ENGAGING STUDENTS THROUGH ACTIVE-LEARNING IN LARGE ENTRY LEVEL GEOSCIENCE CLASSES

Active-learning in large introductory courses encourages students to participate in the learning experience. This engagement increases students’ retention of subject materials and their commitment to and enjoyment of the course. Students entering programs in the School of Geography and Geology take three introductory geoscience courses: Atmosphere & Hydrosphere, The Living Environment and Earth & the Environment. These courses each have enrolments of over 250 students and are taught as three, 50 minute lectures and a two hour lab session weekly. Students are divided into groups of 18-25 for lab sessions, each group supervised by a teaching assistant.

Active-learning has been incorporated into these courses in a number of ways including the use of an interactive ‘Q & A’ lecturing style, in-class activities and debates, field trips and inquiry-based lab assignments. Several lab assignments involve students creating questions, locating resources to answer those questions and communicating their results. Students enjoy these assignments but value fieldtrips to local areas of scientific interest most highly. Although fieldtrips are resource intensive, involving careful organization, a large number of instructional staff and senior student volunteers, they provide a very effective and long-lasting learning experience for Level I students.

In order to gain the full benefits of active learning in the classroom an educational culture that encourages participatory learning has been created. Instructors encourage students to interact in the classroom by demonstrating the ‘Q & A’ process and providing positive responses to early attempts by students to form and answer questions. A team-based working environment is nurtured through close liaison with teaching assistants and interaction with students beyond the confines of the classroom

Engaging students through the use of active-learning strategies has improved student and instructor satisfaction, and has increased enrolment in introductory level courses and in Level II geoscience programs offered by the School.