FROM STUDENT TO SCIENTIST: TRANSITIONING INTRODUCTORY GEOSCIENCE STUDENTS INTO THE MAJOR USING THE GEOLOGY OF WESTERN NORTH AMERICA

In 2008, the undergraduate geoscience curriculum at Boise State University was revised to introduce a “sophomore core” of three 200-level courses, one in each discipline (geology, hydrology, geophysics) of our degree program. The sophomore core teaches fundamental concepts and skills while helping students self-assess their interests and transition from the university-serving introductory geoscience courses to upper division subdiscipline-specific courses. Emphasis is placed on the integration of information and techniques from different geoscience fields related to the theme of each course.

The sophomore core course in geology, “The Evolution of Western North America”, is designed to let students apply the scientific method in geosciences, provide instruction in field-based methods of geology, and promote understanding of geologic processes. The course includes 2.5 hours of classroom and 5 hours of field-based lab instruction per week. In the first half of the course study of the origin and evolution of the western Snake River Plain provides the context for instruction in sedimentation and stratigraphy, volcanism and igneous petrology, geochronology, and structural geology. The latter half of classroom instruction surveys the historical geology of western North America utilizing the forensic skills students developed earlier in the course. Application of the scientific method informs the discussion of topics throughout the course.

Field-based labs emphasize how geologists make and record observations, and are scaffolded to build skills in note-taking, rock identification, outcrop description and measurement, structural measurements, the classification of geologic units, and ultimately 1:1200 scale geologic mapping. Assessment in the lab includes repetitive, feedback-intensive scoring of field notebooks, evaluation of individual field maps, small group presentations of compiled maps, and production of a final report on the map area.

Enrollment in the course has nearly doubled to >40 students per year since its implementation, associated with a similar increase in number of majors (>180), retention and graduation rates. An ancillary benefit of the course is the introduction of sophomores to geoscientific research, and a resulting high demand for undergraduate research experiences.