RECIPE FOR THE SUCCESSFUL ENVIRONMENTAL GEOLOGY CURRICULUM AT SLIPPERY ROCK UNIVERSITY

Environmental Geology, Lecture and Lab, are courses at Slippery Rock University that have grown to be immensely popular - currently enrolling over five hundred students annually and always filled. The courses are intended as the department’s primary liberal studies offering. The content is narrower than that which typifies Physical Geology, with the intent to explore in depth a suite of topics with apparent relevance to students’ lives. The success of the lecture is born of choreographing hundreds of images, videos and primary source documents, well-researched case studies, constructivist exercises, poetry, humor, a commitment to experiential education, and a great deal of planning. The lecture is supported by Supplemental Instruction – a peer-tutoring program. The laboratory emphasizes field investigations, with immersion in local and regional landscapes. This introductory package has evolved significantly over the last decade. Participation in an NSF Collaborative for Excellence in Teacher Preparation Program (CETP-PA) has afforded the opportunity for curricular enhancement with an emphasis on student-centered activities. Several in-class and laboratory exercises have been revised to embrace constructivist pedagogy, wherein students are encouraged to apply previous knowledge and experience in reasoning their way through a problem. Exercises examining earthquakes, volcanoes, and coastal hazards will be presented. This pedagogy necessitates that more time is given to exploring fewer topics. The course emphasizes relevance to students’ lives. Course contributions to a liberal arts education include Earth literacy for all citizens, modeling effective pedagogy for pre-service teachers, and recruitment of future scientists. The overarching goal is to strike the student with awe for the Earth, inducing reverence and encouraging ethical stewardship. Popularity, student evaluations, and the recruitment record for majors demonstrate the success of the course.