Research

Research Areas

  • Geophysics
  • Geoscience Education

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. Recent areas of development and research have included:

  • Development of collections management tools and procedures, 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. See the QuEST project website.
  • Transforming undergraduate quantitative teaching and learning in EOAS using open source tools. See the OCESE project website.
  • 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 campus in Tajikistan. See also 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.
  • Building transfer-technology from geophysics research into industry and educational practice. 

2018: Jones, F. “Comparing student, instructor, classroom and institutional data to evaluate a seven-year department-wide science education initiative”, Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education Vol. 43 , Iss. 2, 2018. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2017.1343799.

2016: Jones, F., “Impact Assessment of a Department-Wide Science Education Initiative Using Students’ Perceptions of Teaching and Learning Experiences.” Published online May 2016. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education 42 (5): 772–87. doi:10.1080/02602938.2016.1188057.

2016: J. Caulkins, F. Jones, and A. Jolley. “UBC EOAS Graduation Exit Survey, April 2015,” doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.14288/1.0339964.

2014: F. Jones, “Students’ Learning Experiences Survey.” doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.14288/1.0300444.

2013: F. Jones, “The EOAS Science Education Initiative: Accomplishments and Keys to Success” Essay for EOAS Alumni newsletter 

2013: S. Harris and F. Jones, “Evolving Educational Culture in EOAS: Toward Transformative Learning” for the new EOAS “Earth Matters” annual review.

2013: Smith, M. K., F.H.M. Jones, S. L. Gilbert and C. E. Wieman, 2013, “The Classroom Observation Protocol for Undergraduate STEM (COPUS): a New Instrument to Characterize University STEM Classroom Practices”, CBE Life Sci Educ vol. 12 no. 4, pp. 618-627.

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.

2012:  Jones, F., S. Harris. “Benefits and Drawbacks of Using Multiple Instructors to Teach Single Courses”, College Teaching, Vol. 60, No. 4, 2012, DOI: 10.1080/87567555.2012.654832.

2012: F. Jones, “Industry Input Contributes to Geology Curriculum Review”, published in Innovation, the Journal of the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of BC, Pg 16-17, March/April 2012.

2010: F. Jones. “Survey of Hiring Practices in Geoscience Industries, 2010”, DOI: 10.14288/1.0052313, at UBC via http://hdl.handle.net/2429/37246 .

2007: D. Oldenburg and F. Jones, Inversion for Applied Geophysics, a CD-ROM based textbook and software resource for teaching and learning about applied geophysics and inversion techniques; Self-published. 

2007: F. Jones and D. Oldenburg, Geophysics for Professional Geoscientists, a CD-ROM based textbook and learning resource for teaching and learning about applied geophysics;  Self-published. 

2006: F. Jones, 2006, Applied Geophysics Learning Objects; online interactive resources for learning about practical geophysical techniques, https://urls.bccampus.ca/ge, published by BCCampus (https://bccampus.ca/), last accessed February 8, 2016.

1999: Francis Jones and Doug 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

1987: F.H.M. Jones, "A Back-portable, Microprocessor-based Impulse Radar System" (abstract), Annals of Glaciology, Vol. 9.