INTEGRATING RESEARCH INTO AN UNDERGRADUATE GEOSCHEMISTRY COURSE

At DePauw University, we are teaching traditional lab and field skills using original research methods in an upper-level, undergraduate Geochemistry course. Through this class, students are introduced to research process, including hypothesis formation, data collection, analysis, and interpretation. Students are involved in a semester-long investigation to teach these skills.

During the first week of lab, students are presented with a geochemical situation and asked to generate a research question. Potential questions include “how does the water chemistry vary with discharge, time, and climate” or “how does lithology influence water chemistry?” The research question does not need to be novel to make the project compelling, although students generally do not respond well when they feel that they are jumping through hoops. Once a question has been asked, class discussion focuses on what information is needed to generate a hypothesis and then test it. This is typically done with the whole class, although it may be wise to break larger classes into groups. The remainder of the semester is spent teaching students the methods they need to know to continue their investigation. For example, students collected samples through out space and time, performed acid-base and alkalinity titrations, and measured anion and cation concentrations with IC and metal concentrations with AAS. Each of these activities is conducted in sequential lab periods. In addition, each student's collects his/her own data so that the results can be pooled and the class can be introduced to statistical methods.

After collection, the data is analyzed and interpreted. Clearly, this is the most difficult part of the exercise, but also the most worthwhile. I like to demonstrate different ways that the students can look at the data (graphs, tables, correlations, etc.) and then provide one or two examples of possible interpretations. Students are left on their own to generate more interpretation of the data and to consider potential directions of future research. Assessment occurs through the final report or final exam. Through this process, students learn the skills that they would gain in a traditional geochemistry lab while simultaneously gaining valuable research experience.