ENGAGING UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS IN THE HYDROGEOLOGICAL LITERATURE: GAUGING THEIR SUCCESS

Syllabi in university science courses are by necessity content-driven, with important topics laid out chronologically. However, if one of our goals is to help students engage critically with the literature, then process-driven outcomes rather than content-driven outcomes might be more effective. In a third year hydrogeology course students have three opportunities to engage with the literature. The first two assignments involved both content- and process-driven activities where students are asked to read and report on the findings of two articles, one focusing on measuring hydraulic conductivity in aquitards and the second on strategies for the clean-up of the Woburn sites. Students participate in learning tasks designed to elicit content and to help them learn to read the literature. In the third activity, only the process of the assignment is specified. Students are invited to select a paper from several themes. Particular journals are recommended as they tend to have articles that are accessible to undergraduates. Students prepare a two-page review, including key figures. The students and their reviews are divided into themes, and each theme package is distributed to those within the group. Students read the reviews and formulate at least one question per review. The instructor facilitates hour-long discussions with student groups, of five to ten. Learning occurs both in the preparation of the review and in the discussion groups, however, it is the discussion that is critical for engaging students at a deeper level. Students' learning is assessed by applying the ICE method, a simple and elegant learning and assessment scheme, to the evaluation of the reviews and participation in the discussion. Both the formal assessment and student feedback confirm that the discussion is very important for students to engage with the literature.