USE OF IPAD TECHNOLOGY TO ENHANCE LEARNING AND ASSESSMENT OF STUDENT INTERPRETATION OF ROCK MINERALOGY AND TEXTURE (Invited Presentation)

For coarse-grained igneous rocks and metamorphic rocks with considerable microstructure (e.g., mylonites), linking petrographic observation of mineralogy and texture to hand sample-scale features presents a considerable challenge to students. In mineralogy and petrology classes that include microscopy as a component, high enrollment presents a logistical challenge for the single lab instructor – how to determine and identify the source of a student’s question and point out relevant features in a timely fashion. We suggest that the use of one or more Apple iPads® containing high-resolution, scanned images of entire thin sections (normal and cross-polarized light) illustrates thin section textures in the range of 1x to approximately 6x. The iPad offers considerable advantages as a portable teaching tool: 1) allowing concurrent review of a thin section by an instructor and multiple students, 2) as a medium for additional thin section images, location maps, or journal articles to complement an assigned lab, or 3) as a tool for assessment of individual student learning. We recommend scanning entire thin sections at a resolution of 3600 dpi or better for clarity of magnified images.