Stick-Slip Faulting and Earthquakes CogSketch geoscience worksheet
Summary
Sketching activity that uses a sketch-understanding program, CogSketch. This worksheet introduces stick-slip faulting and earthquakes by having students: 1) Identify sticking points in strike-slip fault traces; and 2) Build a stress over time graph to show when a fault will rupture and create an earthquake.
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Context
Audience
Undergraduate introductory course in geoscience
Skills and concepts that students must have mastered
Students should be introduced to strike-slip faults and how earthquakes can form from a build up of energy.
How the activity is situated in the course
We have used this activity as a homework assignment after the topic is introduced in lecture and reading, but it could also be used in class, in lab, or as group work.
Goals
Content/concepts goals for this activity
Stick-slip faulting and earthquakes.
Higher order thinking skills goals for this activity
1) Understanding dynamic processes
2) Disembedding: isolating and attending to the geologically relevant aspects of a visually complex display or scene
Other skills goals for this activity
Description of the activity/assignment
This worksheet teaches students about stick-slip faulting and how earthquakes can be created in this environment. Students complete two tasks during this activity. In the first task, students trace the sticking point on two strike slip faults, e.g. a bend in the San Andreas fault. For the second task, students build a stress over time graph to show how stress builds up when a fault is locked, until it reaches a threshold where fast fault slip occurs with a release of energy (generating an earthquake). After which, the process starts over again.
This worksheet uses the sketch-understanding program with built-in tutor: CogSketch. Therefore, students, instructors, and/or institution computer labs need to download the program from here: http://www.qrg.northwestern.edu/software/cogsketch/. At any point during the worksheet, students can click the FEEDBACK button and their sketch is compared to the solution image. The built-in tutor identifies any discrepancies and reports pre-written feedback to help the student correct their sketch until they are done with the activity. Once worksheets are emailed to the instructor, worksheets can be batch graded and easily evaluated. This program allows instructors to assign sketching activities that require very little time commitment. Instead, the built-in tutor provides feedback whenever the student requests, without the presence of the instructor. More information on using the program and the activity is in the Instructor's Notes.
We have developed approximately two dozen introductory geoscience worksheets using this program. Each worksheet has a background image and instructions for a sketching task. You can find additional worksheets by searching for "CogSketch" using the search box at the top of this page. We expect to have uploaded all of them by the end of the summer of 2016.
This worksheet uses the sketch-understanding program with built-in tutor: CogSketch. Therefore, students, instructors, and/or institution computer labs need to download the program from here: http://www.qrg.northwestern.edu/software/cogsketch/. At any point during the worksheet, students can click the FEEDBACK button and their sketch is compared to the solution image. The built-in tutor identifies any discrepancies and reports pre-written feedback to help the student correct their sketch until they are done with the activity. Once worksheets are emailed to the instructor, worksheets can be batch graded and easily evaluated. This program allows instructors to assign sketching activities that require very little time commitment. Instead, the built-in tutor provides feedback whenever the student requests, without the presence of the instructor. More information on using the program and the activity is in the Instructor's Notes.
We have developed approximately two dozen introductory geoscience worksheets using this program. Each worksheet has a background image and instructions for a sketching task. You can find additional worksheets by searching for "CogSketch" using the search box at the top of this page. We expect to have uploaded all of them by the end of the summer of 2016.
Determining whether students have met the goals
CogSketch has a gradebook feature that allows instructors to batch grade worksheets using the defined rubric in the worksheet. Once graded, instructors can also open all the sketches and evaluate student work. Instructions are given in the Instructor's Notes.
More information about assessment tools and techniques.Teaching materials and tips
- Activity Description/Assignment: Stick-Slip Faulting and Earthquakes CogSketch geoscience worksheet (Cogsketch Worksheet 5.2MB Jun3 16)
- Instructors Notes: Instructor's notes for Stick-Slip Faulting and Earthquakes CogSketch geoscience worksheet (Microsoft Word 2007 (.docx) 158kB Jun3 16)
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Other Materials
Supporting references/URLs
Download CogSketch: http://www.qrg.northwestern.edu/software/cogsketch/
