A MULTI-INSTITUTION ASSESSMENT OF LEARNING AND INTEREST IN INTRODUCTORY GEOLOGY LAB ACTIVITIES

We have studied learning and interest in lab activities in six introductory geology courses at five US institutions over four semesters. Lab activities included those developed as part of a workshop at the 2020 Earth Educators’ Rendezvous we hosted, which guided instructors in the development of a suite of new inquiry-based introductory geology laboratory activities. Data was collected at the start and end of each course through surveys to measure students’ interest in geology and their knowledge of laboratory activity topics used in each course. Interest in geology was assessed using a single survey item; knowledge was assessed using three multiple choice questions for each topic. Five topics were selected for study in each course to minimize survey fatigue on content questions. We are compiling data to better constrain factors that impact student learning, including student interest, lesson topic, variations in the level of inquiry of laboratory activities and course-specific logistics such as whether the lab was taught online.

Preliminary results indicate that, among topics commonly taught in US introductory geology courses, students’ interest in geology is correlated with their learning. For example, for laboratory activities focused on the topics of minerals and rocks, student post-semester knowledge scores are statistically significantly higher among students who report a higher interest in geology compared to students who report a lower interest. Knowledge scores are also statistically significantly higher for all students at the end of the semester than at the start of the semester, indicating positive change over time. These results are consistent with previous work that has tied learning to student interest. Further analysis of this large data set will be used to explore additional details of factors related to the courses, the laboratory activities and the pedagogical approaches to teaching in introductory geology laboratory courses.