USING VIRTUAL FIELD EXPERIENCES TO SHOWCASE LOCAL GEOLOGIC PROCESSES, VISUALIZE HUMAN IMPACTS, AND MODEL SCIENTIFIC THINKING FOR STUDENTS IN INTRODUCTORY GEOLOGY COURSES (Invited Presentation)

Opportunities to provide students with field-based experiences are a valuable learning tool, but logistics often make them difficult to implement in introductory courses. As part of the necessary adjustments to introductory geology lecture and lab courses at Orange Coast College forced upon us during the pandemic, in-person field experiences were temporarily eliminated. The first virtual Google Earth field experience for students was implemented in 2021; the field trip, and subsequent virtual field experiences, were constructed for the Chrome version of Google Earth. The first field experience was introduced to students early in their introductory lab courses to stimulate interest in local geologic impacts in Orange County, promote methods of scientific thinking such as hypothesis generation and collecting data, and build good habits of mind such as careful notetaking and sketching. Additional local virtual field trips have been developed that explore other topical aspects of the area, including: the history of fossil fuels and their extraction, surface and groundwater storage and movement, coastal processes, and regional tectonics. Each activity uses a combination of Google Earth imagery, photospheres, links to external sites, embedded instructor videos, and datasets to provide an immersive learning experience.

As part of this presentation, attendees will have the opportunity to view and interact with several virtual field experiences. Their position within the structure of the overall courses, and their potential impacts on student outcomes for both online and in-person courses moving forward, will also be discussed.