Integrating Subdisciplines into Upper-Level Geology Courses

Abstract

Some academic programs, such as Earth and Space Science Education, require students to obtain a basic understanding of geology. The traditional approach to meeting these needs is to enroll the students in introductory-level courses and then advise them to take a small number of upper-level courses.Although this approach provides upper-level training in a few geology subdisciplines, it falls short of the original goal of providing a basic understanding of geology in a limited number of credit hours.Our solution to this problem has been to develop three new upper-level courses that integrate geology subdisciplines in a way that enables students to comprehend earth systems or the geological framework of a geographic area.We believe that these integrated courses provide our students with a higher level of geologic understanding and problem-solving skills than an equivalent number of credits earned through traditional courses. This is because integrated courses can deliver knowledge and experience in how the subdisciplines of geology support one another and how they can be used together to solve practical problems.We believe that, for smaller programs and smaller institutions, integrated courses make sense and serve the needs of students in the best possible way.