Essay Collection

These essays were authored by participants in preparation for the Getting the Most out of Your Introductory Courses virtual workshop held in March 2014. Participants were asked to discuss how their introductory courses serve their students, their department, and their institution. Specifically, participants were asked to consider what features of their courses are targeted at serving those different audiences and needs, and how do they know those features are working?


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Introductory Geology at Bergen Community College
Fred Marton, Bergen Community College
Fred Marton, Department of Physical Sciences, Bergen Community College PHY-113 Geology is a general-education course at Bergen Community College. As BCC does not have a geology or Earth sciences major, nor even an ...

Incorporating research into an introductory meteorology course
Elizabeth Malcolm, Virginia Wesleyan College
Elizabeth Malcolm, Earth and Environmental Sciences, Virginia Wesleyan College Virginia Wesleyan College is a private liberal arts college with an enrollment of about 1,400 undergraduates. EES 210: Meteorology is ...

Physical Geology (GEOL 121) at Towson University
Joel Moore, Towson University
Joel Moore, Physics, Astronomy, and Geosciences, Towson University Towson University is a predominantly undergraduate, public institution with ~18,800 undergraduates (~35% growth from fall 2003 to fall 2013) and ...

Non-science majors in a disasters course -Baylor University
Sharon Browning, Baylor University
Sharon Browning, Geology, Baylor University Non-science majors in a disasters course -Baylor University (Sharon Browning) Virtual Workshop February 2014-SERC Baylor University is a private 4 year institution in ...

Critical Thinking in Earth History
Christina Belanger, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology
Christina Belanger, Geology and Geological Engineering, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology The department has 8 primary education objectives for the Geology BS, 4 of which are included in Search for Our ...

Using Geography to Open Students' Minds
Jill Trepanier, Louisiana State University
Jill Trepanier, Geography and Anthropology, Louisiana State University The Department of Geography and Anthropology at Louisiana State University offers a curriculum that includes many aspects of the Earth ...

Teaching Introductory Geoscience Courses in the 21st Century
Keegan Fengler, Central Washington University
Keegan Fengler, Geological Sciences, Central Washington University The main focus on my teaching is introductory courses: Introduction to Physical Geology (Geology 101), Earthquakes, Volcanoes, and Civilizations ...

Introductory geology at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo: breaking down science barriers for non-majors
Scott Johnston, California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo
Scott Johnston, Physics, California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo Cal Poly offers two formats of Introductory Geology: GEOL 102 and GEOL 201 designed, respectively, to meet the needs of non-science ...

California Water (GEOL 370)
Jason Gurdak, San Francisco State University
Jason Gurdak, Earth & Climate Sciences (formally Geosciences), San Francisco State University In a 1-3 page essay, discuss how your introductory course(s) serve your students, your department, and your ...

GVSU GEO 111 Dynamic Planet Physical Geology
Steve Mattox, Grand Valley State University
Stephen R. Mattox, Dept of Geology, Grand Valley State University The course serves the students as a basic introduction to geology, especially materials, landforms, and plate tectonics. For the department it is a ...

Essay on Introductory Courses I Teach
Rachel Teasdale, California State University-Chico
Rachel Teasdale, Geological and Environmental Sciences, California State University-Chico 1. How my introductory course(s) serve my students, department, and institution. The GEOS 101, General Geology course at ...

My GEOL 103 course applies content to Washington State
Nick Zentner, Central Washington University
Nick Zentner, Geology, Central Washington University My GEOL 103 course applies content to Washington State. The course title is 'Geology of Washington'. Instead of the usual 101 treatment - covering ...

The role of majors and non-majors geology courses at a 2-year college
Deron Carter, Linn-Benton Community College
Deron Carter, Physical Sciences, Linn-Benton Community College Linn-Benton Community College offers a year-long geology sequence, with courses in physical geology, surface processes, and historical geology. We ...