Reinvigorating Geology Through Case-Based and Hands-On Learning

摘要

GLY 2805 Geology for Engineers is a sophomore-level class taught at Villanova University. This class is largely populated by civil engineering students; however, occasionally an environmental studies student will take the course. Approximately one half of the course is devoted to physical geology and one half is devoted to historical geology. This paper describes a plan (implemented in Fall 2009) to build upon the existing strengths of this course by creating additional hands-on laboratories and three over-arching case studies to place the content into context. It is hoped that by using active learning techniques, the students will experience deeper learning, while creating a more enjoyable learning atmosphere for the students and the instructor. In addition, a plan to assess the effectiveness of these changes is presented.