This article from the Journal of Geoscience Education discusses a Petrology course that was reformatted from a lab-lecture format to one that emphasizes studio and cooperative learning. The new course requires that students take more responsibility for their learning with the instructor acting as a mentor. Formal lectures and labs are replaced with group projects that study complex problems in depth. The content covered in the semester is less than in a more traditional class but the learning is greater. The goals of the changes are to improve student learning by covering fewer topics in greater depth, to deemphasize knowledge-based learning and emphasize development of higher order thinking skills, and to help students develop good habits and fundamental skills useful for lifelong learning.
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