Hydrogeology Laboratory Semester Project: Hydrogeologic Assessment for CenTex Water Supply, Inc.
Summary
A semester-long hydrogeology project (groundwater resource assessment) which consists of a series of lab exercises which cover basic hydrogeology concepts while contributing to the overall project. This project allows students to learn basic concepts within the context of a larger project so that they can see why they are learning the material. It also gives the students experience managing data and results for a real-world project, and it gives them experience with technical writing.
Context
Audience
Upper division undergraduate physical hydrogeology laboratory section.
Skills and concepts that students must have mastered
solid earth-science background (physical & historical geology, structural geology, stratigraphy); basic chemistry, familiarity with MS Excel and computer operating systems; high-school geometry, trig, and algebra
How the activity is situated in the course
A sequence of exercises that fill up the majority of the laboratory section of the course.
Goals
Content/concepts goals for this activity
basic hydrogeology concepts, application of those concepts towards water resource evaluation
Higher order thinking skills goals for this activity
Analysis of data provided by instructor. Using data and results to develop a computer model. Synthesis of multiple hydrogeologic concepts into a single product (final report).
Other skills goals for this activity
Technical writing, computer skills, ability to apply skills towards a single goal
Description of the activity/assignment
This activity is a single, semester-long project that involves a hydrogeologic assessment of a property in Central Texas. The project is presented in the lab portion of a hydrogeology class, and it is broken into several separate steps. Each step is treated as a separate assignment, however, the data and results associated with each assignment are applied towards the overall goal of the project. Students are required to maintain a file and a master Excel workbook containing all information, data, and results from each of the steps. All this information is then used to develop an analytical model that simulated drawdowns in the aquifer. This model is used to answer the primary question associated with the project. The results are then documented in a technical report.
Determining whether students have met the goals
Students are graded based on their individual exercises, their Excel workbooks, and their final report. Since their final report is dependent upon the individual exercises, students who fail to grasp the concepts and do not successfully complete the individual assignments will not be able to complete the final report.
More information about assessment tools and techniques.Teaching materials and tips
- Activity Description/Assignment (Acrobat (PDF) 1.1MB Jun28 05)
- Solution Set (Excel 362kB Jun28 05)
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Other Materials
- Description of methods for each step and associated maps/graph paper/images (Acrobat (PDF) 3MB Jun28 05)
- Excel file containing spreadsheets for each step of the project (Excel 94kB Jun28 05)
- ZIP file containing several images etc. in PDF and JPEG formats. ( 725kB Jun28 05)