THE GEO JOURNEYS PROJECT: A SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT THAT USES FIELD TRIP DESIGN AND ARCGIS STORYMAPS TO ENHANCE A SENSE OF PLACE IN PETROLOGY AND EARTH MATERIALS COURSES

Field trips are a fundamental facet of the undergraduate geology experience. Although Earth Materials and Petrology courses integrate field trips into their curriculum, they often face logistical, financial, and accessibility-related obstacles. Such limitations inhibit students from applying gained knowledge to real places and research. As a means of addressing these constraints, the Geo Journeys project is a summative, multi-module assessment that emphasizes and expands field-based learning in undergraduate Earth Materials and Petrology courses.

In a series of learning modules spread across the academic term, students 1) choose a field trip location that offers the chance to highlight the engaging petrological aspects of a particular tectonic setting; 2) investigate topographic and geologic maps and satellite imagery, research literature (review paper, field guides, etc.), and logistical considerations (local roads, lodging, land ownership, etc.); 3) appraise the major rock types that would be accessible at outcrop localities, using GigaPan imagery, physical and virtual hand samples, and thin section petrography; 4) visualize and integrate geochemical datasets (bulk-rock major and trace element concentrations, mineral compositions, etc.); and 5) synthesize the information gathered in the aforementioned modules into a cohesive, map-based narrative that they comprehensively present in an ArcGIS StoryMap.

Upon completion of the project, students gain practical experience with integrating spatial information with geologic datasets on a variety of scales, contextualizing petrological processes at different tectonic settings, assessing the societal and logistical implications of conducting a field trip in their chosen location, and employing multiple media and communication techniques to disseminate a field-based, geologically relevant story.

Having implemented this project in our Earth Materials and Petrology courses, we discuss here the successes and challenges our students experienced as they completed the project, as well as the changes we made to subsequent iterations of the project based on these outcomes.