Workshop on Teaching Phase Equilibria: Goals, Schedule and Participants

Montana State University - March 29 - April 1, 2007


The participants at this workshop have been invited because of their scientific expertise and interests in teaching heterogeneous phase equilibria in the geosciences. By contributing to the topics encompassed by this module and aggregating existing resources, we will construct a comprehensive learning resource that will be available for use by students and faculty in the broader geoscience community. This page includes:

Workshop Goals

  • To identify the key concepts required to teach heterogeneous phase equilibria, and to develop a comprehensive curriculum to promote learning about these topics.
  • Develop "primer" webpages to introduce the fundamental principles, link to resources that enable deeper understanding, and provide access to (or create) related teaching activities (e.g. PowerPoint files, lab exercises, problem sets, and other examples).
  • Create tutorials on how to appropriately use modern thermodynamic modeling programs such as ThermoCalc, MELTS, and Perplex.

Workshop Schedule

Thursday March 29


8:00am - 9:00pm - Travel to Bozeman

6:30pm - Pickup at Grantree Inn or airport; dinner at The Mint Restaurant

Friday March 30


7:00am - 8:00am - Breakfast at Grantree Inn (charge to room)

8:00am - Van pickup at Grantree Inn (travel to campus, coffee...)

8:30am - Meet at MSU Student Union Building, Room 275

8:30am - 9:00am - Welcome and Introduction
  • Goals, expectations, outcomes
  • Examples of web-based tutorials as a guide to what we can create; create new pages; introductory "Sheets"; step-by-step tutorials (e.g. EarthChem); structure of module we've already developed; resources already aggregated.
  • Group discussion, questions, clarification
9:00am - 10:00am - Group Discussion
  • What are your expectations?
  • In your experience, what is needed?
  • What resources do we already have--online, or in your files?
  • What have we missed?
10:00am - 10:30am - Break

10:30am - 11:00am - Continuing Discussion
Writing Assignments--Review suggested curriculum, modify if needed, assign "lead" author to each topic, form writing teams...

11:00am - 12:00am - Intro to the Content Management System
MSU staff will demonstrate some basic operations in using the Content Management System (from Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College); creating new text; uploading images; making lists and links, etc.

12:00pm - 1:00pm - Lunch (Catered in SUB)

1:00am - 4:00pm - Work Session I
(snack break ~3:00 PM)
  • Write text (off line) to submit to webpages
  • Upload information
  • Amend, append, and edit pages
  • Cross-talk between colleagues with similar interests
  • Editing and reviewing
  • MSU staff will be available to help with uploading files and formatting pages.
4:00pm - 5:00pm - Live "Walk-Through" of Web Pages
  • Whole group review of pages developed
  • Suggestions for additional coverage
  • Create "to-do" lists to finish these pages
  • Report outs and demonstrations from work groups
5:00pm - Dinner at Montana AleWorks (dinner is on us; our NSF grant won't let us purchase alcohol - you're on your own)



Saturday March 31


7:00am - 8:00am - Breakfast at Grantree Inn (charge to room)

8:00am - Van pickup at Grantree Inn

8:30am - Meet at MSU in Traphagen Hall; Coffee

8:30am—9:00pm—Charge for the Day, Review of Objectives for the Day

9:00am - 11:30pm - Work Session II (Work in computer classrooms in TRAP Hall)
  • Work in small groups to create pages
  • MSU staff will help post materials in the CMS
11:30am—12:00pm - Morning Road Check (brief progress reports, requests, etc.)

12:00pm - 1:30pm - Lunch (local restaurant)

1:30pm - 3:00pm - Demonstrations "Big Programs"
Review of "tutorials" in progress...where can we help?

3:00pm - Break

3:30pm - 4:30pm - Final Writing Session

4:30-5:30 - Final Report Outs
  • Brief demonstrations
  • Create "to-do" list, next steps
  • Further development of current pages
  • Additional development of new pages; by whom...?
  • Workshop Assessment
5:30pm - 6:45pm - Return to hotel to relax

7:00pm - Dinner at John Bozeman Bistro

Sunday April 1


Shuttle to airport for departures
Dave Mogk, John Brady and Dex Perkins "Networking" apres workshop.
Dave, John and Dex "networking" aprés workshop.


List of Participants

  • Julie Baldwin
    University of Montana
    julie.baldwin AT umontana.edu
  • John Brady
    Smith College
    jbrady AT science.smith.edu
  • Cameron Davidson
    Carleton College
    cdavidso AT carleton.edu
  • Dave Hirsch
    Western Washington University
    hirschd AT cc.wwu.edu
  • Andrea Koziol
    University of Dayton
    andrea.koziol AT notes.udayton.edu
  • Dave Mogk - Workshop Convener
    Montana State University
    mogk AT montana.edu
  • Dexter Perkins - Workshop Convener
    University of North Dakota
    dexter_perkins AT und.nodak.edu
  • Rachel Teasdale
    California State University, Chico
    RTeasdale AT exchange.csuchico.edu
  • Donna Whitney
    University of Minnesota
    dwhitney AT umn.edu
  • Karl Wirth
    Macalester College
    wirth AT macalester.edu