Take Your Students Beyond the Classroom

Written by Carol Ormand, based on ideas compiled from the 2005 workshop on Developing Pathways to Strong Departments of the Future and the 2007 workshop on Strategies for Successful Recruitment of Geoscience Majors.

A great deal of college learning takes place outside of the classroom, and these are often the experiences that students find most memorable and most valuable - the experiences they tell their friends about.

Jump Down To Involve Students in Authentic Research | Develop an Internship Program | Take Your Students into the Field | Incorporate Service Learning Experiences

Involve Students in Authentic Research

California State University, Long Beach

Elizabeth Ambos describes several interdisciplinary, community-based research programs at CSULB in her 2005 AGU presentation. (PowerPoint 1.5MB Jan6 06)

Buffalo State College

Jill Singer describes several undergraduate research opportunities in her department in this poster (Acrobat (PDF) 1.4MB Feb22 05) from the 2005 workshop on Developing Pathways to Strong Departments for the Future.

Michigan Technological University

Jackie Huntoon describes the Aqua Terra Tech (PowerPoint 14.5MB Jan8 07) program - a multiyear, multidisciplinary enterprise on water resource development and protection - in this poster from the 2007 workshop on Preparing Future Geoscience Professionals.

University of Texas at El Paso

Diane Doser describes the Student Research Symposium (Acrobat (PDF) 374kB Jan8 07) in which students at UTEP present their work in this poster from the 2007 workshop on Preparing Future Geoscience Professionals.

Indiana University - Purdue University Fort Wayne

Solomon Isiorho describes his department's approach to integrating Research in Undergraduate Courses (PowerPoint 4.7MB Jan11 07) in this poster from the 2007 workshop on Preparing Future Geoscience Professionals.

Clarion University of Pennsylvania

Paul Ryberg describes his department's Group and Individual Course Projects (PowerPoint 2MB Jan9 07) in this poster from the 2007 workshop on Preparing Future Geoscience Professionals.

Develop an Internship Program

Alfred University & ABB Preheater, Inc.

Michele Hluchy discovered that most jobs and many internships in the environmental industry require a 40-hour OSHA-approved training course in dealing with hazardous materials. Partnering with Thomas Barnett, from ABB Preheater, Inc., she developed a course students can take to fulfill that requirement: Hazardous Materials: A Course to Help Prepare Geologists for Employment in the Environmental Industry. (Acrobat (PDF) 3.1MB Feb5 08) She presented this information at the 2007 workshop on Preparing Future Geoscience Professionals.

Shippensburg University

Sean Cornell describes his department's mandatory internship program for majors (Walk the Plank (Acrobat (PDF) 126kB Jan8 07)) in this poster from the 2007 workshop on Preparing Future Geoscience Professionals.

Take Your Students into the Field

Palomar College

Al Trujillo describes his department's emphasis on field work in this essay and this poster, (Acrobat (PDF) 475kB Feb22 05) both developed for the 2005 workshop on Developing Pathways to Strong Departments for the Future.

University of St. Thomas

Lisa Lamb describes how she and Tom Hickson revived the St. Thomas Geology program, in part via a strong emphasis on field work: Chopping carrots and washing dishes: it's not just about geology. (Acrobat (PDF) 14.3MB Feb22 05) She gave this presentation at the 2005 workshop on Developing Pathways to Strong Departments for the Future.

Incorporate Service Learning Experiences

North Dakota State University

Bernhardt Saini-Eidukat describes how his department is often featured in the local newspaper, both for their research activities and for numerous community service activities. His presentation, Raising Community Awareness, (Acrobat (PDF) 2.4MB Oct28 07) is from the 2007 workshop on Strategies for Successful Recruitment of Geoscience Majors.