SYNCHRONOUS AND ASYNCHRONOUS TEACHING INNOVATIONS FOR ONLINE INTRODUCTORY GEOSCIENCE LAB COURSES DURING COVID-19

The pandemic changed teaching methods, especially for instructors who taught online for the first time. Reevaluation of past in-person methods resulted in implementing innovative online learning strategies to engage and interact with students online. The student outcomes were 1) to evaluate information and think critically; 2) to understand the impact of geology, and 3) to learn core competencies for geology.

Online lecture materials for introductory geology courses were structured to help the students develop critical thinking, study skills, and soft skills, such as responsibility and teamwork. Assignments were created to foster a community-based learning environment, which also helped to lessen the feeling of isolation while increasing motivation. Students participated in weekly discussion boards where they posted lecture summaries and replied to classmate comments and questions through rich conversations. These discussions improved metacognitive skills, encouraged connections with the material, promoted strong note-taking skills, and helped to build community.

An obstacle to teaching an asynchronous science course online is the lab portion. The objective was to make the online lab experience as close as possible to a tangible lab experience and relevant to the lecture material, all while retaining a user-friendly interface. Additionally, as an instructor at a community college, the aim was for low or no cost of materials. To teach students about rocks and minerals, videos of samples were created to guide the students through the identification flow chart. A weathering lab was designed that used sand samples from around the world, different environments, and with varying characteristics. These lab activities virtually brought the relevant samples to the students without added cost to them.

In summary, to help students learn the core competencies for geology and thinking critically an inquiry-based learning course usually taught by in-class lab activities was transitioned to a synchronous online course. For lab assignments, students used free online resources to supplement the materials with prerecorded video demonstrations of lab activities. Breakout Rooms were used to facilitate small group discussion and to help guide the students through the material to encourage self-discovery.