The “New” Focus on Experiential Learning: Colleges and Universities Are Finally Catching up with What Geology Departments Have Always Been Doing

Colleges and universities across the country are touting experiential learning as a core value. This administrative focus provides a great opportunity for geology departments to become campus leaders in curricular development. In most cases, this lead can be established simply by communicating to the campus and the administration the inherently experiential nature of geological education. Fieldtrips are a key aspect of any good geology program. Some of our colleagues in other disciplines are unaware of the full value of these fieldtrips, and view them with suspicion. We, not our colleagues, are to blame for not communicating the importance of these field experiences across campus. Surveys clearly show that students find fieldtrips and off-campus field-based courses to be most effective learning opportunities. In addition, many alumni are more likely to give money to help maintain fieldtrips than they are to fund other departmental/institutional initiatives. Outside of a geology department, however, these facts remain largely unknown.

The Hartwick College Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences provides a variety of field experiences; from short course-related trips and off-campus immersion courses to yearly fieldtrips that expose undergraduates to research possibilities and “Geologist Life List” features. The department has been engaged in both assessing and communicating the value of field experiences. This can be accomplished by: 1) speaking directly to colleagues and students, 2) producing a newsletter that highlights the fieldtrips, 3) sharing student comments with tour groups and website visitors, and 4) displaying posters in the halls that detail the trip experiences. The department is now viewed as a leader in experiential learning on campus. Our field experiences are used by the administration to promote the college, and our department has become a key stop for admissions tours. As a result of these simple efforts, the administration has substantially increased our budget for fieldtrips.