REMOVING THE DISTANCE FROM DISTANCE LEARNING: PROVIDING AN ACTIVE LEARNING EXPERIENCE IN AN ONLINE INTRODUCTORY GEOLOGY COURSE

One of the drawbacks of Distance Learning, particularly for nontraditional students, is isolation and lack of peer-teaching opportunities. We have implemented several approaches in our Internet Physical Geology course to address these problems. Our goal is to deliver an active learning experience to our Distance Learning students similar to that offered in our on-campus classes.

Physical Geology has been available as a Distance Learning course at Blinn College since 2002. Blinn College uses Web-CT course management software for Internet courses. Our course content is completely self-developed, with ease of navigation a priority. Initially we adopted a commercial lab kit for the course's lab component. To compensate for lack of topics such as plate tectonics, geologic time, and geologic maps we developed supplemental lab activities in Web-CT. We have now replaced the commercial lab kit with a self-created kit of rocks and maps. These materials are similar to those used in our traditional classes for active-learning lab exercises. We loan the materials to students, making the course even more affordable. We have also developed a number of web-based activities involving local geology and natural resources and regional environmental issues; these have been well received by students.

Distance Learning by nature involves a large degree of self-teaching. However, we knew from classroom experience that much of the material would be daunting for most students without additional instructor support. In particular, nontraditional students may lack peer connections to provide assistance. We hold weekly audio chat sessions using Elluminate vClass web-based software (www.elluminate.com) to bridge this communication gap. Students can use their computer's audio capabilities to converse with the instructor and with one another; text messaging and a whiteboard are also available. The software is supported by both Macintosh and PC platforms and is accessible by dial-up as well as high-speed connections. This tool has been invaluable in providing our Distance Learning students with a lab experience incorporating active learning and peer teaching.