11/9/2000

Dear JESSE Principal Editors,

Thanks again to all who were able to come to the JESSE meeting last week. I think we had a good discussion about key elements of the Journal. Attached are my notes from the meeting and a few highlights from the discussion:


* JESSE distinguishes itself from other e-journals by focusing on the Earth systems approach. Resources and articles published must support a world view from a system perspective

* The JESSE effort will incorporate research about the review process while publishing ESS resources and articles (e.g. open vs anonymous, blind, double blind etc)

* Current events, announcements, relevant links, etc. will be available at ESSOnline, which will be the "newsletter" component for readers - ESSOnline and JESSE will be separate and distinct, but link to each other

* All JESSE content review will have an element of anonymous review initially

* All JESSE resource content will be prefaced by text describing the resource's potential use in the classroom and system context

* In addition to ESS learning resources, JESSE will serve as a publication mechanism for reviewed articles about ESS learning, disciplinary basics relating to system concepts, educational analyses of ESS use in the classroom, pedagogical styles appropriate for ESS, etc

* JESSE will initially be published on a quarterly schedule until a steady flow of content enables more frequent or continuous publication

* JESSE represents a change in culture to raise the academic credibility and reward for excellence in ESS education activities

* JESSE's world perspective on ESS needs to be communicated to authors and will be implicitly defined by what JESSE publishes. JESSE's initial offering must be representative of the Journal's goals

* Potential contributors must be contacted now to enable publication of the first issue in April 2001

* Keep it simple!


Your comments and clarification to these points and points in the notes are much appreciated. We'd be pleased to entertain a lively discussion about these or any other topics at the listserve address (jessepe@w6.alimar.com) to which you have all been subscribed.

I will also send separately the most recent description of DLESE's resource categories for your comment/discussion as requested last week.

Best regards,

Martin

***************


The Journal of Earth System Science Education Principal Editors Meeting, Washington, DC

Participants:
Robert Ford, USAID/USRA (rford@igc.org )
Stuart Gage, Michigan State University (gages@msu.edu )
Corby Hovis, NSF (chovis@nsf.gov - Thursday morning)
Don Johnson, USRA (donj@ssec.wisc.edu )
William McCoy, University of Massachusetts (wdmccoy@geo.umass.edu )
Jim Miller, Rutgers University (miller@arctic.Rutgers.EDU - Friday)
Joe Moran, UW Green Bay and American Meteorological Society (moranj@uwgb.edu )
Martin Ruzek, USRA (ruzek@usra.edu )
Ray Thomas, University of Florida (rgthomas@geology.ufl.edu)
John Weatherley, University of Colorado (John.Weatherley@Colorado.EDU)

Unable to attend:
Beth Ambos, CSU Long Beach (bambos@csulb.edu )
Michael Goodchild, UCSB (good@geog.ucsb.edu)

Notes From Thursday, 11/2/2000

- The current review process has been deteriorating - JESSE can help by examining review options - tracking dialog will be valuable
- A matrix of content should be developed - the matrix defining JESSE's scope of ESS
- Initially, commercial products will be treated like book reviews and be separate from journal articles. There is a difference between reviews of pre-publication and post publication products
- ESSOnline will still maintain links to broader unreviewed material and communications
- NSF is seeking research on the review PROCESS. JESSE will provide the vehicle to experiment with open, closed, blind, double blind, iterative, traditional review processes
- Initially, all content will have a component of anonymous review
- The iterative review process between author and reviewer will improve quality
- JESSE can work with raw content providers (eg NASA) to improve educational use
- JESSE can provide a place for content useful to faculty, but not necessarily complete works (e.g. powerpoint templates, lectures etc. with holes for the lecturers custom images or content
- JESSE review aims to deliver a resource that is accurate, potentially effective in the classroom, and well presented. A JESSE reader should be confident that time spent trying out a resource in the classroom will not be wasted
- What is the discriminator for inclusion in JESSE? Materials presenting a system approach to Earth
- Corby Hovis' comments:
- NSDL is not about developing materials
- Peer review experiments are viewed as fertilizing other NSDL efforts
- Collaboration with other NSDL efforts is very important - NSDL is not a collection of independent projects
- All projects have set standards for inclusion into their collections
- MERLOT is the other review project with a different approach and community
- A variety of e-journal material will be in the Core NSDL
- Other comments:
- Review process will be different for different topics/content
- Multidisciplinary e-journal is a good way to fertilize NSDL efforts
- Focus of JESSE is on integrative, multidisciplinary resources. A matrix concept for tracking content makes this tractable
- The string of beads analogy (a bead being a disciplinary content resource) JESSE deals with the complete string. Who archives the individual beads? DLESE?
- Discussion about keeping the resources in JESSE current while archiving a stable copy of the resource as reviewed.
- JESSE policy initially is to maintain a copy of every resource reviewed
- John Weatherley (D3E):
- See PPT presentation (http://www.usra.edu/esse/jesse/d3eshow.ppt)
- Can D3E implement tools to annotate graphics?
- Need to be sure that reviewers make use of these new tools to change the review process rather than just revert to the old style of review (conducted independently in isolation from the author and other reviewers)
- John will be analyzing the social factors of the use of D3E - social capital
- It would be useful to provide authors with an html template for their submission (eg a wrapper with standard content that describes the resource, which is in itself a more free form depending on the author)
- Discussion of the pending ITR opportunity - preproposals due Nov 25
- Discussion and demo of the GOE/MERLOT database tool or scholarone.com
- JESSE needs a good representative collection of resources in the first journal offering to set the stage properly
- Scheduled release brings credibility, but electronic media allows for continuous publication
- A list server can be set up to announce new content, but JESSE could also have some dynamic content that is updated more often than the publication schedule
- Offer a contest to design the JESSE logo?
- Newsletter vs journal approach - each is different, and JESSE wants to remain a Journal
- G Cubed (http://g-cubed.agu.org) is an example of a clean, professional model format
- But JESSE is still basically an "educational publication" How can the content be reviewed vigorously? It's very difficult to say that JESSE publication will really influence tenure decisions
- Will the formal education community accept JESSE?
- JESSE represents a change in culture to give better support to education efforts
- JESSE offers a service to authors - a peer reviewed journal publication. More weight will be given to such a publication than to a simple statement that the resource is available in a library …
- We should stick with the Journal of Earth System Science Education, not the Journal of Earth System Science Education Resources
- JESSE (at this point) is not focused on research on the education process, though will be a place to publish such studies
- JESSE must be able to include articles and reviews, special topics, columns about using ESS in classrooms, lessons learned, etc.
- ESSE schools are a wealth of content for JESSE - need to invite them to contribute their best resources
- Consider a column on "Reflections on ESS Insights", etc.
- We need to encourage the scientific community to contribute materials useful for education
- Case studies, pro/con debates/ virtual field trips, etc.
- Emphasis should be on process, not only state
- JESSE must actively solicit contributions
- The opening editorial statement of purpose will be written jointly by all editors.

Notes from Friday, 11/03/00

- Holding content locally may prove to be problematic, depending upon the resource. Resource will still point to remote sources (eg data sets)
- Teacher support materials are commonly lacking in many resources
- We need to reach the 2nd tier of teachers - not just the ones always involved. Teachers as the "limiting reagent" in the standard learning process
- JESSE needs to maintain a "world perspective" not found elsewhere - the systems approach
- Ref Charles West Churchman book "The Systems Approach" ~1968 - everybody has a different world view, but you can’t truly understand the system without looking at things from others' world views
- Also Jack Eddy's "Consequences" publication approaches the system
- We need to communicate this holistic, systems, world view approach of the Journal to the authors and reviewers
- This approach implies international involvement
- Approach the science community from the perspective that scientists have a responsibility to be involved in education - they owe their careers to the education process
- Discussion of classroom testing of materials. JESSE does not require formal classroom testing of resources BUT offers an area for peer commentary (moderated) for each resource published
- Discussion about static vs dynamic content - are resources locked, or can they be updated? Current thinking is to freeze a resource as reviewed, but link to the authors most current work. Also, cosmetic changes (eg new graphic) will be allowed at the discretion of the original Principal Editor, but changes will be annotated with the resource. Truly dynamic content will have to be linked externally (eg a resource that looks at the latest data from a satellite)
- Suggest seeking supplemental grants to help bring resources to the next level of formal classroom testing to create new added value - JESSE will enable resources to move to this next step, but not require them to. eg creating a teacher's guide for a resource, but the guide needs to be reviewed as well …
- Assessment criteria for different materials and levels must be carefully defined
- Involve teachers in the review process at the right levels, but don't assume that teachers will be able to write teacher's guides without assistance.
- User comments should be moderated to avoid misconceptions (eg with editor's notes)
- Need help involving the professional science education community
- Avoid jargon, define terms
- Editors have wide latitude in selecting reviewers - ideally, more than one editor is involved if the resource is truly interdisciplinary
- Must enable the resource to be classroom tested (by parties outside of JESSE) to move to the highest level (ie peer reviewed AND formally classroom tested)
- See bullseye diagram of content levels proposed to DLESE - also applicable to JESSE (http://w6.alimar.com/bullseyelo.jpg)
- University of Michigan ESSE course is an example of including evaluation and assessment - seek guidance from Beth Ambos on this area
- Science at the two-year college level should be an important audience to reach - most teachers get their science background there
- Learning styles will be different depending on student populations
- Need to be able to adapt the "world perspective" to different audiences and learning styles
- Create an environment which will help student stretch conceptually
- Need to be responsive to reaching under-represented groups
- JESSE may be a way for under-represented authors to publish
- Joe Moran to forward info about a recent meeting of HBCU and Hispanic serving institutions
- Need a list of reasons why an author would want to publish in JESSE
- Organizations like COSEE (see EOS article 10/17/00) are helping to change the academic culture to reward education activities
- Credibility for faculty involvement in K12 education programs is improving
- Discussion of DLESE - need to work with DLESE, but offer an approach more focused on systems. JESSE as a federated partner with DLESE (though DLESE has yet to define requirements for being a federated partner)
- Need a database of reviewers and their expertise - start with the Editorial Board
- Publish an ongoing debate / discussion on the vision of what ESS is
- Principal Editor is responsible for the decision regarding publication
- Editor in Chief -> Managing Editor -> Principal Editor -> CoEditor ->Reviewer hierarchy is similar to that used by GSA Bulletin
- Do we publish similar resources addressing the same topic ? Yes
- Have authors suggest reviewers
- Reviewers may need background resources on the systems approach
- System Science approach implies multiple editors will be involved in a review
- To enable broad perspective to be applied to a review, reviews will be open for discussion to all Principal Editors and CoEditors following ~three weeks of review between the author, lead Principal Editor(s) and primary reviewers
- Anonymous review as part of the review experiment can occur in parallel in a separate area of D3E, as well as in a traditional independent review.
- ESSOnline will handle the broader collection of relevant but unreviewed links, core disciplinary resources
- JESSE will include background papers on ESS <-> disciplinary links
- JESSE submission ideally include all elements of air, water, land, life etc., but must temper that with reason of author's background, expertise, interests etc.
- The distinguishing element of JESSE is it's system interaction approach to Earth
- Authors need to be given guidance for this approach so they understand what will be published. Systems interactions is the theme
- Disciplinary elements will be published elsewhere (DLESE, or linked on ESSOnline)
- There can be a "Back to Basics" section of JESSE articles that deals with disciplinary topics in the context of systems
- If material is offered that helps understanding of the process and system of the Earth, we can find a place for it. Article must show disciplinary connections and processes Suggest a criteria list for judging interdisciplinary approach. Need to be braod enough to incorporate disciplinary resources as long as they are approached in the system context
- Faculty readers will be seeking resources that help them teach outside of their field
- eg an article or resource about lake turnover would be a good interdisciplinary example
- Initial offering of JESSE must have good example to set the stage. The JESSE collection of articles by itself will help define the broader concept of what ESS is
- The Journal focuses on integration - the module approach is more encyclopedic
- JESSE needs to acquire a good reputation by setting high standards, citation, etc
- But most citation indexes do not include e-journals
- Culture is changing - need to promote the world view without alienating the disciplines.
- Suggest another meeting of Principal Editors after the process begins to assess how we're doing, are there holes, etc.
- Avoid repeating articles from other journals to maintain the JESSE identity
- ESSOnline - Dynamic Content; JESSE Quarterly release (at first)
- Need to run metrics software to monitor hits
- Need to publish format for journal citation
- Fixing content as reviewed provides an historic perspective, but must also balance with the effective use of the new media
- Critical articles should be as self contained as possible
- Potential contributors to early JESSE editions - send notice to all ESSE partners and Editorial Board with guidelines for submission
- All of the Principal Editors - Editorial
- Stuart Gage - Biosphere
- Owen Thompson/Ray Thomas - VRML visualizations
- Claire Parkinson - Ocean Ice resource
- Bill Prothero - Oceans
- Catherine Gautier - El Nino
- Tony Busalacchi - Global Climate
- George Fisher - ESS and Sustainability, Ethics
- Lynn Margulis - Gaia
- Danny Edelson - WorldWatcher
- John ??? - NJ ESS High School
- ESS and application perspective (eg watershed management …)
- Alistair Fraser - ESS pedagogy
- LBA - Amazon module
- Paul Berkman - ASPIRE/INSPIRE
- Cathy Manduca et al - DLESE
- Beth Ambos - ALERT
- Ralph Kahn - PUMAS
- Need to send out links to these resources for editors to look at to create a common idea of what it is we are looking for
- Farzad Mahootian - TERC
- George Maul - Island models
- Ray Bradley, Peter Clark - Earth history
- Wally Broeker, Paul Falkowski
- Dave Hodell
- All resources need a textual description of how they are used, context in the system, discussion of relevance, etc
- Resources should have a short introductory blurb (100 words) from author with possible comments from the editors
- Land use history of North America Project
- Volcano World
- Ocean planet - Smithsonian
- Eric Barron - Climate System
- Paleoclimate, tectonics, origin of magnetic field …
- John Snow, Arthur Few, Walter Robinson - Stella and basic tools for system study
- Eric Frost, Kevin Robinson
- Ford - Modeling the Environment (Island Press) book review
- Consider exploring streaming video, and presentation of video, graphics and text in linked windows
- This could help with issues like ADA compliance
- Larnot and Hauspy speech recognition software
- Annette de Charon - Oceans
- Alex Moore - Geology datasets
- Jim Hays
- EarthScape

Masthead - simple, elegant (see G Cubed model) plus two-line description of JESSE
Limited graphics, no frames
Use jesse.usra.edu address
Get people to "subscribe" by signing up to receive notice when new content is added
Explore google as a search engine
Look at other journal for examples of accepted styles - eg Chicago Manual of Style, or Yale's Manual of We Style
Explore foundation support, or creating an endowed "ESSE Foundation" for sustainability and archiving
Explore burning CD/DVD for archiving
Distribute list of learning resource types for comment
Get ideas for JESSE logo - Stuart will explore
Need commitment for articles and content to go through the review ASAP