GEOJOURNEY: IMPROVING UNDERGRADUATE PATHWAYS INTO THE GEOSCIENCES THROUGH AN OUTDOOR EXPERIENTIAL HIGH SCHOOL-TO-UNIVERSITY BRIDGE COURSE

We engaged high school students in an authentic, hands-on field experience through our Colorado River GeoJourney course as part of an NSF IUSE: GEOPATHS project aimed at increasing the number of students interested in pursuing undergraduate geoscience degrees. This course involves recent high school graduates in the summer immediately prior to entering their first year of college. Students enroll in an introductory geology course that utilizes a combination of online learning modules, on-campus instruction and team building activities, followed by a 14-day field experience.

Online and classroom learning activities are based on a modified version of the introductory geology curriculum at NC State University. Students had the opportunity to investigate and solve real-world geologic problems and engage in real-time data collection such as calculating stream discharge, river incision rates, and landslide susceptibility along the GeoJourney route. These activities touch on topics and competencies that are at the core of geology curricula such as plate tectonic theory, mineral and rock identification, paleoenvironmental reconstruction, and geomorphic evolution of landscapes.

The GeoJourney extends between Denver, CO and Las Vegas, NV. Daily learning occurs in some of the most iconic outdoor geology classrooms in North America, including national parks (e.g., Rocky Mountain, Arches, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, Bryce Canyon, Zion, and Grand Canyon), and well known geologic field sites (e.g.,the Henry Mountains, the Waterpocket Fold, the East Kaibab Monocline, Buckskin Gulch, and Glen Canyon Dam). Pre-planned educational activities are provided to students in field notebooks where they record observations and data, make calculations and provide their interpretations of the geologic processes and events. Each student is responsible for teaching an “expert topic” to the group that is based upon current geo-environmental issues encountered along the GeoJourney route discussed in the course text. At the end of year one, 33% of the GeoJourney students declared Geology as a major or minor. We present results from the first two years of GeoJourney implementation.