USING FIELD EXPERIENCES TO ENHANCE GENERAL EDUCATION GEOLOGY CLASSES

Geology is a field based science that most teachers of geology would agree is best learned in the field. With effort, this can be accomplished in smaller majors classes. However, general education classes aimed at non-science majors tend to be large, making field-based studies difficult to accomplish. Unfortunately, it is in non-majors classes where some type of field experience is most needed in order to relay how scientific thinking is applied to geology, and to provide hands on examples if geologic phenomena in a real world context. At Southern Utah University, a Geology of Utah course is offered for general education credit. This is a first introduction to geology for many of these students since no prerequisite is required. To enhance student understanding of both basic geologic principles and geology specific to southern Utah, an investigative, field-based exercise was implemented for the laboratory portion of this course. Working in groups of four or five, students examined the geologic history recorded in a well exposed, easily accessible sequence of rocks. These rocks record the important early mesozoic transition from marine to continental settings in western North America. The study area was introduced through two class field trips. Students were responsible for making rocks identifications, identifying sedimentary structures, and compiling a stratigraphic column. They were also responsible for identifying late structural features such as thrust faults and normal faults. Students were carefully guided through these observations since this was their first encounter with geology in the field. Working in their groups, students placed their stratigraphic columns in a temporal context through comparison with published stratigraphic columns, and annotated a series of photographs showing the location of contacts and faults. As individuals, students produced a final stratigraphic column, and a written report detailing the geologic history they observed, with supporting evidence. At the end of the project, most students expressed a better understanding of how geologists think and work, and had gained a good knowledge of this important bracket of western geologic history as expressed in the geologic record.