SITUATION want to increase number of majors

1. Abstract #115970; paper #235-15 ABSTRACT: Recruitment of Recruitment of majors is a common challenge for geology departments nationwide. At California State University, Fullerton (CSUF) approximately 50% of our majors are recruited from the 2000 freshmen to seniors annually enrolled in 20 lecture sections of Physical Geology. Due to the large class size, field trips and co-enrollment in the lab are not required. We hypothesized that the large class size, lack of lab exposure, and inability to attend field trips inhibits recruitment of majors, so we are experimenting with offering alternatives to Physical Geology. The alternative classes are smaller (24 to 60 students); limited to freshmen; have coupled lecture, lab and field trips; and are topical (Earth’s Atmospheres and Oceans; Earthquakes and Volcanoes; Dinosaur World). Our greatest challenge was restricting the student level. CSUF freshmen get priority enrollment during the Fall semester only, and getting information to new students the summer before they attend campus is problematic. We circumvented this problem by offering our courses through the University’s Office of Freshman Programs, but doing so requires us to offer a service-learning component with each course: field-based analysis of the health of Big Bear Lake; construction of public interest earthquake/eruption web pages, and hazards response training; and preparation of Orange County fossils. Three-day camping trips in the 60-student courses are supported by grants from CSUF Associated Students. We have offered each course once since Spring 2005. In surveys managed by CSUF and Freshman Programs, the topical courses and their instructors have received exceptionally high student ratings. Although preliminary data suggest that recruitment per capita from the topical courses does not differ from the Physical Geology lecture series, anecdotal data suggests that recruitment of geology minors may be higher. We will use Geoscience Concept Inventory tests to assess whether the two course formats result in meaningful differences in student learning. On-campus Recruitment of Geology Majors:developing alternatives to Physical Geology at a large state university • HYPOTHESIS: on-campus recruitment might improve if we • focused on topics of high public interest • Dinosaur World • Earthquakes and Volcanoes • Earth’s Atmosphere and Oceans • changed class design • 60-student lecture tied to two, 30-student lab sections, all taught by same instructor • University funded 2.5-day field trip • limited enrollment to freshmen • offer courses through Freshman Programs • learning communities focused on university retention Learning about fault-scarps (middle) and the rock cycle (below) on Shake and Bake field trip to Owen’s Valley, eastern CA • MODEL: add alternate General Education portals to degree • majors take either Physical Geology lecture or a lecture-lab Earth Science topics course • ALL majors must take Physical Geology lab • each topical course must cover 100-level learning objectives required for geology majors • the breadth and scope of the Earth Sciences are given heightened visibility in the major SITUATION want to increase number of majors recruitment from large-lecture Physical Geology classes accounts for 50% of majors mixed frosh-senior enrollment co-enrollment in lab not required no field trips • SERVICE-LEARNING COMPONENT • required by Freshman Programs • enhances retention • connects students to community • includes writing, reflection and presentation • demonstrates relevance of course content to society • in accord with CSUF Mission and Goals • Through experiences in and out of the classroom, students develop the habit of intellectual inquiry, prepare for challenging professions, strengthen relationships to their communities, and contribute productively to society. • support provided by University • upper-division, peer-mentor assistant for each section • liability issues handled by centralized office • generous field trip funding provided by Associated Students 100-level learning objectives for CSUF geology majors

2. EXAMPLE: service-learningproject from Earthquakes & Volcanoes: Shake and Bake • Objective: To enable students to practice and experience the strategies and challenges of hazard monitoring and response while connecting to community needs • Question: How do citizens and scientists prepare for, and respond to, natural hazards (e.g. earthquakes, eruptions)? • Approach: students gainreal hazards training, coupled with a simulated hazards response • (1) Community Emergency Response Training • 10 hours of run by City of Fullerton Fire Department and CSU Fullerton Police, including • rudimentary first aid training • education regarding local and regional disaster plans • Teaches students how to be “first responders” and to be self-sufficient in times of disaster • (2) Volcanic Eruption Simulation(Harpp and Sweeney, 2002, Simulating a volcanic crisis in the classroom, JGE) • Over the course of a month, student Volcanic Disaster Assistance Program Groups “monitor” simulated volcanic activity • students receive daily updates on course Blackboard site, and use Discussion Groups to create weekly hazard assessment • students complete labs directed at background research; surprise eruption simulation takes place in one 3-hour lab • students report experiencing high pressure of uncertainties and frustration at perceived risk • Assessment: in addition to post-event questionnaires to assess impact of simulation and training, we’re conducting pre-/post- assessment of student learning using the Geoscience Concepts Inventory (Libarkin and Anderson, 2005, Assessment of Learning in Entry-Level Geosciences courses: Results from the Geoscience Concept Inventory). Data collection is on-going; data will be compared to results from traditional Physical Geology courses. CLEMENS-KNOTT, Diane, BOWMAN, David, KIRBY, Matthew, KNOTT, Jeffrey & WOODS, Adam CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, FULLERTONDepartment of Geological Sciences, Fullerton, CA 92834 dclemensknott@fullerton.edu Students in Earth’s Atmospheres and Oceans Above: data collection on Big Bear Lake, CA Below: student presentations to officials from the Big Bear Municipal Water District Comparison of total Geoscience Concept Inventory (GCI) pre-test and post-test scores. The red line represents a 1:1 line (no improvement). Over 50% of the students improved or equaled their overall score in the post-test compared to the pre-test. As might be expected, those students scoring lower on the pre-test showed the greatest gains. Analysis of responses to individual GCI questions regarding plate tectonics, earthquakes and volcanoes showed significant learning gains. Dinosaur World students unjacketing Orange County fossils • EXAMPLE: service-learning project from Earth’s Atmospheres and Oceans • Objective: To help students better understand the environmental pressures on one of southern California’s most popular recreational communities: Big Bear and Big Bear Lake. • Question:To what degree have natural and anthropogenic forcings affected the health of Big Bear Lake? • Approach:students divided into 3 teams focused on • geosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere • each group will approach the question from their individual system perspective • appropriate data collected and analyzed • lake core; water samples; historical climate data • 3 groups integrate their observations/interpretations • students make several trips to site to study the setting, collect data, and to present findings to the Big Bear Municipal Water District • Assessment:reflection journals; field reports; group poster and oral presentations • EXAMPLE: service-learning project from Dinosaur World • Objective: To have students appreciate one of their county resources and enable them to help make that resource available for future education and research. • Question:How do fossils go from the ground to a museum display? • Approach: help Parks and Recreation volunteers unjacket large mammal fossils collected locally in Orange County, CA • Orange County’s paleontologic collection does not have a permanent home, though CSUF has volunteered to lead an broad-based effort to develop a research/curation/display facility • Assessment:a 3-5 page paper with figures describing how vertebrate fossils are found, removed from the field, prepared and displayed • students reflected on their personal involvement with fossil preparation.