BUILDING A VIRTUAL CAPSTONE COURSE TO CEMENT COGNITIVE GAINS

Structural Geology & Mapping is a senior capstone course in which students integrate and apply new concepts and techniques along with those learned throughout the geology major. Fiscal constraints have previously led us to limit field time and to supplement with digital tools, so this year’s transition to online format combines existing strategies and a few new additions. One of our major concerns is replicating the multi-scale experience students gain when they work on field-based problems, where they can observe the rocks from regional scale to outcrop to hand sample to hand-lens and, in some cases, to thin-section back in the lab. To span these scales of observation this year, we are using virtual microscope sites, 3D digital models, and more Gigapan and virtual field trips than we have before.

Digital resources can help students transfer knowledge from past field experiences to new areas they visit remotely. For our end-of-course project, each student selects a discrete locality with a certain number of lithostratigraphic units and well-defined folds and faults. They create a poster that includes a geologic summary, stratigraphic column, Google Earth base map with geologic contacts, full geologic map, cross-section, and keys, scales, and references. To build these, students access resources through digital portals such as: USGS/AASG Geolex, which links to a stratigraphic lexicon, relevant USGS publications and geologic maps, and the current code of stratigraphic nomenclature; and Google Earth versions for building topographic profiles and polygons to create geologic maps. Some students also use software such as SedLog and ArcGIS. The act of selecting appropriate digital tools to collect, assess, and display the necessary geological information helps students connect past field experience with digital geologic representations in field areas they only experience online. When students present their work to their peers, they must describe the characteristics that allow them to map the different geologic units on Google Earth, which requires coordination between Google Earth observations, their geologic knowledge, and information from online publications. The second author of this paper, a new graduate of our program, provides insight into the experience of digitally working through the geology of a field area.