USING THE INTERNET TO PRESENT NORTHERN INDIANA'S GEOLOGIC HISTORY

The "Northern Indiana Glacial Trail" uses the Internet to introduce the public to basic geologic concepts and principles of landscape development by providing an interactive virtual field trip of local geologic features. Northern Indiana preserves a complex and unique landscape consisting primarily of late Quaternary glacial and coastal landforms. These glacial landforms include moraines, kettles, outwash plains, and meltwater channels formed during late Pleistocene as the Lake Michigan, Lake Huron-Erie, and Saginaw lobes converged over southwest Michigan and northwest Indiana. Northern Indiana preserves a sedimentologic record of the evolution of the Lake Michigan shoreline including beach ridge sequences, spits, and coastal dune systems.

The project is organized in the format of a virtual field trip where visitors (1) are given background on the geologic history of the region,(2) are guided to different "stops" in northern Indiana (3) observe maps and photographs of different regional landforms, (4) examine geologic properties of the landforms including elevation, geomorphology, and sedimentology, and (5) explore concepts relating to processes of landscape evolution. Questions relating to describing sediments, reading geologic maps, and landscape processes allow visitors to participate in an interactive online educational experience.

Our goal is to increase public awareness in the geologic and environmental richness of this heavily industrialized area of Indiana while promoting interest in the field of earth sciences. We illustrate the link between the industrial, commercial, social, and economic development of Indiana to the complex landscape and hydrology that evolved during the late Quaternary. Project assessment tools include (1) tracking the number of hits, (2) providing a link to the departmental website of the university to track user interest in the university's geosciences program, and (3) providing a public feedback option at the conclusion of the field trip. The effectiveness of the website as a teaching tool will be evaluated through in-class use by area high school earth science students and teachers. We will apply classroom assessment techniques including in-class opinion polls, directed paraphrasing, and student-generated test questions.