SOPHOMORE FIELD-BASED EXPERIENCES AND CURRICULA FOR INCREASING AND RETAINING MAJORS

The field tradition in the geosciences has always been an attraction towards gaining and retaining majors. In the past, however, majors courses with intensive field experiences are typically available only in the upper division curriculum, presenting a gap between the introductory courses and upper division courses. In 2005, a restructuring of our curriculum included establishing a 200-level Field Geology course. The course was team taught with faculty from geology, geomorphology, hydrology, and geophysics leading the students through several field-based problems. The goal of the course was to provide field applications of the fundamentals from the 100 level courses, engage and expose the students to field problems and data collection/analysis outside the canned labs, and provide the students with a taste of the different academic tracks available at the upper division. In 2006, that course was altered once more as a suite of three sophomore courses was created with each covering a particular aspect of geoscience - geology, geophysics, and hydrology and climate; this new set of courses provide more depth in each area and the students with a better foundation for selecting upper division curricular tracks. Sample exercises presented here include field mapping of a local geologic feature, increment coring and dendrochronological analysis of local climate, and construction of a seismometer. These field experience courses, offered at the 200-level, coupled with increased faculty interaction and advising of students, provide a means to maintain contact with students in a year where their coursework may be dominated by foundational classes in math, chemistry, and physics. Coincident with the development of these sophomore geoscience field courses, majors have increased substantially from around 80 in Fall 2005 to nearly 150 in Fall 2009. More telling, year-to-year retention has also increased, from 35 in 2005 to 69 in 2009, likely as a result of increased faculty and advising contact.