RETHINKING AN INTRODUCTION TO GEOLOGY COURSE: LESSONS LEARNED FROM INCORPORATING A GIS MODULE

It is widely recognized that GIS provides a great environment for managing, exploration and modeling of spatial data and is therefore considered essential knowledge and skill for students studying Earth Sciences. At Carleton College, most geology students have little or no experience with GIS. Coupled with the fast-paced quarter system, it poses a strong constraint on adopting GIS in the classroom. We present the strategy we used to incorporate GIS into a water chemistry course under such a constraint and its impact on student learning. In the course, students were required to collect surface water and well water samples; measure various chemical concentrations and variables (temperature, conductivity, nitrate), explore the geographic and socio-economic factors that may contribute to the spatial distribution of this variables, and predict nitrate concentration in the study area. The GIS specialist and the course instructor worked together to mold GIS into the classroom activities from sample selection, data visualization and exploration to predicting concentration variations. Three major lessons emerged from this exercise. First, the GIS activities provided insight to the instructor new ways to teach the water chemistry course, including the implementation of statistically sound sampling strategy, relating water quality measurements to landscape contextual elements. Second, the activity demonstrated to students how GIS can contribute to the data collection, exploration and analysis phases of Earth Science study. Finally, it revealed to many students that they need to know modeling principles and spatial statistics if they want to use the full analytical capabilities embodied in a GIS system.