Part of GETSI Field Collection: Geodetic imaging technologies have emerged as critical tools for a range of earth science research applications from hazard assessment to change detection to stratigraphic sequence analysis. In this module students learn to conduct terrestrial laser scanner (TLS) and/or Structure from Motion (SfM) surveys to address real field research questions of importance to society. Both geodetic methods generate high resolution topographic data and have widespread research applications in geodesy, geomorphology, structural geology, and more. The module can be implemented in four- to five-day field course or as several weeks of a semester course. Prepared data sets are available for courses unable to collect data directly. Instructors can request support for equipment loans and some types of technical assistance from UNAVCO, which runs NSF's Geodetic Facility. Show more about Online Teaching suggestions HideOnline teaching: Elements of this module are online-adaptable. Prepared Data Sets and Remote Field Teaching provides data sets that can be used in lieu of student field data collection and an example of how GETSI field modules were used in a remote field course. Webinar about teaching this module: Integrating GPS, SfM, and TLS into Geoscience Field Courses

This blended and online course will provide students with a global perspective of coastal landscapes, the processes responsible for their formation, diversity, and change over time, as well as societal responses to current changes in the coastal zones around the world. Active learning elements include analyzing real data sets and applying critical thinking and problem-solving skills to real-world coastal issues that affect human populations. Students will complete a capstone project in which they integrate the key elements of the units in a systems thinking framework. The course comprises twelve modules, each lasting a week. Since there is no textbook that covers the course topics, the materials for students are the backbone of the course. The materials for teachers provide useful information on how to make the most of the student materials.

Understanding how the Earth's crust deforms is crucial in a variety of geoscience disciplines, including structural geology, tectonics, and hazards assessment (earthquake, volcano, landslide). With the installation of numerous high precision Global Positioning System (GPS) stations, our ability to measure this deformation (strain) has increased dramatically, but GPS data are still only rarely included in undergraduate courses, even for geoscience majors. In this module students analyze GPS velocity data from triangles of adjacent GPS stations to determine the local strain. Students learn about strain, strain ellipses, GPS, and how to tie these to regional geology and ongoing societal hazards. A case study from the 2014 South Napa earthquake helps students make connections between interseismic strain and earthquake displacements. Show more about Online Teaching suggestions HideOnline teaching: Unit 1, Units 3-6 are online-ready. Unit 2 is not appropriate for online but the module can be done without it. See unit pages for details. Webinar about teaching this module: Addressing Earthquake Hazards with LiDAR, GPS, and InSAR in Upper-level Undergraduate Courses For introductory-level treatment of GPS and plate motions, please see Measuring the Earth with GPS - Unit 2

In this module, students use lidar and InSAR data to understand the earthquake cycle, from individual earthquakes to landscape-forming timescales. This is motivated by consideration of earthquake hazards, specifically the vulnerability of the infrastructural lifelines upon which society depends. Five units are provided, including lecture materials, discussions, paper exercises, group activities that can be deployed either as gallery walks or computer exercises, an exercise for modeling InSAR data using an online tool, and a culminating assignment. These materials are intended for inclusion in upper-level undergraduate classes in structural geology, tectonics or geophysics. Show more about Online Teaching suggestions HideOnline teaching: This module is online-ready. Some elements are best done synchronously. See unit pages for details.

This two-week (~10-hour) module focuses on water and its importance to humans, both as a limited resource and in shaping Earth's surface. Water's flow through the hydrologic cycle is driven by Earth's external energy source – the Sun. Running water also moves and deposits sediment that ultimately becomes part of the rock cycle, whose energy source also includes Earth's internal heat energy. Students see that river systems change shape over time, are influenced by climate and by human activity, and affect human activity, for example through flooding. Students develop their understanding while working in small groups, through interaction with simplified physical models of complicated systems, with Google Earth images of stream profiles in different climates, and with real river flooding data sets. Activities within this module are aimed at content courses for pre-service teachers, but they also could be adapted to other undergraduate introductory geoscience or environmental science courses.

This module, intended to take two weeks in an introductory-level class, is divided into three units that focus on geologic hazards and associated risks at representative plate boundary settings: transform, divergent and convergent. Students are assumed to be familiar with the basics of plate tectonics, including the general characteristics of plate boundaries. Although designed to be used in the sequence transform → divergent → convergent, each plate boundary unit is adaptable for use on its own. Each plate boundary unit is designed to be equivalent to two one-hour class sessions and includes: a) accounts of historically important earthquakes and/or volcanic eruptions that have occurred in that setting, b) exploration and interpretation of scientific data related to the geologic processes responsible for the geologic hazard(s), c) analysis of the effects on and risks to human populations, and d) development of strategies to mitigate risks. At the end of each unit, student learning is assessed by their application of unit content to a new location in a similar plate boundary setting.

Extreme storms have major impacts on the communities that lie in their path. Many climate models predict increased frequency of heavy rains and icing events, freak storms, and severe weather within the continental United States as a result of ongoing climate changes. In many locales, risk factors for such economically damaging events are no longer accurately predicted by historical trend analyses. In addition, such variables as time of year, tidal conditions, and temperature can exacerbate the severity of a storm's impact. A community's ability to respond to a major storm, and to exhibit resilience afterwards, depends on its capabilities in risk assessment, management, and preparedness. Because of the rapid pace of changes within the global climate system, preparedness for future risks now also depends on understanding that old paradigms about risk may no longer apply. New risk models must take into account complex and incompletely identified geosystem feedbacks. Community resilience, therefore, increasingly depends on adapting to an uncertain level of risk from weather extremes.

The Map Your Hazards module provides students an interactive mechanism to engage in place-based exploration of natural hazards, social vulnerability, risk and the factors that shape their communities perception of natural hazards and risk. The module is interdisciplinary in nature as it allows students to integrate interdisciplinary geoscience and social science methodologies to understand societal impacts that result from natural hazards. Students will (1) identify and apply credible geologic and social science datasets to identify hazards and social vulnerability within their region, (2) collect and evaluate survey data on the knowledge, risk perception and preparedness within their social networks, and (3) make recommendations, based on the findings of their work, to potential stakeholders for continued development of a prepared, resilient community. In summary, students will gain insight into how our knowledge and perspectives of the world shape how we interact with it, and how we promote and build resilient communities through understanding the relationship between human systems (built environment) and natural systems.

Measuring water resources such as groundwater and snowpack is challenging, but the advent of satellite gravity measurements and hydrologic GPS applications can augment traditional methods. This module gives students the unique opportunity to learn these newer methods alongside more traditional ones of groundwater wells and SNOTEL stations. They determine the pros/cons, uncertainty, and spatial scales of different methods. Droughts in the High Plains Aquifer and California are used as case studies. In the summative assessment, students pull together what they have learned and write a report with recommendations for policy makers. Show more about Online Teaching suggestions HideOnline teaching: Unit 1 is online-adaptable. The rest of the module is online-ready. Some elements are best done synchronously. See unit pages for details. Webinar about teaching this module: Addressing Water Resources and Sustainability in Upper-level Undergraduate Courses For introductory-level treatment of water resources, please see Eyes on the Hydrosphere: Tracking Water Resources and Measuring the Earth with GPS - Unit 4

Making the difficult decision to evacuate before a hurricane makes landfall can save lives and property. This two week module explores how hurricanes connect the ocean-atmosphere-terrestrial systems and society. Students evaluate how hurricane hazards and risks have changed with coastal development. Students use data to track historic hurricanes and compare the impacts from different hurricanes. The module culminates in a role-playing activity in which students identify and represent stakeholders facing hypothetical hurricane evacuation in their town.

Worldwide mass wasting causes hundreds if not thousands of deaths per year and billions of dollars in damages. Many of these losses would be preventable if societies prioritized landslide mitigation. In this 2-3 week module, students use a variety of geodetic and other data to analyze the natural and human characteristics of landscapes that contribute to mass wasting hazards. Most of the geodetic data sets are high resolution topography from Lidar and radar, but some InSAR data are also included. Students consider the environmental and societal impacts of mass wasting and landslides as well as the physical factors behind mass movements. Materials for student reading and preparation exercises, in-class discussions, lab exercises, small group activities, gallery walks, and a final project are provided, as well as teaching tips and suggestions for modifications for a variety of class formats. Case study sites include Peru, Italy, and a variety of North American sites from Alaska to Utah to New York. Show more about Online Teaching suggestions HideOnline teaching: Units 1 and 5 are online-ready. Units 2-4 are online-adaptable (it will take a bit more work to convert). See unit pages for details and suggestions. Webinar about teaching this module: Addressing Landslide Hazards in Introductory Undergraduate Courses For a majors-level module on landslide hazards, please see Planning for Failure: Landslide Analysis for a Safer Society