Do you recall your first geoscience course? For many geoscience teachers, it was this first taste of plate tectonics, landforms, fossils or oceanography that suddenly made us realize we had found our calling. We hope that some of today's new students who experience their first earth science courses will become inspired just like we did. Yet some students take a 100-level geology course because it seems to be the least-daunting way through their college's science requirement. Thus, faculty of introductory courses have a big job on their hands, managing a wide range of students, taking them through the basics of earth science, and hopefully imparting some inspiration along the way.

This web module is for those who teach introductory earth science courses. Here you will find ideas for designing a new course, spicing up an existing course design, or adding innovative activities or teaching methods.

This website was launched in November 2007 in anticipation of a July 2008 workshop. In the months leading up to and following this summer's workshop, a wide range of material will be added to this site.

Until then, here are a few resources to get you started.

• A collection of introductory-level geoscience courses, spanning a host of geoscience topics.
• The Starting Point - Teaching Entry-Level Geoscience, which contains 22 modules built around pedagogic approaches for introductory courses, plus dozens of example activities.

Join us for a workshop, Teaching Introductory Geoscience Courses in the 21st Century

This workshop will be held July 14-17, 2008 on the campuses of Carleton College and St. Olaf College in Northfield, MN.