CURRICULA REVITALIZATION IN THE DEPARTMENT OF GEOLOGY, GRAND VALLEY STATE UNIVERSITY

The Department of Geology, Grand Valley State University, is currently engaged in a major curriculum revitalization, thanks to funding from the PEW Faculty Teaching and Learning Center at GVSU. The faculty spent several weeks in the summer of 2000 to work and meet as subcommittees and to discuss a broad spectrum of curriculum issues including: uniformity in geology foundation courses, geoscience information literacy, methods for improving students skills in cognate courses, establishment of an environmental track, and re-establishment of a sense of curriculum coherency among faculty and students. Discussion on our foundation courses, physical and historical geology, focused on the need for content uniformity between instructors; during any given year as many as 8 different tenure-track/adjunct faculty may teach sections of physical geology. Our preliminary conclusions are that ~75% of the physical geology content should be "standard", allowing 25% for instructor creativity. We are also introducing a third 100-level foundation course, which will focus on geoscience information literacy skills. This course will introduce students to the spectrum of sources of geoscience information, from the internet to online databases to printed data, as well as basic database management and basic computer skills. Upper level classes will be modified to build on and expand these skills. Other curricula changes we are considering include developing a preliminary plan to design a second year geochemistry course to replace a required second semester of general chemistry and developing an environmental track within the geology major.

In addition to curriculum changes, we have begun an ongoing revision of our student handbook, to guide students through each of our programs. The student handbook will include entry and exit expectations for each required course, so that students will have a better sense of what skills and knowledge they are expected to build upon as they move through the curricula. These written expectations will be a basis for future student assessments.