COMBINING LECTURE, LAB, AND WEBCOURSE CLASS FORMATS IN A REGIONAL GEOLOGY COURSE: THE DIGITAL GEOLOGY OF IDAHO

The NSF-funded Digital Geology of Idaho project (www.imnh.isu.edu/digitalatlas/digitalgeolIdaho/) includes fifteen weekly teaching units illustrating various aspects of the geology of Idaho, flythrough visualizations of Idaho watersheds draped over geologic maps, and a new digital geologic map of Idaho prepared in conjunction with the Idaho Geological Survey.

Created to provide regional geologic data to a broad audience, the Digital Geology of Idaho is currently being used in conjunction with the lecture course GEOL 456/556, The Geology of Idaho, at Idaho State University. The course is taught as an outreach course by way of distance learning to six sites in southeastern Idaho. Lecture is supplemented by slideshows of photos from over-flights of the various geologic provinces in Idaho as well as assigned readings. The Digital Geology of Idaho website provides summarized information, detailed figures, and supplemental PowerPoint presentations for students to better understand and visualize the geology.

In conjunction with the Geology of Idaho course, labs created to utilize the Digital Atlas of Idaho are used in 100 level geology labs in order to provide a regional aspect to geology for all lower-level students. The Digital Geology of Idaho website houses these labs as well as analyzed data from pre-lab and post-lab knowledge surveys. Data compiled from the pre- and post-lab knowledge surveys show encouraging evidence of a better understanding of geologic concepts when presented at a regional level to beginning students. The Bonneville Flood exercise allows local students to investigate detailed information about the local effects of the Bonneville Flood.