Invertebrate Paleontology
Melissa Lobegeier
Middle Tennessee State University
a Public four-year institution, primarily undergraduate
.Summary
Students study invertebrate and microscopic animal life, including the morphological trends, phylogenetic characteristics and evolutionary trends in the major invertebrate phyla.
less than 15
Course Context:
This is an upper-division required paleontology course with prequisites of introduction to earth science and historical geology. The course has a required two-hour laboratory and a required two-day field trip.
Course Goals:
Students should be able to identify the major invertebrate phyla.
Students should be able to determine the geological age of a rock based upon the major invertebrate phyla present.
Students should be able to determine paleoenvironment and paleoclimate based on the major invertebrate phyla present.
Students should able to assess which phyla will help answer different research questions.
Students should be able to determine the geological age of a rock based upon the major invertebrate phyla present.
Students should be able to determine paleoenvironment and paleoclimate based on the major invertebrate phyla present.
Students should able to assess which phyla will help answer different research questions.
How course activities and course structure help students achieve these goals:
Lectures and lab exercises introduce students to the major invertebrate phyla and the information these phyla can provide on geological age and in terms of paleoenvironment and paleoclimate. Whether students have met the goals is assessed throught the final class project in which students identify fossil taxa and determine the paleoenvironment at different collecting localities and through the final exam that involves indentifaication of several phyla and use of those phyla to determine age and paleoenivronment of the collection localities.
Skills Goals
critical analysis of paleontological literature
student writing
student writing
How course activities and course structure help students achieve these goals:
Students must read specific papers about the different phyla and how these phyla are used by scientists today to make determinations about paleoenvironments and paleoclimates. Questions on the lab and exams are asked about these papers.
Attitudinal Goals
Changing student attitudes towards paleontology
How course activities and course structure help students achieve these goals:
Whether students meet this goal is not formally assessed but I talk to students at the end of the semester about their thoughts on and attitudes towards paleontology
Assessment
Student learning is assessed through short answer and essay questions on mid-semester and final exams, lab exercises and quizzes on the different invertebrate phyla and the fossil identification project
Syllabus:
Invertebrate Paleontology Syllabus (Acrobat (PDF) 29kB Jun4 09)