Geomorphology in the news

Nicole Gasparini

Tulane University

This activity is part of the On the Cutting Edge Exemplary Teaching Activities collection and has been reviewed by 1 other review process (view details)

This activity was selected for the On the Cutting Edge Exemplary Teaching Collection

Resources in this top level collection a) must have scored Exemplary or Very Good in all five review categories, and must also rate as "Exemplary" in at least three of the five categories. The five categories included in the peer review process are
- Scientific Accuracy
- Alignment of Learning Goals, Activities, and Assessments
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This activity has benefited from input from faculty educators beyond the author through a review and suggestion process. This review took place as a part of a faculty professional development workshop where groups of faculty reviewed each others' activities and offered feedback and ideas for improvements. To learn more about the process On the Cutting Edge uses for activity review, see http://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/review.html.

Initial Publication Date: April 30, 2008 | Reviewed: November 3, 2013 (see revision history: 2 events)

Summary

The activity requires students to present a current news story that has a geomorphic component. The students must relate course material to current events and society.

Landforms/Processes, Landscape Evolution, Tectonic Geomorphology, ...(more) | College Lower (13-14), College Upper (15-16)

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Context

Audience

Undergraduate course in geomorphology

Skills and concepts that students must have mastered

The students should understand basic hillslope and fluvial processes.

How the activity is situated in the course

This was a stand-alone exercise.

Goals

Content/concepts goals for this activity

The goal is to make students aware of the interface between geomorphology and society.

Higher order thinking skills goals for this activity

The students are required to critically read an article. The students are required to apply ideas from class to a real-life scenario.

Other skills goals for this activity

oral presentation, searching the web

Description of the activity/assignment

Each student must choose a current news article that relates to geomorphology. Each student will given an oral presentation about the article, including a synopsis of the story and a description of geomorphic processes that are involved. The other students are able to ask questions. The activity gives the students a chance to relate what they are learning about in class to current events and social issues.
Designed for a geomorphology course
Has minimal/no quantitative component