GEOLOGY AROUND ME: LEVERAGING LOCAL ENVIRONMENTS IN ONLINE INTRODUCTORY GEOLOGY COURSES

In Mississippi, students often begin their higher education at a community college. However, prior to 2018, the oldest US community college system regularly offered introductory geology courses at only one of their 15 locations. To streamline 2-year transfer students and increase underrepresented student interest in the geosciences, our NSF IUSE GEOPAths project, Geo-SPARCC, developed online physical and historical geology classes/laboratories available to all community college students through the MS Virtual Community College consortium.

All Geo-SPARCC units begin with a brief video introduction (In MISSISSIPPI!) that connects content to the state’s natural features. “Meet a Geoscientist” showcases potential geoscience career opportunities. Additionally, each unit requires students to apply content locally; Geo-SPARCC students have searched for meteorite lookalikes, Paleozoic fossils in gravel, mass wasting examples, and naturally deposited sand samples. A field project is also required, and students may elect to participate in a sponsored field excursion or conduct their own through geocaching. Content analysis of anonymous student surveys revealed that the online format is effective, with students reporting that they most enjoyed learning about the geologic history of the state. Therefore, online introductory geology courses can still be engaging. Our results indicate that students’ interest and geologic awareness can be optimized in online classrooms through active learning strategies and place-based content that build upon students’ geographic affiliations. Further, geologic “blindness” does not accurately describe students’ perceptions. Our research reveals that incoming students are fully aware of large geologic events—such as earthquakes and volcanoes—although unaware of local geological processes that operate outside of historical time. Our task is to develop student awareness and appreciation of the importance of geology outside the “big events.”