With the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting contact restrictions, conducting field trips to hydrological research basins became close to impossible. Hydrological field knowledge is an essential part of hydrological education and research. In order to impart this knowledge to students of hydrological engineering subjects in times or…

One of my principal goals at the University of Minnesota is to transform the university's entry-level geoscience program into an effective ''concluding'' geoscience course that provides students with a clear understanding of the many interactions between Earth processes and human society. Although place-based learning appeared to be a promising…

By the end of the nineteenth century, the momentum for the idea of a more practical education better suited to life in a modern, technological world brought the first educational reform movements in the nation. Concurrent reform efforts at the state and national levels influenced both the historical development of Earth science education and the…

Representative regional soils have agricultural, cultural, economic, environmental, and historical importance to Cameroon. Twenty seven regional representative soils have been identified in Cameroon. A set of laboratory exercises, assignments and exam questions have been developed utilizing the Regional Representative Soil Project (RRSP) that…

Eight Earth science graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) participated in a semester-long seminar designed to facilitate change in their practice. The seminar used lesson-study methodology to facilitate discussion of GTAs' beliefs about teaching while planning a research lesson for implementation in their laboratory. This article reports the results…

Too often, students enter our classrooms with insufficient knowledge of physical science. As a result, they have a difficult time understanding content in texts, lectures, and laboratory activities. This lack of background knowledge can have an impact on their ability to ask questions and wonder--both key components of inquiry. In this article,…

Describes the active role which regional Japanese laboratories are playing in specific fields of applied research such as: (1) pollution of the sea; (2) developing methods of coping with the exceptional variety of natural disasters; and (3) preparing for earthquake. (HM)

This paper describes the details of a National Science Foundation multi-year educational project at the University of Oklahoma (OU). The goal of this comprehensive active-learning and hands-on laboratory program is to develop an interdisciplinary program, in which engineering, geoscience, and meteorology students participate, which forms a…

Time-sharing computer-assisted instructional (CAI) programs employing the APL language are being used in support of introductory earth science laboratory exercises at the State University of New York at Binghamton. Three examples are sufficient to illustrate the variety of applications to which these programs are put. The BRACH program is used in…

Described is an audio-visual tutorial laboratory program designed to provide a uniform, regularly reinforced, programmatic introduction to a limited set of geologic concepts and features; to provide a sequence of problem-solving exercises on which the student can work as an individual and in which he is required repeatedly to use all elements of…

Describes how satellites and other tools of space technology have transformed classical geodesy into the science of space geodynamics. The establishment and the activities of the French Center for Geodynamic and Astronomical Research Studies (CERGA) are also included. (HM)

Outdoor education represents a practical and sound approach in the achievement of accepted educationa l objectives through the utilization of current resources available to the learning process, and not the addition of another discipline to the curriculum. One of the most sensational and successful programs of outdoor education has been the…

Reported are highlights of a workshop related to the geosciences sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF). Discussions include recommendations for the NSF's undergraduate education programs including support for individual students, laboratory activities, faculty enhancement, curriculum, courses, and underrepresented groups. Precollege…

Describes two studies that assessed decision-making skills using common cognitive errors and evaluated the impact of computer-based role-playing exercises on the development of these skills. Results with high school students, undergraduates, and earth science professionals are discussed which indicate that well-designed computer-based laboratories…

Outdoor Education is presented as a means of curriculum enrichment through experiences in and for the outdoors. Discussion includes the definition and need for outdoor education, enrichment activities in the out-of-doors, outdoor education laboratories, day camp and resident camp programs, and resources for outdoor education. Outdoor school…