USING ONLINE DATABASES IN DISTANCE DELIVERY OF GEOSCIENCE LAB COURSES IN WESTERN ALASKA

The physical remoteness of western Alaska makes the instruction of science and labs challenging. The standard classroom/lab setting is constrained by a low population density, limited transportation systems, and few educational facilities. Despite these difficulties, enrolment in science programs has been growing in rural Alaska over the past 10 years as more rural students have access to online science courses and labs. However, teaching a full spectrum of science labs online needed for degrees remains difficult. Professional development programs such as MSI-REaCH and International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) that collect and analyze scientific data, such as seafloor sediment cores, provide some avenues to build science lab curriculum that can be incorporated into online labs and lectures. The curriculum of these courses have been designed using IODP Google Earth online interface to meet the strict academic standards of accredited universities, but allow flexibility for students working in remote villages with limited technology and internet bandwidth. The two MSI-REaCH enhanced courses (GEOG 111 and ENVI 293) were taught in the Fall 2015 and 2016 semesters, and will be taught again Fall 2017. Both courses were well attended and on course evaluations students commented very favorably to the value of working with real data sets when doing assignments or labs.