DO WE NEED ANOTHER HYDROGEOLOGY TEXTBOOK?

A survey in July 2005 of the participants in Teaching Hydrogeology in the 21st Century, all current or prospective hydrogeology teachers, revealed that most used Fetter's Applied Hydrogeology as a textbook. The results: 68 respondents, Fetter--44, Schwartz & Zheng--14, Freeze & Cherry--4, Domenico & Schwartz--3, and Fitts--2.

The survey did not include the following key questions: 1. What percent of the assigned readings do students read in these textbooks? 2, 3 & 4. Does their reading faithfulness, concept mastery & course satisfaction vary by textbook? 5. What are the key reasons why faculty picked these textbooks? 6. What are three serious weaknesses of the chosen textbook and other likely choices? I want to enlist participants in this session in answering these questions.

I assume that 1. faculty have chosen textbooks that convey most of the information they hope to cover during a semester in a style readable by an average senior in college, and 2. the organization of that textbook reflects the preferred sequence of an intro hydro class. I hypothesize that instructors have not assessed the effectiveness of their textbook in aiding content mastery by their students. I discovered that less than 25% of my students had read anything in Fetter prior to a midterm. If we assessed the effectiveness of our textbook, we would likely be shocked at how ineffective it is.

I propose that we rethink my two assumptions to find a more effective textbook. Several alternative types of textbooks might be worth our consideration. 1. A book like Ralph Heath's Basic Ground-Water Hydrology, that presents most concepts in two-page spreads keyed on an illustration. Research shows that introductory college textbooks in this format are read more than traditional thick textbooks. But are they more effective? 2. An e-book, which allows users to play animations of key concepts. These animations play an ever-larger role in introductory physical geology classes. Why not in hydrogeology classes? 3. A Wikipedia of hydrogeology, with articles on key topics that stand alone. The student would move through the “book” like a student in a Montessori class, accessing information only when it was desired. 4. Similar to #3, a web page with links to topics. 5. A collection of outstanding pictures illustrating concepts in hydrogeology. 6. Some combination of the above.