ACTIVE LEARNING STRATEGIES IN INTRODUCTORY GEOSCIENCES COURSES: SUCCESSES AND CHALLENGES WITH ONLINE COURSE DEVELOPMENT

In Mississippi, students have few opportunities for geosciences courses prior to enrolling in a 4-year university. Most high schools do not offer geology or earth science courses, and even when they are offered, the courses are viewed as science substitutes for non-college bound students. Furthermore, only one of the 15 community colleges in the state offer introductory geology courses, which means that students transferring from a 2-year to a 4-year college are behind in coursework if they are interested in geosciences programs of study. The Geosciences Streamlined Pipeline And Research for Community Colleges (Geo-SPARCC) collaboration between Mississippi State University and Jones County Junior College develops online introductory geology courses and makes these courses available through the Mississippi Virtual Community College consortium. Since the Geo-SPARCC courses may be the only viable option Mississippi students have for geosciences courses at a Mississippi community college (or as dual enrollment high school courses), we attempted to implement active learning strategies within every unit of the online introductory physical geology courses—including hands-on examination of rock and mineral specimens, Google Earth and geocaching assignments, and providing students’ local field investigations and research opportunities. Brief videos showcase the geology of the state, and discussion forums develop an online community of learners. Although some active learning strategies seamlessly integrate into the online geosciences courses, some strategies have proven more difficult. We discuss the successes and challenges of our initial development of online physical geology courses, and the resulting implications for online introductory geosciences course development.