Workshop Overview
Goals
- Improve the overall teaching of sedimentary geology by sharing expertise and ideas about teaching sedimentary geology
- Promote a substantive discussion about the outcomes we desire from a sedimentology, stratigraphy, or combined sed/strat course
- Forge a community of scholars that will influence the creation of the next generation of sedimentary geologists through their teaching
- Begin to develop a vision for the future of teaching sedimentary geology that will assure the vibrancy of the discipline and its connections to other disciplines both inside and outside of geology
Format
- Plenary sessions: Participants will discuss general issues such as how to help students visualize important concepts in sedimentary geology, how to incorporate sedimentary geology projects into courses, and the place of sedimentary geology in the geoscience curriculum. We will also discuss the unique differences in how sedimentary geology is done in the "real world" and in academia, and how to best train students to be successful in both environments.
- Demonstration sessions: Participants will share strategies for actively engaging students in the classroom and for providing effective and innovative lab and field experiences.
- Field trip: Mid-workshop field trips will allow us to explore how field observations of a variety of kinds can be integrated into and complement the other components of a sedimentary geology course.
- Working groups: All participants will be part of working groups whose tasks will be to develop plans for collecting and creating new materials in key thematic areas.
- Teaching materials collection: Participants will contribute to development of the collection Resources for Teaching Sedimentary Geology similar to the collections Resources for Teaching Petrology, Resources for Teaching Structural Geology, and Resources for Teaching Hydrogeology. Workshop attendees will also participate after the workshop in follow-up activities designed to develop and/or test new materials for teaching sedimentary geology.
- Email List: A email list for workshop participants will promote discussion before and after the workshop.
Dates
The first workshop event will take place at 7 pm on Friday, July 14, and will conclude with dinner on July 18. We will offer optional sessions on Wednesday, July 19, enabling participants to catch late afternoon flights out of Salt Lake City on Wednesday, July 19. Participants must attend all sessions.Eligibility and application instructions
Applicants for this workshop must hold a faculty position and teach undergraduate sedimentary geology at a two- or four-year college or university. We welcome applications from all academic ranks. The final list of participants will be established with the goal of assembling a group representing a wide range of experiences, educational environments, and specialties. Application must be made on line by January 30, 2006 and successful applicants will be notified by February 15, 2006.Cost
On-Site Costs. The operational costs of the workshop as well as room, board, and workshop materials are covered by a grant from the NSF Division of Undergraduate Education (DUE-0127310). To be supported by these funds, a participant must be either a US citizen, a permanent resident, or in the employ of a US institution. If you do not meet these requirements and are interested in participating in this workshop at your own expense, please contact the workshop conveners.
Travel. All participants or their home institutions must provide transportation to and from the workshop. The workshop will be held at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, Utah. Participants must make their own way to the University of Utah in time for the first workshop event at 7 pm on Friday, July 14. The workshop will be over in time for participants to take flights out of Salt Lake City on Wednesday, July 19.
We will be able to offer small travel stipends to participants from institutions unable to cover travel costs. The deadline for application for travel stipends is March 1.