ENGAGING CIVIL AND ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERS THOUGH ACTIVE LEARNING AND ONLINE QUIZZES

Engineering students are accustom to quantitative learning, and often struggle with the qualitative, especially when it is not presented in context. Additionally, many do not see the value in basic geoscience laboratory, and do not take homework seriously. These are not bad students, but when it comes to studying earth science they are lack the enthusiasm of the typical geology student. In an attempt to increase the participation of geology for engineering students, the traditional course has been to pared-down to essential lecture material, and weekly on-line quizzes that test their understanding of either a short video or professional paper. Friday class sessions are active learning days. These sessions included group activities that reinforce lecture material, and are designed to gauge their level of comprehension. To reduce the concern of sharing worksheets with subsequent classes, the Friday activities are not graded—although they are corrected. Participation in the exercises is equal to 10% of their overall grade; the weekly quizzes are worth 20%, and an introduced Saturday field trip 5%. The overall classroom experience has greatly improved from previous semesters. The students are enthusiastic on Fridays, and most days the attendance is near 100%. Students prefer the weekly quizzes to traditional homework and this has not led to a decrease in understanding course material. Information covered on both the weekly quizzes and the Friday exercises are included in the more heavily weighted in-class exams. Overall, the experience has been positive for both the students and the instructor.