Share a Course Description

Please use this form to describe an introductory geoscience course that you teach. The purpose of this is to provide a collection of examples of introductory courses that are particularly effective. Here is an example of a completed course (opens in a new window).

Complete the following form, and click on SUBMIT to submit your course. Be sure to hit the SUBMIT button before leaving this page, or your information will be lost. We encourage you to compose your answers to the longer questions in a word processor and to cut and paste the resulting text into this form. This gives you access to conveniences like spell checking as well as the opportunity to save and reflect on your work before submitting. Also, please note that after you submit this form, you will no longer be able to edit your information via this form so be sure to complete all fields before submitting.

About you and your institutionInstructor's name:

Instructor's e-mail address:

Instructor's website (if applicable):
Please include the full URL, beginning with http://

Institution:

Type of institution:

In your department, do you have separate introductory courses for majors/potential majors and non-majors?

If yes, do they cover the same topics, or are they different? Please provide a brief explanation.

If students take a non-majors course, and then decide to become a major, do they have to go back and take an additional introductory course?

Comments

About the CourseCourse Title
It is helpful if the title you enter will be meaningful to faculty are other institutions. For example, "GEO 240" is much less informative than "Sedimentology and Stratigraphy."

Course URL (if not restricted access):
Please include the full URL, beginning with http://

Select the subject of this course:

If none of the categories above fit your course, type in another subject:

What is the format of this course?

Course Summary
Please provide a brief, 2-3 sentence description of your course. This summary will appear at the top of the web page for your course and and is used by readers to decide if they are interested in learning more about your course. The summary should capture the essence of both the content and pedagogy of the course.

Please tell us how many students are in your class.

Course Context
Please briefly describe the context of this course, including the nature of the student body and the role of this course in the curriculum and your school.

For example:

"This is an introductory course with no pre-requisites and does not serve as a prerequisite for other courses. Typically, 50% of the students take the course as pre-service elementary teachers, and 50% of the students take the course to satisfy a general education requirement. The course has an optional lab. Students who decide to major in geology must take a subsequent course in physical geology."

Course Content
Please briefly describe the content covered in this course, including geoscience concepts covered, field experiences undertaken, and skills developed.

For example:
"The Earth Science course focuses on Geology and also covers topics in Oceanography, Meteorology, and Planetary Geology and includes 4 to 6 field labs that model how scientists examine geologic outcrops. Students make observations and interpretations during field experiences and as the term progresses take on more independence. Students learn the process of field geologic observation and cover content in labs that includes learning to identify different types of rocks."

Design of the Course

Course GoalsThe goals for each course are used to describe what students should be able to do after they've completed your course. Your goals may range from content knowledge they should master, to skills in which they should be proficient, or changes in attitude you wish to foster.

Course goals are most useful if they are concrete, have measurable outcomes, and provide clear direction for the course. It is helpful to phrase your goals as Students will be able to ... or I want students to be able to...

Example goals:
In a geologic hazards course, one of the goals is to enable students to research and evaluate news reports of a natural disaster and to communicate their analyses to someone else.

For a course in physical geology, students will be able to integrate different types of data (e.g. topographic maps, geologic maps, cross-sections, stratigraphic columns, photographs, diagrams and/or tables and figures) to reconstruct scenarios that reflect the internal and/or surficial processes that create the widely varying landscapes that we see today and to evaluate potential hazards associated with them.

In a historical geology course, when students are faced with a new piece of geologic information, they will be able to determine how we know this information and what the assumptions are in the analysis.

Please list the goals for your course.

Course Features

What are the main features of your course that help your students achieve the learning goals? (For example, the course format or a critical assignment)

An example response: This course has a three-week capstone project where students apply the geology they've learned so far to research the geologic history of their hometown area. To do this, students use maps, aerial imagery, published research and their own observations. The final assignment is a presentation about their hometown geology.

Course Philosophy
Why did you choose this particular design? How is it particularly appropriate for your teaching style, your setting, or your students?

Assessment
How do you assess the degree to which students have reached the goals for this course?

References and ResourcesIf you use a textbook, please provide the book title and author(s).

Why did you select this text?

If you use a lab manual, please provide the books title and author(s).

Why did you select this text?

Please describe other key reading resources that are integral to this course.

Are there important pedagogic references that have shaped your ability to teach this course?

Additional MaterialsCourse Syllabus
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Additional course materials. Please consider combining groups of relevant materials into a single file.

Short description of 1st file (e.g., assignment handout, instructor's notes, Excel spreadsheet of raw data, bibliography of related resources):

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Short description of 2nd File:

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Short description of 3rd File:

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