MERGING MODERN INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNOLOGY, LEARNING MODELS, AND STANDARDS OF LEARNING: AN INTERACTIVE, MULTIMEDIA CD-ROM SERIES CONCERNING THE GEOLOGY OF VIRGINIA

Increasingly, subject matter experts at the university level are collaborating with K-12 Earth Science teachers for development of technology-intensive, comprehensive modules for enhancing learning. Over the past two years, the Radford University Department of Geology has been involved in the design, creation, and assessment of interactive, multimedia CD-ROMs aimed at: a) enhancing student interest in geology at the secondary level, b) providing Virginia's earth science teachers an affordable yet comprehensive, state-of-the-art multimedia teaching tool tailored for highlighting the geology of our state, and c) helping teachers teach subject matter that is closely linked to Virginia's Standards of Learning (SOLs).

To date, a total of three CD-ROMs with Teacher's Guides have been published through the Virginia Division of Mineral Resources. Content is geared toward secondary school students, and the CD-ROMs cover eight of the fourteen earth science SOLs. The first CD-ROM, Introduction and Geologic Background, presents fundamental principles needed to understand the geology of the state. Succeeding CD-ROMs, Coastal Plain and Piedmont and Blue Ridge, examine the geologic features of specific provinces. The series will be completed in July 2001, with publication of the final CD-ROM, Valley and Ridge and Appalachian Plateaus.

Each of the CD-ROMs features an intuitive, user-friendly navigation design with a variety of multimedia features including video, animation, sounds, images, and narrative, all of which are designed to engage the user and make geology more relevant. Presently, the groundwork for a broad-scale assessment of the effectiveness of such CD-ROMs is being established.