UNDERSTANDING STUDENT LEARNING AT FIELD CAMP

Geology is unique in that our students have to pass Field Camp, an educationally and physically rigorous synthesis course. Much work has been done on assessment of outward bound and outdoor leadership programs, but there is very little beyond traditional project oriented assessment for Field Camp. At Mason, The NSF approved SALG instrument, (Student Assessment of their Learning Gains) is being used to assess different types of learning at Geological Field Camp, including potential predictors of the future capacity of students to identify and solve significant problems in Geology. Results will be discussed in the light of their confidence in skills learned, the student’s attitudes to geology (affective learning), and the creation of habits of mind and behavior.