GUIDED INQUIRY-BASED COLLABORATIVE LEARNING IN AN UPPER-DIVISION PETROLOGY COURSE: ACHIEVEMENTS AND CHALLENGES

In a one-semester igneous and metamorphic petrology course, there exist several challenges: (1) success requires familiarity with principles of physics, mathematics, and chemistry in addition to the geology pre-requisites; (2) limited supplies of teaching materials (hand specimens, thin-sections) that can create bottlenecks during hands-on exercises; (3) increasing class sizes; and (4) decreasing budgets that threaten the number and range of potential field excursions. In an attempt to incorporate existing analytical facilities (e.g., SEM-EDS, ICP, XRD, thin-section lab) into the educational experience, a series of immersive, collaborative projects have been implemented into the course. These activities were designed to provide a hands-on approach to problem-solving, to minimize an individual student’s workload, and to reduce congestion in the labs. Examples of past activities include: (1) hand-specimen and thin-section analysis of granitic intrusives from the Atlanta metro area; (2) sample preparation, analysis, and interpretation of major- and trace-element compositions of metabasalts; and (3) examination of metamorphic mineral assemblages and textures in a suite of metamorphic rock samples, in order to interpret and evaluate metamorphic gradients in a hypothetical field area. Portions of scheduled lecture and lab time are devoted to project work, and students are allowed to manage the assignment of individual tasks within the group; each student is expected to make some quantifiable contribution to the team effort. Each student completes their own individual reports based on their entire team’s findings; students also submit an evaluation form that includes an assessment of each individual’s contributions to the project, as well as a self-evaluation of their own effort. These projects give the students experience with techniques used by petrologists while also reinforcing useful skills: maintaining accurate and complete records, careful observation and thoughtful interpretation, critical analysis of data, teamwork, and improved written and oral communication. Ongoing challenges to success include student absenteeism, biases against collaborative activities, and overcoming the myopic focus on a grade rather than the learning experience.