Preliminary report on studio teaching in Earth sciences: a way to improve students’ problem-solving abilities?

Abstract

AbstractWhile semesterisation and modularisation of courses may have had some benefits, there are clear cases where fitting all subject areas into standardised modules has not been beneficial. This paper considers the issue of decreased student ability in solving structural geology problems following modularisation and a decrease in the amount of practical time. Teaching Quality Enhancement Fund (TQEF) support has allowed geology teaching on two modules at the University of Liverpool to be converted from a standard 12 lecture and 6 practical format to a ‘studio’ format comprising 12 studio sessions. This has involved not just revising module materials, but also making modifications to teaching space. The process has been completed for a Level 1 module and the outcome is positive. Students liked the modified teaching space and they have demonstrated improved performance at solving problems while maintaining their performance in knowledge and technique-based assessments.