STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESS IN EXPERIENTIAL FIELD INSTRUCTION IN THE EARTH SCIENCES AT PALOMAR COLLEGE

The Earth Sciences Department at Palomar College has been committed to field-based and other experiential education modes in the disciplines of Geology, Oceanography, and Physical Geography for over forty years. Due to our prime location with rapid access to a variety of field sites, we have been offering a steadily increasing variety of field trips, field courses and other hands-on experiences to our students. However, this positive trend has been hindered by more bureaucratic regulation, including that from the U.S. Forest Service and National Park Service, and a student population that is increasingly less traveled and more urban with little experience with the outdoors. Urbanization and increasing costs also continue to offer challenges. We have employed several strategies to meet these challenges. Foremost, we are proactive in maintaining administrative support through participation in the hiring process and emphasizing the pedagogical value of field instruction. Development of logisitical plans and procedures insure that we address legal issues as well as optimize organization and safety. Our success in generating wide student participation is closely linked to our promotion of field experiences as an integral part of learning and the wide range of opportunities we provide. In addition to trips within a course, we offer several separate field courses. All of these field experiences incorporate a range of costs, distances, physical environments, and academic levels. To contact the authors or for more information, please check our Web site at http://www.palomar.edu/earthscience/.