A FIELD-BASED METHOD FOR TEACHING THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD AND UNIFORMITARIAN PRINCIPLES USING TRACKWAY RECONSTRUCTIONS

Numerous studies have demonstrated improved learning outcomes in courses that promote active learning. Fieldwork is an essential, active, component in the training of future geologists, however, for various reasons many university-level geology courses do not contain introductory-level field-based experiences. The design of field-based learning activities is facilitated by the use of one’s campus as a laboratory. One specific difficulty with developing active learning experiences in field-based disciplines is that many campuses are urban environments far from or lacking appropriate natural space for field studies. At UNCC we have developed an on-campus, field-oriented exercise in which students are taught the scientific method and uniformitarian principles using a section of sauropod dinosaur tracks from the Paluxy River in Texas, USA reconstructed in concrete. This exercise does not require the construction of a replica trackway and can be conducted in a parking lot or small open space, it was previously conducted at UNCC with trackways drawn on sheets of butcher paper. Students are given a formula for calculating walking speed from trackways. Students record their own walking and jogging speeds along a measured course using a stopwatch, then calculate their speed using the formula­. This test demonstrates the formula’s accuracy and provides a uniformitarian basis for the methodology. Using the formula for fossil trackways requires information about the track maker that is often unavailable, such as the maker’s hip height. Students estimate the track makers’ hip heights based upon proposed relationships between foot size and limb length, and use that plus their trackway measurements to calculate velocities of the track makers. After mapping the trackway and calculating the track makers’ velocity students submit their calculations presented as research conclusions. At the beginning of the next class students are presented with data demonstrating the general relationship between foot length and leg length used is inaccurate, and are asked to revise their previous conclusions based upon this new information. Students are thus presented with a falsification of their methodology, mirroring the ideal scientific process.