On-campus Recruitment of Geology Majors:developing alternatives to Physical Geology at a large

state universitySITUATIONwant to increase number of majorsrecruitment from large-lecture Physical Geology classes accounts for 50% of majors

mixed frosh-senior enrollmentco-enrollment in lab not requiredno field tripsHYPOTHESIS: on-campus recruitment might improve if wefocused on topics of high public interest

Dinosaur WorldEarthquakes and VolcanoesEarth’s Atmosphere and Oceans

changed class design60-student lecture tied to two, 30-student lab sections, all taught by same instructorUniversity funded 2.5-day field trip

limited enrollment to freshmenoffer courses through Freshman Programs

learning communities focused on university retention

SERVICE-LEARNING COMPONENTrequired by Freshman Programs

enhances retentionconnects students to communityincludes writing, reflection and presentationdemonstrates relevance of course content to society

in accord with CSUF Mission and GoalsThrough experiences in and out of the classroom, students develop the habit of intellectual inquiry, prepare for challenging professions, strengthen relationships to their communities, and contribute productively to society.

support provided by Universityupper-division, peer-mentor assistant for each sectionliability issues handled by centralized officegenerous field trip funding provided by Associated Students

MODEL: add alternate General Education portals to degreemajors take either Physical Geology lecture or a lecture-lab Earth Science topics course

ALL majors must take Physical Geology labeach topical course must cover 100-level learning objectives required for geology majors

the breadth and scope of the Earth Sciences are given heightened visibility in the major

Educational:1. improve critical thinking skills;2. improve test-taking skills;3. improve ability to make observations of the Earth.

Scientific:1. introduce students to scientific method;2. understand the sources of Earth’s energy;3. understand (or be introduced to) the value and limits of scientific data;4. improve understanding of mathematics and ability to read and interpret graphical data.

Discipline Specific:1. understand the basic concepts of plate tectonics;2. understand uniformitarianism and geologic time;3. know the characteristics and general formation processes of igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks;4. understand the movement of water.

100-level learning objectives for CSUF geology majors

ABSTRACT: Recruitment of Recruitment of majors is a common challenge for geology departments nationwide. At California State University, Fullerton (CSUF) approximately 50% of our majors are recruited from the 2000 freshmen to seniors annually enrolled in 20 lecture sections of Physical Geology. Due to the large class size, field trips and co-enrollment in the lab are not required. We hypothesized that the large class size, lack of lab exposure, and inability to attend field trips inhibits recruitment of majors, so we are experimenting with offering alternatives to Physical Geology. The alternative classes are smaller (24 to 60 students); limited to freshmen; have coupled lecture, lab and field trips; and are topical (Earth’s Atmospheres and Oceans; Earthquakes and Volcanoes; Dinosaur World). Our greatest challenge was restricting the student level. CSUF freshmen get priority enrollment during the Fall semester only, and getting information to new students the summer before they attend campus is problematic. We circumvented this problem by offering our courses through the University’s Office of Freshman Programs, but doing so requires us to offer a service-learning component with each course: field-based analysis of the health of Big Bear Lake; construction of public interest earthquake/eruption web pages, and hazards response training; and preparation of Orange County fossils. Three-day camping trips in the 60-student courses are supported by grants from CSUF Associated Students.

We have offered each course once since Spring 2005. In surveys managed by CSUF and Freshman Programs, the topical courses and their instructors have received exceptionally high student ratings. Although preliminary data suggest that recruitment per capita from the topical courses does not differ from the Physical Geology lecture series, anecdotal data suggests that recruitment of geology minors may be higher. We will use Geoscience Concept Inventory tests to assess whether the two course formats result in meaningful differences in student learning.

Learning about fault-scarps (middle) and the

rock cycle (below) on Shake and Bake field trip to Owen’s Valley,

eastern CA

Abstract #115970; paper #235-15

CLEMENS-KNOTT, Diane, BOWMAN, David, KIRBY, Matthew, KNOTT, Jeffrey & WOODS, Adam CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, FULLERTONDepartment of Geological Sciences, Fullerton, CA 92834 dclemensknott@fullerton.edu

EXAMPLE: service-learning project from Earth’s Atmospheres and Oceans

Objective: To help students better understand the environmental pressures on one of southern California’s most popular recreational communities: Big Bear and Big Bear Lake.

Question: To what degree have natural and anthropogenic forcings affected the health of Big Bear Lake?

Approach: students divided into 3 teams focused on

geosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphereeach group will approach the question from their individual system perspective appropriate data collected and analyzedlake core; water samples; historical climate data3 groups integrate their observations/interpretations students make several trips to site to study the setting, collect data, and to present findings to the Big Bear Municipal Water District

Assessment: reflection journals; field reports; group poster and oral presentations

EXAMPLE: service-learning project from Dinosaur World

Objective: To have students appreciate one of their county resources and enable them to help make that resource available for future education and research.

Question: How do fossils go from the ground to a museum display?

Approach: help Parks and Recreation volunteers unjacket large mammal fossils collected locally in Orange County, CA

Orange County’s paleontologic collection does not have a permanent home, though CSUF has volunteered to lead an broad-based effort to develop a research/curation/display facility

Assessment: a 3-5 page paper with figures describing how vertebrate fossils are found, removed from the field, prepared and displayed

students reflected on their personal involvement with fossil preparation.

EXAMPLE: service-learning project from Earthquakes & Volcanoes: Shake and Bake

Objective: To enable students to practice and experience the strategies and challenges of hazard monitoring and response while connecting to community needs

Question: How do citizens and scientists prepare for, and respond to, natural hazards (e.g. earthquakes, eruptions)?

Approach: students gain real hazards training, coupled with a simulated hazards response

(1) Community Emergency Response Training10 hours of run by City of Fullerton Fire Department and CSU Fullerton Police, including

rudimentary first aid trainingeducation regarding local and regional disaster plans

Teaches students how to be “first responders” and to be self-sufficient in times of disaster(2) Volcanic Eruption Simulation (Harpp and Sweeney, 2002, Simulating a volcanic crisis in the classroom, JGE)

Over the course of a month, student Volcanic Disaster Assistance Program Groups “monitor” simulated volcanic activity

students receive daily updates on course Blackboard site, and use Discussion Groups to create weekly hazard assessmentstudents complete labs directed at background research; surprise eruption simulation takes place in one 3-hour labstudents report experiencing high pressure of uncertainties and frustration at perceived risk

Assessment: in addition to post-event questionnaires to assess impact of simulation and training, we’re conducting pre-/post- assessment of student learning using the Geoscience Concepts Inventory (Libarkin and Anderson, 2005, Assessment of Learning in

Entry-Level Geosciences courses: Results from the Geoscience Concept Inventory). Data collection is on-going; data will be compared to results from traditional Physical Geology courses.

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Fall 05 GEOLOGY 110T

Comparison of total Geoscience Concept Inventory (GCI) pre-test and post-test scores. The red line represents a 1:1 line (no improvement). Over 50% of the students improved or equaled their overall score in the post-test compared to the pre-test. As might be expected, those students scoring lower on the pre-test showed the greatest gains. Analysis of responses to individual GCI questions regarding plate tectonics, earthquakes and volcanoes showed significant learning gains.

Students in Earth’s Atmospheres and OceansAbove: data collection on Big Bear Lake, CABelow: student presentations to officials from the Big Bear Municipal Water District

Dinosaur World students unjacketing Orange County fossils