LESSONS LEARNED USING TACTILE, DIGITAL AND FIELD TOOLS AND EXPERIENCES TO IMPROVE ENGAGEMENT, GEOLOGICAL UNDERSTANDING AND RELATION TO EVERYDAY LIFE

For professional geoscientists and engineers, transitioning between and connecting spatial and temporal geologic information, and relating both to geologic resources and everyday life, is relatively straightforward. However, for university students and laypersons, this often presents a significant challenge. To help develop the skills needed to visualize information in 2D and 3D space and relate this to geological time, natural resources, and people's lives, we have been experimenting with various learning tools and experiences.

We often overlook how effective tactile learning—through physical touching and assembling learning objects—is for revealing spatial relationships, patterns, and trends. Today, digital learning seems to be the preferred method, but it requires pre-existing 3D visualization skills, critical thinking, and evaluation skills before larger volumes of detailed geologic information can be navigated, understood, and analyzed, such as in regional digital 3D models.

Investigations of 3D-printed models that show 3D spatial relationships of regional geology have proven helpful for developing and enhancing the 3D thinking skills necessary for professionals. Additionally, traditional geologic field trips not only help in seeing and analyzing such relationships in the real world but also offer unique immersive experiences in nature that motivate people to learn, explore, and apply knowledge in complex and dynamic settings.

Based on these insights, we find that an all-encompassing approach to teaching—including traditional 1D to 3D data shown on paper, in 3D models (both paper and 3D printed), and digital 3D models—is necessary to best train students' skills to see and draw conclusions about spatial and temporal relationships in geology. Such an approach can also be scaled to communicate these concepts to laypersons.