See more from this Division: Topical Sessions
See more from this Session: What Should Students be Learning in Our Geology Classrooms?
Abstract:
Reduced lecture time means students take increased responsibility for learning terminology and concepts, or simply that they have less exposure to those aspects of lecture. However, they gain far more direct experience with concepts and likely gain a better understanding of the scientific process through research in the geosciences. Students learn field and lab skills that can be very difficult to incorporate into traditionally scheduled classes. The practical benefits for graduating students are resumes filled with experiences and skills, and usually one or more professional presentations or papers.
A Cornell Critical Thinking Test given at UMW in 2006 showed a marked increase in performance over an exam given in 2002, prior to the adoption of immersion scheduling. We think enhanced problem-solving skills will be more useful to student's careers than full geo-vocabularies. Our undergraduate students are very competitive for geoscience jobs and employers express satisfaction with their skills and abilities. The program is too young to show statistical improvement in their success in graduate school.
See more from this Division: Topical Sessions
See more from this Session: What Should Students be Learning in Our Geology Classrooms?