Francis Jones
Honorary Lecturer
Retired as of January 2024, but volunteering as an honorary lecturer. As a geophysicist and geoscience educator; my role has been more about "development" than "research", although publications, presentations, workshops and other scholarly contributions do emerge from our work. Click the CV tab for a list of career activities that have led me to this place. Recent areas of development and research have included the following:
- Supporting development of exhibits and outreach programming for the Pacific Museum of Earth, https://pme.ubc.ca/.
- Assessing current curriculum and establishing recommended pathways forward for enhancing quantitative geoscience degree programs.
- Coordinator and development with the OCESE and QuEST projects within UBC's Dep't of Earth Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences.
- Project coordinator: curriculum development for the Earth and Environmental Sciences BSc at the University of Central Asia's Khorog Tajikistan campus; https://blogs.ubc.ca/eescourses/.
- Developing interactive open-source resources and activities for learning and exploring the geosciences.
- Improving in-person and online courses, curriculum and instructional practices using proven and experimental pedagogies; http://blogs.ubc.ca/eoassei/
- Measuring geoscience learning and scientific thinking in undergraduate courses.
- As acting director of the Pacific Museum of Earth (PME), development of learning strategies and resources for schools and public, especially online resources (during COVID); https://pme.ubc.ca/
- Using EOAS courses and the PME to increase science literacy among non-science students.
- Transfer technology from geophysics research into industry and educational practice.
2024 - present: Retired, Honorary Lecturer in EOAS.
2021 - 2023: Coordinator and developer with the QuEST project in UBC's Department of Earth Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences.
2020 - 2023: Coordinator and developer for the OCESE project, a large TLEF funded initiative within UBC's Department of Earth Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences.
2019 - 2020: Acting director, Pacific Museum of Earth (PME).
2017 - 2020: Project coordinator, the UBC - UCA partnership in curriculum and course development for Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Central Asia, Khorog Tajikistan campus. See also the EEScourses blog.
2014 - 2023: Geoscience education development specialist, f2f and DE education development projects and support, primarily on grant-based funding. See also EOAS-SEI.
2014 - 2023: Lecturer, Dep't EOAS: course scheduling & time tabling; program curriculum planning & review; teaching & learning support & development; departmental outreach.
Prior to 2014
2007-2014: Science Teaching & Learning Fellow with CWSEI in the Dep't Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences (including acting EOAS project director for 2011-2012).
1996-2007: Lecturer in geophysics & research scientist / outreach coordinator with the UBC-GIF, Dep't of Earth and Ocean Sciences, UBC.
1990-1996: Consultant and instrumentation development; mineral exploration, engineering & environmental geophysics.
1988-1990: Geophysical instrumentation development engineer (multichannel full waveform DC/IP receiver), White Geophysical Ltd.
1983-1987: M.Sc. student, UBC Dep't of Geophysics and Astronomy, in glaciology and instrumentation.
1981-1983: Oil and gas well-logging engineer, Computalog Gearhart Ltd., Calgary, Alta.
1978-1981: Electrical engineering student, including ~18mths experience in electronics manufacturing, testing and QC.
Qualifications:
- M.Sc., (Geophysics and Glaciology), 1987, University of British Columbia.
- B.Eng., (Electrical) 1980, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
- P.Eng, registered professional engineer in British Columbia.
- UBC Faculty Certificate on Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (2002).
2018
Jones, F. 2017.Comparing student, instructor, classroom and institutional data to evaluate a seven-year department-wide science education initiative, in Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education Vol. 43 , Iss. 2,2018 .
2017
Jones F. 2017. Impact assessment of a department-wide science education initiative using students’ perceptions of teaching and learning experiences. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, Vol. 42 , Iss. 5, 2017.
2013
Jolley, A., F. Jones, S. Harris. "Measuring Student Knowledge of Landscapes and their Formation Timespans", Journal of Geoscience Education, Vol. 61, No. 2, May 2013: 240-251.
Smith M.K, Jones F, Gilbert S.L, Wieman C.E. 2013. The Classroom Observation Protocol for Undergraduate STEM (COPUS): A New Instrument to Characterize University STEM Classroom Practices. Cell Biology Education. 12:618–627.
2012
Jones F. 2012. Industry Input Contributes to Geology Curriculum Review. Innovation, the Journal of the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of BC. :16–17.
Jones F, Harris S. 2012. Benefits and Drawbacks of Using Multiple Instructors to Teach Single Courses. College Teaching. 60:132–139.
1999
Jones, F. and D. Oldenburg, "Geophysical Inversion: New Ways of Seeing the Earth's Subsurface", in Innovation, the Journal of the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of BC, October, 1999.
Also reprinted in the PEGG - Vol. 28, No. 3, of the Association of Professional Engineers, Geologists and Geophysicists of Alberta.
1989
F.H.M. Jones, B.B. Narod, and G.K.C. Clarke. 1989. "Design and operation of a Portable, Digital Impulse Radar", Journal of Glaciology, Vol. 35, No.119