Department of Geology and Environmental ScienceJames Madison University

Harrisonburg, Virginia

DUALING TOPICS: SUCCESS USING A TWO TRACK OPTION IN THE JAMES MADISON UNIVERSITY IRELAND FIELD

COURSE

http://www.jmu.edu/geology/fieldcourse

L.S. Eaton, S.J. Baedke, J. Haynes, E.A. Johnson, S.A. Leslie, E.J. Pyle, S.W. Whitmeyer, and S.J. Whitmeyer

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1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010

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Trends in Field Course Enrollments(USA Institutions)

Data: courtesy of Penny Morton, University of Minnesota-Duluth

JMU Field Course1978 – 2003

Shenandoah Valley

Five Week Course•Plane Table Alidade•Mapping projects in Carbonates, Meta- Sediments, Meta- Volcanics, Gneisses

JMU Field Course2004 – 2005

northern NM & southern CO

North Carolina – Virginia System Wide Field Course

JMU Field Course2006 – 2010

Ireland field course:

Student participation:

• 30-35 geoscience & environmental science majors;• 40-50% JMU students; • 50-60% students from other universities nationwide:

“A capstone course that combines study-abroad experience in western Ireland with a modern approach to field mapping, tectonic synthesis and professional report preparation.”

• Arizona State, Appalachian State, Boston Univ., UC Berkeley, Franklin & Marshall, Univ. of Iowa, Univ. of Minnesota, Univ. of Vermont, Virginia Tech., Washington State Univ., Univ. of Wisconsin, etc.

Week Six: Primarily One-Day Exercises

INTEGRATING STUDENT-LED RESEARCH IN ENVIRONMENTAL GEOLOGY INTO TRADITIONAL FIELD COURSES:

A CASE STUDY FROM JAMES MADISON UNIVERSITY'S FIELD COURSE IN IRELAND

Eaton, L.S., May, C.L., Moore, K.R., Harris, M.J., and Whitmeyer, S.J.

“Beta Trial in 2007”

Student-Led Research in Environmental GeologyGoals:• Field-based formulation and testing of

hypotheses • Develop a ‘research experience’ for participants• Exposure to applied geology • Experience in group problem solving

Products:• GSA-style presentation

(poster or oral) • Three page ‘executive

summary’ of their findings

Second “Beta Trial” of Hypothesis Testing Exercise for All Participants in 2008

Topic: Surface WaterWeek 3 of Field Course

Framework for2009 & 2010

“Self Selecting”of Students

Sedimentary Systems TrackWeek 5: Introduce section measurement and concepts of sequence stratigraphy and basin analysis where students mapped during the first 4 weeks

Week 6: Measure sections, sequence stratigraphy, and basin analysis of the Clare Basin

Your tasks in the field:Day 1: You will measure the succession at Brendan's Well near Lisdoonvarna for a detailed log and possibly another section in the Burren.

Day 2: You will measure the succession at Ballybunion.

You will only have one day at each of these localities, so no matter the weather….this is it!

BEFORE YOU LEAVE THE FIELD EACH DAYｷ Make sure you have complete lithologic descriptions for each rock unit. Walk the section and be sure that your section log contains all major lithologic features. You should be able to match major beds/features easily from the outcrop to your stratigraphic sections

Before calling it a night on day 2, you must turn in:1) A neatly drafted stratigraphic log of both sections correlated to each other 2) A written interpretation of the basin history of the successions that correspond to your section logs. Include in this your interpretation of paleoenvironments and relative sea-level change throughout the successions. You must back up your interpretations with observations. 3) Field books from each member of your group 4) Your working field notes

Your tasks in the field:Day 1: You will measure the succession at Brendan's Well near Lisdoonvarna for a detailed log and possibly another section in the Burren.

Day 2: You will measure the succession at Ballybunion.

You will only have one day at each of these localities, so no matter the weather….this is it!

BEFORE YOU LEAVE THE FIELD EACH DAYｷ Make sure you have complete lithologic descriptions for each rock unit. Walk the section and be sure that your section log contains all major lithologic features. You should be able to match major beds/features easily from the outcrop to your stratigraphic sections

Before calling it a night on day 2, you must turn in:1) A neatly drafted stratigraphic log of both sections correlated to each other 2) A written interpretation of the basin history of the successions that correspond to your section logs. Include in this your interpretation of paleoenvironments and relative sea-level change throughout the successions. You must back up your interpretations with observations. 3) Field books from each member of your group 4) Your working field notes

Week 5: Surface Hydrology and Hypothesis Testing

Environmental Geology/Hydro Track

Headwaters of Carrownisky River

Products:• GSA style presentation• Executive Summary

One Day Excursion:• Landslide Mapping and Evaluation

Week 6: Karst Groundwater Hydrology and Geochemistry

The Burren, western Ireland

Mass In = Mass Out + Change in Storage

Subsurface Distance of Flow ~ 2 km

“sinks”

Emerging spring

Examination of Water Budget and Change in Water Chemistry

ENVIRONMENTAL/HYDROLOGY OR SEDIMENTARY SYSTEMS EXERCISES

WEEK 6

My prior knowledge of this material wasNonexistent Very little Moderate Considerable Extensive

My prior feelings specific to this exercise were

Great discomfortSlightly

apprehensiveNeutral

At-ease and comfortable

Highly motivated

My prior skill level with this exercise was Completely unskilled

Basic Competent Skilled Expert

My knowledge gains from this exercise wereNonexistent Very little Moderate Considerable Extensive

My feelings after this exercise were

Great discomfortSlightly

apprehensiveNeutral

At-ease and comfortable

Highly motivated

I found this exercise to be:Not valuable at all

Only slightly valuable

Moderately valuable

Useful Essential

My skill level after this exercise was Completely unskilled

Basic Competent Skilled Highly skilled

1 2 3 4 5

3.12

3.92

3.00

4.27

4.50

4.42

3.81

My overall learning from this exercise was 4.46

Benefits of the Two-Track System

• Provides variety in the program• Target individual student interests • Application of skill and knowledge set gained in

weeks 1-4• Grading is ‘end loaded’

– Encourages consistent work and tenacity– Minimizes the ‘week 6’ let down

• Marketing tool• Employment aspects• “Buy in” among the faculty of the worthiness of

Field Course

http://www.jmu.edu/geology/fieldcourse

Examples of Hypotheses Tested in 2009

Question 1:How do anthropogenic and natural processes shape present-day river channels?

Question 2:What controls channel width?

Question 3:Do downstream changes in the Carrownisky River follow what is predicted from hydraulic geometry relationships?

Question 4:Does the Carrownisky River follow typical patterns of downstream fining?

Question 5: What are the control(s) of the spacing of the pools and riffles?

Question 6: How does bank cohesion affect channel width and depth of incision?

Carrownisky River

http://www.jmu.edu/ geology/fieldcourse

Many thanks to the students who

participated in the 2006 & 2007 Ireland

field courses!

Ireland field course, 2006 & 2007

ENVIRONMENTAL/HYDROLOGY OR SEDIMENTARY SYSTEMS EXERCISES

WEEKS 5&6

My prior knowledge of this material wasNonexistent Very little Moderate

Considerable

Extensive

My prior feelings specific to this exercise wereGreat

discomfortSlightly

apprehensiveNeutral

At-ease and comfortable

Highly motivated

My prior skill level with this exercise was Completely unskilled

Basic Competent Skilled Expert

My knowledge gains from this exercise wereNonexistent Very little Moderate

Considerable

Extensive

My feelings after this exercise wereGreat

discomfortSlightly

apprehensiveNeutral

At-ease and comfortable

Highly motivated

I found this exercise to be: Not valuable at all

Only slightly valuable

Moderately valuable

Useful Essential

My skill level after this exercise was Completely unskilled

Basic Competent SkilledHighly skilled

ENVIRONMENTAL/HYDROLOGY OR SEDIMENTARY SYSTEMS EXERCISES

WEEK 5

My prior knowledge of this material wasNonexistent Very little Moderate Considerable Extensive

My prior feelings specific to this exercise were

Great discomfortSlightly

apprehensiveNeutral

At-ease and comfortable

Highly motivated

My prior skill level with this exercise was Completely unskilled

Basic Competent Skilled Expert

My knowledge gains from this exercise wereNonexistent Very little Moderate Considerable Extensive

My feelings after this exercise were

Great discomfortSlightly

apprehensiveNeutral

At-ease and comfortable

Highly motivated

I found this exercise to be:Not valuable at all

Only slightly valuable

Moderately valuable

Useful Essential

My skill level after this exercise was Completely unskilled

Basic Competent Skilled Highly skilled

1 2 3 4 5

2.88

3.58

2.62

4.46

4.54

4.69

3.88

My overall learning from this exercise was 4.46