ESTEP Home Summer 3-8 Summer HS Sat Seminars Virtual Shorts Resource Repository
SPRING 2026 Registration: Courses begin JAN 12!
Go to our REGISTRATION PAGE to sign up!
Interested in earning an MS in Curriculum and Instruction using ESTEP credits?
Check out our NEW partnership with MN State Moorhead!
ESTEP 2.0 Online Courses
Our online, mostly asynchronous, FREE graduate courses are available for any MN 3-12 science teachers in any discipline!
3-8 grade teachers! Dive in and improve your content and pedagogy knowledge in earth and environmental science areas! Our courses are designed for TEACHERS and will be invaluable as you continue to develop your science classes, and develop your student sense-making approach!
High School Teachers! ESTEP 2.0 is for teachers of all disciplines! We have many courses that are intentionally interdisciplinary so be sure to look at our syllabi to see which benchmarks from life, earth and space, chemistry and physics will be covered in each course! There is something for every Minnesota science teacher in this new series of courses!
Do you want to pick up a 9-12 Earth and Space Science License? New legislation states that all students must complete one credit of Earth and Space science in high school to graduate. These courses will help deepen your understanding of the key content areas and 3-dimensional pedagogy. Along with our summer bootcamps, these courses will help those of you working toward passing the required content MTLE exam to add additional licensure in 9-12 Earth and Space Science.
SPRING 2026 ESTEP 2.0 Online Courses
Our courses are offered through the Continuing Studies Department at Minnesota State University Moorhead. Each 3-credit, graduate level course is facilitated by expert instructors who are leaders in their fields and based in Minnesota at NO COST to you!
Please note that these are 3 credit, graduate level courses, and while mostly asynchronous, each require approximately 4-8 hours of work per week, per course, and some require a few synchronous meetings.
CONTENT COURSES
!!!NEW!!! GEOS 599: Severe Weather and Natural Disasters- Dr. Rachel Humphrey (prerequisite: successful completion of GEOS 599: Introduction to our Atmosphere)
Expanding on basic atmospheric processes covered in GEOS 599: Introduction to Our Atmosphere, this course will focus on atmospheric conditions that lead to hazardous and severe weather phenomena around the world. It will also cover basic principles of radiation as they relate to radar and satellite observation of the weather, common technology and terminology/communication avenues used by the National Weather Service, as well as review safety rules. Students will have the opportunity to develop an activity relating specifically to one of the topics covered in class or a related topic of their choosing. Students will also complete a weekly assignment meant to apply the concepts that have been covered. Each week, students will also be given external resources that they can bring into their own classrooms.
GEOS 599: Severe Weather and Natural Disasters ALSO requires your attendance at ONE 3 hour, Saturday morning, synchronous virtual meeting, and the completion of a required Final Pedagogy assignment. Choose ONE: MAR 21 from 9:00 am - noon OR MAR 28 from 9:00 am - noon
!!!NEW!!! GEOS 599: Earth Science Essentials 2 - Dr. Russ Colson (Prerequisite successful completion of GEOS 599: Earth Science Essentials (ESE1).
This course provides a deeper exploration of human interactions with our environment and more advanced ideas of astronomy than addressed in Earth Science Essentials (ESE1). Selected upper-level concepts include soils and erosion, climate change, surface and groundwater hydrology, pollutant migration, resource distribution, phases of the Moon, seasons, H-R diagrams, nucleosynthesis, Keppler's laws, stellar distances, and others The course also offers a brief survey of the geology of Minnesota, including some review of plate tectonics, geological mapping, and paleogeographic reconstruction, with examination of selected features in northwest, southwest, southeast, east and northeast Minnesota. Like ESE1, this course is comprised largely of self-learning online experiences that address state licensure standards in earth science and is intended as partial preparation for teaching earth science at the high school level.
PEDAGOGY (TEACHING) COURSES
Pedagogy (Teaching) courses require up to 3 synchronous meetings, set by the instructor.
*If you are enrolled in a pedagogy course AND Severe Weather and Natural Disasters, you do NOT have to attend the MAR 21/MAR 28 synchronous session.
!!!NEW!!! GEOS 599: Traditional Environmental Science - Dr. Hillary Barron THIS COURSE IS FOR APPROPRIATE FOR K-12 TEACHERS OF SCIENCE.
Typical practices in Western science place humans at the top of a hierarchy, which effectively removes us from ecosystems and establishes a model of knowing and learning about the natural world that separates us from it. Indigenous Science practices, in contrast, place humans within ecosystems and uphold responsibility to the beings in it. This course examines the similarities and differences in Indigenous and Western Science, and critically grapples with approaches to problem-solving for environmental issues. We will apply these concepts to the Minnesota Science Standards and create action plans for how to use them in curriculum and instruction.
These texts are REQUIRED for this course*:
Hernandez, J. 2022. Fresh banana leaves: healing Indigenous landscapes through Indigenous science. North Atlantic Books.
Kimmerer, R.W., 2013. Braiding sweetgrass: Indigenous wisdom, scientific knowledge and the teachings of plants. Milkweed Editions
*We will reimburse you for the cost of the texts up to $35 after successful completion of the course. RECEIPTS will be required for reimbursement.
GEOS 599: Teaching and Learning ES in 3D - Marlene Schoeneck
Teaching and Learning Earth Science in 3D gets in-service teachers directly involved in making sane shifts to their current strategies in order to get students immersed in the real practices and cross-cutting concepts of science, as well as the content. This course will be mostly asynchronous learning, with 3 synchronous (Zoom) sessions to facilitate practice and discussion. Classwork will often be of immediate use to teachers in the classroom, but will also give an eye to long-term methods to make science learning cohesive and real. Participants will continually be asked to fluctuate between the roles of student and teacher. Teachers will develop a course storyline on an Earth Science topic of their choice as a part of the course, with ample time and support to make it realistic and valuable for their students.
This course is designed to be useful and practical, both in the moment, and in the future, for working teachers. As the course unrolls, please share your thoughts, as some adjustments can be made to content to better meet your needs.
IMPORTANT DETAILS
ALL online courses are designated as blended. This means that the courses are offered in an asynchronous style, with scheduled assignment turn in dates and assessments. Professors will be available for questions, etc via office hours or scheduled appointments. In order to earn a passing grade and credit for the course, participants MUST commit to both asynchronous AND synchronous requirements. A final pedagogy assignment is also required for all content courses.
Questions? Email Dana Smith at estep@mnsta.org
Tentative Future Course Offerings
Please note these are tentative and are subject to change.
Spring 2026
Severe Weather/ Natural Disasters - Dr. Rachel Humphrey (prerequisite: Meteorology)
Earth Science Essentials 2 - Dr. Russ Colson (prerequisite: Earth Science Essentials)
Traditional Environmental Science - Dr. Hillary Barron
Teaching and Learning Earth Science (Env) in 3D - Marlene Schoeneck
Fall 2026
Earth’s (MN) Geologic History - Dr. Bryce Hoppie
Teaching and Learning Earth (Env) Science in 3D II - Marlene Schoeneck (prerequisite: Teaching and Learning Earth Science in 3D)
Traditional Environmental Science - Dr. Hillary Barron
Spring 2027
Severe Weather/ Natural Disasters - Dr. Rachel Humphrey (prerequisite: Meteorology)
Teaching and Learning Earth (Env) Science in 3D - Marlene Schoeneck
Traditional Environmental Science - Dr. Hillary Barron
Environmental Chemistry
Astronomy
MnSTA/ESTEP Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Statement
We are committed to reflecting the diversity of Minnesota educators that participate in our programs. We are especially focused on teachers of BIPOC and underrepresented populations, alternatively licensed educators, and educational assistants working toward licensure.
Funding for this project was provided by the Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund as recommended by the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR)
Minnesota science teachers should know about:
