EIGHT SUCCESSFUL YEARS OF TEACHING INTERDISCIPLINARY EARTH SCIENCE AND ENGLISH COURSES AT EVERETT COMMUNITY COLLEGE

In 2001 Everett Community College instituted a Learning Communities Program. Faculty were encouraged to develop courses that combine two or more disciplines and that focus on a unifying theme. Students then form a cohort that takes at least 10 credits of coursework together. Learning Community classes are designed to emphasize connections and relationships between disciplines and to provide the time for students to reflect on each discipline in greater depth than in a stand-alone class. Moreover, the time students spend together allows them to form closer personal relationships and connections to the college that typically do not occur in a traditional community college class setting.

Earth Science, as an interdisciplinary field of study in its own right, combines readily with other disciplines and fits naturally into a learning community format. To pursue this opportunity, faculty at EvCC developed a three-quarter sequence of interdisciplinary classes that integrate Earth Science and English Composition. Fall Quarter combines Physical Geology I with English Composition I or II, Winter Quarter combines Physical Geology II with English Composition I or II, and Spring Quarter combines Introduction to Physical Oceanography with Composition I or II. Because of the flexibility of English composition offerings, many students stay in the learning community sequence for two or even three quarters. Eight years of experience with this sequence has demonstrated its value in teaching scientific literacy and communication skills to first-year and second-year college students. Faculty have experimented with a variety of class structures; pedagogical techniques, projects and assignments; and the use of one-day and weekend field trips. Moreover, faculty have developed ways to support other college-wide learning outcomes, such as critical thinking, individual initiative, and information & computer literacy. Finally, faculty have identified benefits to their own professional development as a result of teaching this interdisciplinary sequence of classes. The results of this experience and recommendations for teaching Earth Science as part of a learning community class will be discussed.