ENGAGING STUDENTS WITH VISUAL MEDIA IN AN ONLINE INTRODUCTORY GEOLOGY AND A TEACHING METHODS COURSE

Online learning gained importance and momentum in the past decade as a way to increase access to higher education for more diverse students. The recent rapid transition to remote instruction accelerated the use of new techniques to engage students in online learning. This presentation will include examples of course activities that leverage a variety of visual media to engage students online. First, several examples of tools and techniques demonstrate how to engage students with visual-spatial concepts in an online, asynchronous introductory geology course. The tools include leveraging discussion boards, Google 360 images, and pixlr.com to promote students’ reasoning about challenging diagram-based concepts and three-dimensional geologic features. Additionally, the opportunity to engage students with one-another using an asynchronous video discussion board, FlipGrid, offered personal connection during the rapid shift to remote instruction as a result of COVID-19. Students in an undergraduate pre-service science teaching methods course engaged in lesson peer review using FlipGrid. The examples here are shared with instructor insights to promote ideas for other instructors of introductory geology or teaching methods courses.