ENRICHMENT OF EARTH SCIENCE CURRICULUM THROUGH SHARED EXPERIENCES BETWEEN INSTRUCTORS AND PARTICIPANT IN THE SENIOR AUDITOR PROGRAM AT UNC ASHEVILLE

The University of North Carolina Asheville (UNCA) has a tuition-free Senior Auditor Program, which allows senior community members to audit classes, subject to available seating. Mr. Jacobs’ enrollment in the program since 2018 and his partnership with the Department of Environmental Studies’ Earth Science program, particularly Drs. McNamee and Langille, has produced numerous scholarly products and contributions to upper-level courses. The professors also welcome the intellectual interaction as it has enriched classroom discussions and strengthened their communication of geology to their courses, general public, and professional audiences.

Mr. Jacobs has used this program to take multiple field-based and upper-level earth science courses, as well as pursue an undergraduate research project. He feels the program provided the knowledge and hands-on skills he needed to better appreciate extensive self-study readings, and to confidently pursue the self-publishing of “Whence These Special Places?”, a book focused on the geologic history of the Highlands-Cashiers Plateau for a general public audience. It also provided access to expertise and analytical equipment required to characterize, and address the provenance of, the Shining Rock formation in Haywood County, North Carolina.

Drs. McNamee and Langille taught the courses in which Mr. Jacobs enrolled, advised his Shining Rock research project, co-authored a journal submission of that research, and provided pre-publication review of his book. They do not receive additional compensation for Mr. Jacobs’ enrollment in courses nor for their time spent on advising his research project. That said, they both feel that Mr. Jacobs’ participation has enriched both the UNCA Earth Sciences program and their own experiences as faculty members. Mr. Jacobs’ decades of exploration has introduced them to regional geologic features that have contributed to field trips and classroom discussions. His experiences were also a significant addition to Geology of the Southern Appalachians and Structural Geology course content, contributing fresh perspectives and field stops. The authors hope that his enthusiastic self-motivated curiosity and voluntary work will strengthen other students' appreciation and embrace of their undergraduate learning opportunities.