THE STUDIO APPROACH TO TEACHING IGNEOUS-METAMORPHIC PETROLOGY: A STUDENT PERSPECTIVE

As with most of the sciences, geology is generally taught in a traditional lecture-lab format. However, the rapid growth of the body of geological knowledge in recent decades has made traditional approaches increasingly impractical. The amount of “basic” material that professors consider necessary in upper division courses has become daunting, for both the student and the instructor. This is true of undergraduate igneous and metamorphic petrology where increasingly complex topics are introduced ever earlier, many of which were introduced at the graduate level only a decade ago. Different approaches to teaching petrology are needed to accommodate this trend. Southern Utah University has experimented with a studio approach to teaching petrology. This approach emphasizes critical thinking and research methodologies that are applicable to students at all levels. With the studio approach, lecture, discussion and laboratory sessions were intimately mingled so that they augmented each other. Lectures and discussions introducing new topics were immediately followed by hands-on practice in the lab. To facilitate this approach, two-three hour sessions were scheduled per week. This period of time seemed endless to some students. Students were assigned numerous inquiry-based projects that complimented lecture/discussion material, and also participated in a long term class research project. Assessment was accomplished through portfolios we each compiled, as well as several exams.