HR: 1340h
AN: ED13B-1145    [Abstracts]
TI: Building a strong geoscience department by emphasizing curriculum and pedagogy
AU: Lea, P D
EM: plea@bowdoin.edu
AF: Geology Department Bowdoin College, 6800 College Station, Brunswick, ME 04011-8468 United States
AU: Beane, R J
EM: rbeane@bowdoin.edu
AF: Geology Department Bowdoin College, 6800 College Station, Brunswick, ME 04011-8468 United States
AU: * Laine, E P
EM: edlaine@bowdoin.edu
AF: Geology Department Bowdoin College, 6800 College Station, Brunswick, ME 04011-8468 United States
AB: About a decade ago the Bowdoin College Geology Department recognized a need for a new curriculum that more fully engaged majors and non-majors as active learners. To accomplish this curricular change the faculty have adopted differing pedagogies that all engage students in real projects. Research project-based learning, community-based learning, and problem-based service-learning form the core of our teaching efforts. The emphasis on problem-solving and inquiry in our courses has greatly strengthened our department's contributions to research, education, and service at the college. These courses have an added benefit of acquainting students with various aspects of their local and global environment. Geology majors leave Bowdoin equipped with tools and experiences they need for employment or graduate school as well life-long learners. To support the integration of research into our teaching we have successfully sought funding from NSF's CCLI and MRI programs. As a consequence, even first year students work with an SEM/EDAX/EBSD, with instrumented watersheds, and soon with an ocean observatory adjacent to our Coastal Studies Center, as well as taking greater advantage of local field opportunities. Our intense focus on improving curriculum and pedagogy organized and energized us within the department and helped us to present ourselves and our goals to the college.
DE: 0810 Post-secondary education
DE: 0820 Curriculum and laboratory design
SC: Education and Human Resources [ED]
MN: Fall Meeting 2005