FROM THE EMERALD ISLE TO THE RED PLANET: RAPID PIVOT FROM A STUDY-ABROAD TO A VIRTUAL CAPSTONE MAPPING COURSE

Traditionally, field camps have served as the capstone experience for many geology students, integrating undergraduate content coursework while developing the affect and skills required of professional geologists in the field. Since 2006, the JMU Field camp has been offered in the summer term as a residential experience and study-abroad in Ireland, but the COVID-19 pandemic created unprecedented levels of disruption to face-to-face (F2F) instruction in any form or location during the summer term.

With the 2020 course already in its late planning stages, the forced cancellation of the course created disruptions and uncertainty, including 13 students needing the course for graduation by August. With NAGT’s rapid organization of the “Designing Remote Field Experiences” working group, the prospect of offering a virtual capstone mapping experience using available data sets, digital tools, and online interaction became real. Our pivot created a four-week experience with an emphasis on digital tools, starting with the ESRI online tutorials. Available data sets from the faculty’s experiences allowed creation of exercises similar to the F2F course, including bedrock mapping of deformed sedimentary and metamorphic rocks, coastal geomorphology, and engineering geology. Unique to the course was an independent mapping exercise integrating the multiple orbiter and rover data sets for Mars.

The daily format of the course involved lectures at the start of each exercise, recorded for later access. WebEx sessions were made available each day to answer student questions and support their progress, with students working collaboratively online on team projects. Evaluation data were collected similar to the F2F course, augmented with data collected through the NAGT field network. These limited data indicated that while the course was a success, it should not be seen as a direct replacement for the traditional field camp. The course satisfied the graduating requirements for senior geology majors and helped students to gain confidence integrating geologic data and drawing conclusions. However, direct field skills could not be replicated in a virtual environment. The course does provide a potential basis for designing capstone experiences for students that might otherwise be physically excluded from a fully field-based course.