by the Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education and 3M Canada to recognize exceptional contributions to teaching and learning in Canadian post-secondary education.

Killam Teaching Prize

2011

Awarded by the University of British Columbia.

Undergraduate Instructor of the Year Award

2007

Awarded by Earth and Ocean Sciences, University of British Columbia.

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Education

Oregon State University

Ph.D.

Oceanography

1998

Wesleyan University

B.A.

Earth Science

1991

Media Appearances

A Nobel Laureate's Education Plea: Revolutionize Teaching

National Public Radio  radio

2016-04-14

Ironically, it was one of his lectures on the death of lectures that inspired a professor of teaching there, Sara Harris to put aside her research on paleoceanography to work full time on improving science education ...

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Conversations that Matter: Dr. Sara Harris a senior instructor at the department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Science at UBC

Vancouver Sun  online

2014-11-30

Video interview.

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B.C. fire season flares up early forcing province to turn down Alberta request for help

Vancouver Sun  

2016-05-04

Sara Harris, a senior instructor in UBC’s department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, said data suggest that over the long term wildfire seasons around the world are getting worse ...

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Event Appearances

Overcoming the Obstacles to Teaching Reform

Earth Educators' Rendezvous  Madison, WI

2016-07-22

Dirty Slates: Student Ideas as Catalysts for Learning

Vancouver Island University Teaching and Learning Conference  Nanaimo, BC

2016-05-06

The Change in Climate Change

A Taste of Pi Series, Simon Fraser University  Vancouver, BC

2016-04-09

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Articles

A New Tool for Measuring Student Behavioral Engagement in Large University Classes

Journal of College Science Teaching

2015

We developed a classroom observation protocol for quantitatively measuring student engagement in large university classes. The Behavioral Engagement Related to Instruction (BERI) protocol can be used to provide timely feedback to instructors as to how they can improve student engagement in their classrooms.

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A Massive Open Online Course on climate change: The social construction of a global problem using new tools for connectedness

Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change

2014

Climate change is a pervasive and challenging phenomenon that takes on a variety of meanings and frames, each of which suggests different victims, villains, and solutions. New tools are emerging that may facilitate a reframing, or at least the collaborative coproduction, of the climate change conversation.

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Measuring student knowledge of landscapes and their formation timespan

Journal of Geoscience Education

2013

Geologic time is a crucial component of any geoscientist's training. Essential knowledge of geologic time includes rates of geologic processes and the associated time it takes for geologic features to form, yet measuring conceptual thinking abilities in these domains is challenging. We describe development and initial application of the Landscape Identification and Formation Test (LIFT), a concept inventory for measuring abilities to identify landscapes and their formation timespans.

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