ENHANCING TEACHING AND LEARNING EXPERIENCES IN GEOCHEMISTRY THROUGH INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH EXPERIENCE FOR STUDENTS PROGRAM

Engaging and keeping students focused in traditional classroom environments is a growing challenge in higher education. Development of strategies to enhance student learning experience while successfully impacting knowledge in the face of numerous distractions is of paramount interest in modern pedagogy. In this study, we evaluate an international collaborative research experience for students program as a tool in modern pedagogy. Ten US students and twelve Cameroon graduate and undergraduate STEM students were recruited from nine US and three Cameroon universities between 2019 and 2023 to participate in the program. The central theme of the program was to train students in conducting research in hydrogeochemistry, carbon cycling, climate change, and environmental assessments. Participants were trained on developing research questions, project planning, samples acquisition and preservation, and field laboratory analysis. Hydrogeochemical data processing, analysis, interpretation, and presentation were also incorporated into the six weeks intensive training program. Learning strategies implemented during the program include incidental teaching, cross over learning, collaborative research, cultural and environmental appreciation, computational reasoning, and visual understanding. Participants feedback from questionnaires, oral interviews and written program reflections demonstrated deep comprehension of subject matters, development of analytical skills sets, and ability to design and implement research projects in hydrogeochemistry. Participants collaboratively submitted and presented over twelve abstracts at international conferences, coauthored two peer-reviewed publications in four years. The outcomes of our international student research experience program showed the importance of the implemented learning strategies in modern pedagogy. Results of our evaluation also demonstrated the effectiveness of international collaborative research as an effective tool in teaching, and in enhancing the learning experiences of students. Challenges in implementing our approach in modern pedagogy include availability of funds, travel regulations, and communication barriers.