FIELD GEOLOGY OF THE BRITISH ISLES: AN ACTIVITY-BASED INTERNATIONAL FIELD COURSE

We created a field-based international geologic field course designed for any student who had completed at least one semester study in geology. Prior to departure, we administered a 50-question pre-test designed to assess general and site-specific geologic knowledge. We combined these scores with results of previous academic coursework to create two-person field teams in which a better prepared student was teamed with a less experienced student in an effort to maximize learning. The course included stops at 46 field localities in Scotland, Northern Ireland, and the Republic of Ireland. We contracted with Agrotours to provide transportation, lodging and meals allowing us to focus on creating the field guide and field exercises for students. This professional company has experience providing logistical support for groups focusing on student education in the sciences. As passengers, we were free to provide background information en route to the next site, grade exercises, or prepare for the next stop as necessary. Ground transportation included a 24 to 32 passenger motor coach and the Stena Line ferry from Stranraer to Belfast. Occasionally, weather, road conditions, student interest, or commercial driving policies required changes to the itinerary. Students took notes, sketched outcrops, and completed field-based exercises at each stop. The trip itinerary included historically important sites (e.g. Siccar Point), sites at which geology was critical to the local culture or government (e.g. the Rock of Cashel), and sites renowned for their beauty (e.g. Giant’s Causeway). The locations selected provided a foundation for exercises in geologic time, sedimentology and stratigraphy, paleontology, igneous and metamorphic petrology, structural geology and plate tectonics, hydrogeology, as well as coastal and glacial processes. Field activities varied in complexity from relatively simple descriptive exercises to complex assignments that required data collection and analysis. Each field exercise was supplemented by additional information in the field guide. Exercises and field notes were handed in before dinner, graded that night, and returned with feedback at breakfast the following day. The students completed the course with a structured final exam in Dublin.