As a result of the development of the COVID-19 pandemic, a rapid transition from the classic classroom-lesson form to a distance form of education was required. Thus, many questions arose regarding the applicability of this training method and its comparison with the classical face-to-face method. This article presents a study of the examination…

Work on transversal competences in university degrees is a teaching line entirely established since the implementation of the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS). Nevertheless, undergraduate students present shortcomings in the development of some of these competences, especially on collaborative work, time management, oral and writing…

This paper takes up Michael Bonnett's challenge to re-examine the role of Metaphysics in Environmental and Sustainability Education (Bonnett, 2003). If, as Bonnett claims, metaphysics is at play in setting up the conditions for -- and the destiny of -- our relationship to places of environmental concern, then we would expect to see the traces of…

Numerous and varied methods are used in introductory Earth science and geology classes to help students learn about rocks and minerals, such as classroom lectures, laboratory specimen identification, and field trips. This paper reports on a method using online social networking. The choice of this forum was based on two criteria. First, many…

Discusses two "golden" ages in geological investigations/inquiry. The first, extending from the late eighteenth century through the early nineteenth century, established geology as a science based on naturalistic principles. The second, beginning after World War II, is characterized by advances in geological specialities and explanations…

The purpose of this cross-age study was to investigate elementary students' (N=120) tacit and explicit understandings of dinosaurs. Detailed analysis of audiotaped interviews of children's performance during a Piagetian-type clinical interview suggests that children's conceptual understandings of dinosaurs are first developed at a tacit level from…

The purpose of this paper is to assess the differences in university oceanography students' scientific writing. Specifically, the authors examine the argumentation structures of a high scoring paper and a low scoring paper. This study was conducted in an introductory level oceanography course in a large public university. In this course students…

The book "Mountaineering in the Sierra Nevada" by Clarence King, a late-ninteenth-century American geologist, writer, art critic, and romantic, is discussed in this paper. In the writing and revision of this book, King was attempting a metamorphosis of landscape description into popular reading as he moved from being a symbolic writer to…

This study assessed the effectiveness of integrating logical thinking skills into a geology course designed for nonscience majors. Goals of the study were to: (1) design a unique set of materials that integrated logical skills and geological time and sequence; (2) implement these materials into the classroom instruction; and (3) test the effects…

Discusses five recent advances in sedimentary tectonics, noting how they are incorporated into college curricula. Advances discussed include basin type, tectonic setting, facies analysis (in conjunction with basin type/setting), stratigraphic analysis of reflection seismic data, and quantitative analysis of subsidence histories of sedimentary…

Suggests that Genesis is not a scientific treatment of the earth's origin/age, but is a primitive religious history of Israel and a polemic against much of the theology of the Babylonian creation myth. Indicates that Genesis narrative and conclusions of science belong to different spheres of knowledge. Educational implications are addressed. (JM)

Recounts the development of the National Association of Geology Teachers from its conceptual stage of origination at Wauwatosa, Wisconsin. Reports on: the publication of the "Journal of Geological Education" which began in 1951 and now commands a circulation of approximately 2600, a good financial standing, and a growing membership. (RT)

This paper focuses upon the process of using curriculum and instructional frameworks to develop a curriculum unit in the earth sciences. The work stems from a graduate level seminar in science education which required participants to use a curriculum framework to design a unit of individualized science instruction. This research was guided by…

The purpose of this study was to describe the depth and accuracy of sixth grade students' content understanding as a result of engaging in information seeking activities using Web-based resources in the University of Michigan's Digital Library. Eight student pairs received scaffolded pedagogical support from classroom teachers while completing…

In this study, integration of art and science instruction was applied in an experimental computer art graphics class, as undergraduates learned geological concepts and processes through creating computer art graphics. The qualitative study concerning students' perception of integrative instruction was made from the students' point of view.…