Interdisciplinary field study courses at 2-year colleges can provide an opportunity to enhance student learning. The authors present here an 11-day interdisciplinary field-study course designed for nonscience majors at a 2-year college. Using a theoretical learning framework that emphasizes cognitive and metacognitive gains, the field study…

According to Carl Sagan (1987), "Science is a way of thinking much more than it is a body of knowledge." Field studies and undergraduate research provide students with the best opportunities for "thinking" about science, while at the same time acquiring a body of knowledge. Natural History of Tropical Carbonate Ecosystems is a…

The course was designed: (1) to broaden the base for chemistry majors to build their courses; (2) to illustrate how some chemistry principles are applied to real situations; and (3) to serve as an introduction to geochemistry for geology majors. (DF)

Briefly describes a module on the origin of life formulated for inclusion in introductory biology, geology, and astronomy courses. The authors are preparing a concise monograph on the topic to complement the three-week module. (Author/SK)

Describes an interdisciplinary course which focuses on the grassland area of the central United States. Study of the land is approached through: (1) literature dealing directly with land; (2) novels about land-dependent people; and (3) formal lectures on geology and natural history of grassland. (Author/MA)

Describes a course that explores the ways in which geology can have an underlying influence on human events that is much deeper and more subtle than the distribution of resource wealth and geologic hazards. The course revolves around a series of geological topics that have direct relevance to particular prehistoric, historical, political, or…

Describes a course addressing the association between geology and information science. Outlines the course content and organization and provides examples of questions supplied to students to introduce them to various information search strategies. (GS)

Mineralogy has become increasingly linked to chemistry and physics during recent years. This relationship between chemistry, physics, and mineralogy, as indicated by the content of conference papers, research studies, and physical/chemical laboratory procedures used in mineralogy, is reviewed. Creative applications of established mineralogic…

Briefly traces the development and planning of a one-week interdisciplinary field course for high school students which focuses on the ecology, geology, history, and culture of Big Bend National Park, Texas. Provides a narrative of each day's events. (DC)

Detailed are the origins, development, and implementation of the Crustal Evolution Education Project (CEEP). This group has produced, for use in earth science and other classes in grades 8-10, a series of instructional modules based on current scientific research in the composition, history, and processes of the earth's crust. (BT)

Describes a graduate field course taught in Brazil that uses a system concept and the geochemical cycle as unifying paradigms to study various environments. Emphasizes the acquisition of techniques of integrated observation, using operational definitions, measurement scales, and a priori hypotheses. (Author/TW)