EARTH SCIENCES AT THE BRITISH COLUMBIA OPEN UNIVERSITY

The British Columbia Open University (BCOU) is an accredited post-secondary institution that has offered distance education courses in Earth Sciences since 1994. Introduction to Geoscience (GEOL 101) is available for registration worldwide and may be used to meet the General Science Education requirement of all Bachelor of Arts degrees. Introduction to Earth Science (GEOL 120) is currently only available to students within Canada and meets the lower level science requirement of BCOU Bachelor of Science degrees. Both are available in print- and web-based versions, and have been designed to lead students through the subject using a variety of resources (e.g., study units, textbooks, mineral and rock kits, geoscape posters, topographic maps, videos, a course website, asynchronous online conferencing, telephone and e-mail). Course material is designed to introduce the student to the fundamental character of the earth, including how it was formed and developed over time. Special attention is paid to the development of the landscapes of British Columbia and the Pacific Northwest.

Students may register for the course at any time throughout the year, and can proceed at their own pace. Student progress is evaluated at regular intervals through self-assessed practical exercises, web-based tutorials, on-line discussions with faculty and peers, faculty-marked assignments, and a comprehensive exam. Assignments (each worth 10%) and exams require students answer a range of multiple-choice questions, short descriptions or definitions, compose essays on various topics, and to identify minerals and rocks, interpret topographic maps, solve quantitative problems and make field observations. GEOL 101 students write a three-hour exam worth 50 % of the overall mark, and must get a minimum of 50% to pass the course. GEOL 120 students write a three-hour theory exam and a two-hour lab exam worth 60 % of the final mark; students must get a minimum of 50% in the exam to pass the course. A course completion rate for GEOL 120 from 2002 to 2003 of 91%, with a drop rate of 6% and 3% fails reflects the effectiveness of this approach to distance education in the geosciences. As is the case for other key BCOU Arts and Science program areas, total annual enrolments in Earth Science courses have steadily increased over time. Projected enrolment for 2003 to 2004 is 174 students.