IMPACT OF ONLINE LEARNING ON STUDENT OUTCOMES IN A FIELD-BASED, GEOSCIENCE CAPSTONE COURSE

The Covid-19 pandemic provided an unprecedented opportunity to assess the impact of online and hybrid student preparation in prerequisite courses on student outcomes in field-based, geoscience capstone courses (“field camp”). We analyzed assessment data data from a single capstone course that served 30-70 students each summer from five universities from 2018 to 2022. These data include results from students’ first and last mapping projects. Data from the field-based capstone offerings in 2018, 2019, 2021, and 2022 include student results from the same first and last projects. Data from the 2020 online capstone offering reflect student performance on virtual activities that were designed to mimic the objectives of the face-to-face first and last projects. Projects from all years were assessed using nearly identical rubrics for maps, cross sections, and unit descriptions, which were normalized to create a consistent scale for “good”, “average”, and “fair” grades. Although students mapped in groups for the first assignment and with a safety partner for the final assignment, each student submitted independent work in all cases.

Pre-pandemic results (2018, 2019) represent students who completed prerequisite courses and capstone fully in person. Results from 2020 represent students who received virtual or hybrid instruction for at least some portion of the semester before starting the online capstone. Students who enrolled in the field-based 2021 capstone completed mostly virtual and/or hybrid prerequisites and received little or no opportunities for field-based instruction during the academic year prior to the capstone. Results from 2022 represent students who may have had some virtual/hybrid coursework in 2020-2021, but generally completed in-person prerequisite courses during 2021-2022. Student scores on first maps were 66% and 65% and final maps were 69% and 62%, respectively, for 2018 and 2019, with no significant difference between first and last. Student scores on first maps were 83%, 79%, and 71% and final maps were 71%, 69%, and 82%, respectively, for 2020, 2021, and 2022. These first to last map differences are statistically significant. Interestingly, scores decreased between first and final map in 2020 and 2021 and increased in 2022. Our presentation will explore these trends and contributing factors.