INCORPORATING EFFECTIVE FIELDWORK EXPERIENCES INTO LARGE CLASSES

All students in B.Sc. programs in the School of Geography and Geology at McMaster University participate in a variety of field experiences. Three of these experiences will be the focus of this poster.

The first field experience for the 300 students enrolled in the first year Earth & the Environment course occurs within the first month of classes. Students participate in a four-hour long trip to four sites of interest in the Hamilton area. The class is divided into groups of approximately 40 and each group spends between 30 and 40 minutes at each site. Students are given a number of tasks to accomplish at each site including description of geological exposures, sketch mapping of geomorphological features, estimation of erosion rates and description of storm water control structures.

In the second year geomorphology course (Earth Surface Processes and Landforms) students are provided the option to participate in a three day trip to the Mammoth Cave region of Kentucky. Approximately 40 of the 120 students in the course participate in the trip and study surface and subsurface karst features and the implications of groundwater contamination in karst regions.

Third year students participate in a two-week mandatory field camp to Whitefish Falls, Ontario. Students work in groups of four and each group works with the assistance of a graduate student or senior undergraduate student. The students complete a number of tasks including mapping of rock outcrops, detailed mapping of geological structures, air photo interpretation of a closed mine-tailings site and paleoenvironmental reconstruction using geological data.

Effective fieldwork enhances both student and instructor satisfaction with the B.Sc. programs. A recent challenge with the provision of field work experiences is the rapid increase in student enrolment (e.g. 350% growth in the third year field course enrolment over four years). This poster will describe pragmatic approaches to successfully engage students in field experiences with increasing student numbers.