INTRODUCTORY GEOLOGY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS; WHAT WE ARE DOING, WHAT WORKS, AND WHAT CHALLENGES REMAIN

Each year, an estimated 2,200 students take General Geology (GEOL 1113) at the University of Arkansas, which is a lecture-style, large enrollment class (over 150 students per section). Instructors in the Department of Geosciences strive to engage students in GEOL 1113 and improve student learning through the implementation of new teaching techniques. The benefits and challenges of leading in-class activities, assigning online homework through use of tools such as MasteringGeology^TM, and creating exams with the two-tiered testing method will be discussed. Archival data from two instructors were used to identify trends in student learning in GEOL 1113 classes. Of particular interest was the relationship between attendance and class scores because the large-section, introductory classes tend to have low attendance (average of 61%). Using all of the archival data (n = 3,162), greater attendance does correlate weakly with higher class scores (r² = 0.20, p < 0.001). When data are binned by letter grade (using a 10-point scale of the class score, with F below 60%), there is significant difference (p < 0.001) among all letter grades for attendance. For example, the median attendance is greatest for students who receive an A in class (87%) compared to an F (33%). There was no significant difference for the median class scores between the two instructors, despite differences in grade policies, lecture style, and exam type, for example. One instructor has begun using a two-tiered testing method where students repeat exams for partial credit with the goal of improving student learning. However, there was not a significant difference in scores between semesters where traditional testing methods versus the two-tiered testing methods were used. Future improvement to introductory geology could include implementing the Geoscience Concept Inventory for pre- and post-tests and directly relating course learning objectives to online homework assignments.