A Pilot Program for University Outreach in Windsor, Ontario, Canada

Abstract

Although a university's greatest resources are its students, they generally make a poor choice for delivering an outreach program, due to their limited knowledge in the subject and, sometimes, poor motivation. In the Windsor area, few secondary schools offer much earth-science education, whereas the primary curriculum includes some geoscience in grades 3–6. Generally, however, the earth-science material is poorly delivered, using materials that average 20 years out of date. To promote geoscience in Windsor and to improve geoscience education at the primary levels, a pilot outreach program was begun. As their major project in their first year geology course, 22 Geology 100 students participated in the outreach program. Using students to attempt all phases of the project overcame the problem created by limited departmental resources. Students in the project had to learn a significant amount of material to be able to teach it effectively. Five students coordinated the effort and prepared the initial curricul...