Attracting Students to Science Through Field Exercises in Introductory Geology Courses

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Field exercises in introductory geology courses allow students to be active and creative participants in their education. We bring small groups of students into the field and introduce them to the problem we will work on. Students work in groups of three or four, make observations, draw sketches, and take preliminary measurements. Then we regroup and discuss their observations, create a list of questions they would like to answer, and devise methods for answering their questions. They return to work. Then the students present their results in short papers that require them to synthesize what they discovered and to recognize the weaknesses in their data. Although this method is not efficient for transmitting information, it helps students: 1) understand the importance of separating observations from interpretations, 2) appreciate how difficult it is to ask good questions and gather data to answer them, and 3) to be creative. The instructor provides context for the problem to be investigated, asks questions...