Abstract 106 - 2nd Australian Tertiary Geoscience Teaching Meeting Townsville 2013

Geological Society of Australia

ABSTRACTS Number 106

2nd Australian Tertiary Geoscience Teaching Meeting Australian Geoscience Learning and Teaching Network

Townsville 16th - 17th January 2013

Geological Society of Australia, Abstracts No. 106 2nd Australian Geoscience Teaching IVIeeting Townsville, Australia, January 2013

Geological Society of Australia Abstracts 106

Australian Tertiary Geoscience Teaching Meeting Australian Geoscience Learning and Teaching Network Townsville,

January 2013

Program & Abstracts Editors: Tom Blenkinsop and Maree Corkeron

Geological Society of Australia, Abstracts No. 106 2nd Australian Geoscience Teaching Meeting Townsville, Australia, January 2013

Geological Society of Australia Abstracts Number 106 Australian Tertiary Geoscience Teaching Meeting, Townsville, Australia, 16-17 January 2013 Editors: Tom Blenkinsop and Maree Corkeron

ISSN: 0729 O i l X © Geological Society of Australia Incorporated 2012 Geological Society of Australia Inc. Suite 61,104 Bathurst Street SYDNEY NSW 2000 Tel: 02 9290 2194 Fax: 02 9290 2198 Email: info@gsa.org.au http://www.gsa.org.au

Recommended citation for this volume: Blenkinsop, T., Corkeron, M, Program & Abstracts, 2nd Australian Geoscience Teaching Meeting, 16-17 January 2013, Townsville, Australia. Geological Society of Australia Abstracts No. 106.

Example citation for abstracts in this volume: Blenkinsop, T., 2013. Exams: Outmoded Practice or Educational Opportunity. In: Program & Abstracts, Australian Tertiary Geoscience Teaching Meeting, 16-17 January 2013, Townsville, Australia. Geological Society of Australia Abstracts No. 106, 10

Australian Geoscience Learning and Teaching Network logo design: Leslie Almberg Printed by: EGRU, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, 4811, Australia

Geological Society of Australia, Abstracts No. 106 2nd Australian Geoscience Teaching Meeting Townsville, Australia, January 2013

Table of Contents Preface

i

Workshop Sponsors

ii

Organising Committee

iii

Program

iv

General Information

v

Campus Map

vi

Abstracts

1-18

Notes

18

Participant Ust

22

Geological Society of Australia, Abstracts No. 106 2nd Australian Geoscience Teaching Meeting Townsville, Australia, January 2013

Preface

The positive response by teachers and sponsors to the inaugural meeting of the Australian Geoscience Learning and Teaching Network convened in Adelaide by Mark Tingay in January 2012 demonstrated that the time was ripe for such an initiative. The impetus generated by the first meeting militated for a follow up in 2013, which we are pleased to have been involved with. A noticeable aspect of organising this meeting has been the great interest by many professional geoscience groups - the Australian Geoscience Council, the Australian Geoscience Information Association, the Australian Institute of Geoscientists, the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, the Australian Society of Exploration Geophysicists, the Economic Geology Research Unit at the School of Earth and Environmental Science, James Cook University, the Geological Society of Australia (Queensland branch), the Minerals Council of Australia, and Queensland University of Technology, all of whom contributed to the event. It is clear that a diversity of Australian professional geoscience groups is very concerned about tertiary geoscience education. They are well represented at the meeting, in which the session on Disciplinary Expertise and Industry Needs is the most popular.

Another strong theme for the meeting is Flexible Learning, which poses increasing challenges to our modus (rather modi) operandi, as discussed in the session on this theme. The last meeting revealed that some creative solutions are already being practised in Australian tertiary geoscience teaching: more are presented at this one, under the theme of Innovative Teaching.

Fieldwork is increasingly beset by administrative and financial problems, but many geoscience educators regard fieldwork as a key part of their activities. The resource industries also commonly emphasise how much they value this skill in graduates. So it is appropriate that one session will focus on Fieldwork. The Virtual Globes workshop will allow sharing of successful teaching strategies using online resources such as Google Earth.

At the first meeting there was considerable debate about the name, aims and organisation of the network; these topics remain partly unresolved. At Townsville we have scheduled a significant period of time to address these issues, with a view to achieving some clarity by the meeting's end to guide our network successfully forward.

We would like to acknowledge the superb administrative support of Judy Botting in organising this meeting.

Tom Blenkinsop and Maree Corkeron James Cook University Queensland University of Technology

Workshop Sponsors t

The 2nd Geoscience Teaching Workshop could not have taken place without the generous support of our sponsors. The Australian Geoscience Learning and Teaching network would like to thank the following organizations for their fantastic support and encouragement.

Geological Society of Australia, Abstracts No. 106 2nd Australian Geoscience Teaching Meeting Townsville, Australia, January 2013

Organising Committee Tom Blenkinsop

James Cook University

Maree Corkeron

Queensland University of Technology

Judy Botting

EGRU, James Cook University

Geological Society ofAustrolio, Abstracts No. 106 2nd Australian Geoscience Teaching Meeting Townsville, Australia, January 2013

Program Tuesday 5:007:30

January Ice breaker - Long Board Bar & Grill, The Strand, Townsville

D A Y l - Wednesday

January

9:00

Welcome - Room 131, Building 017, James Cook University Tom Blenkinsop & Maree Corkeron Session 1: Introduction to Flexible Learning 9:15 The Landscape of Digital Learning 9:35 9:55 10:15

Geology And The Google Generation Engaging Undergraduates Through Flexible Workshop Teaching and Learning Discussion

10:30 11.00

Morning Tea The Minerals Industry National Associate Degree (MINAD) Project: Addressing the Mining and Geoscience Skills Shortages in Australia

11:20

Student Usage of Online Lectures in an Introductory Environmental Earth Sciences Subject

A Laboratory in a Box 11:50 12:10 Discussion 12:30 Lunch Session 2: Innovative Teaching Linking (Earth) Sciences and Mathematics Through Inquiry-Led 1:30 Collaborative Learning in First Year: The New 'Experimental Science' and 'Quantitative Methods in Science' Units at Queensland University of Technology (QUT) 1:50 Promoting Deep Learning in an Introductory Earth Systems Class at the Australian National University Discussion 2:10 2:20 Exams: Outmoded Practice or Educational Opportunity 2:40 The $20 Exploration Seismograph - A TESEP Initiative 3:00 Discussion 3:20 Afternoon Tea ATGT Network Meeting - to conclude by 5:00 3:40 6:30 Workshop Dinner Touch of Salt 86 Ogden St Townsville

IV

Paul Dirks Marion Anderson Annette George

Gavin Lind Peter Whitehead Andrew Hammond

Christoph Schrank

Penelope King

Tom Blenkinsop Michael Roach

Geological Society of Australia, Abstracts No. 106 2nd Australian Geoscience Teaching Meeting Townsville, Australia, January 2013

Program D A Y 2 - Thursday

January

Session 3: Discipline Expertise and Industry Needs Spreading Geoscience Expertise across Australian Universities 9:00 Preparing Geoscience Students for their Professional Roles Discussion Morning Tea Collaborative Curriculum Development: Engaging Industry to Align Learning Outcomes, Assessment and Delivery with 'Real World' Content Whither/wither Applied Geophysics in Australian Universities 10:50 AusIMM and Tertiary Geoscience Education 11:10 Discussion 11:30 Lunch 12:00 Session 4: Fieldwork Challenges Fieldwork tips for the Educators of Urban-raised Geoscience Students 1:00 9:20 9:40 10:00 10:30

1:20

Rapidly Increasing Class Sizes: Challenges and Solutions to Leading SubjectSpecific Fieldtrips At 2"^ and 3'^ Year Levels

1:40 2:20 2:30 3:00

Discussion ATGT Network Summary Afternoon Tea Virtual Globe Workshop

5:00

Mars Tour Drinks and pizza, EGRU Room 127 Meeting Closes

Neil Williams Kaylene Camuti

Maree Corkeron Michael Roach Dale Sims

Marion Anderson Eric Roberts Tom Blenkinsop Tom Blenkinsop Peter Whitehead Marion Anderson

General Information Virtual Globe Workshop The workshop will consist of demonstrations of practical teaching exercises mainly using Google Earth. Any contributions are welcome. To get the most out of the workshop, participants should have laptops with Google Earth and preferably wifi Eduroam access.

Venue:Meeting:

Room 131, Building 017, James Cook University Campus (see map).

Coffee and tea will be ovailable at EGRUfrom 8om each day, room 128 building 034 (beside building 017).

Internet will be available via Eduroam Tuesday January at Longboard Bar & Grill, The Strand, Townsville5:00 Icebreaker: 7:30pm Meeting Dinner: Wednesday January at Touch of Salt Restaurant, 86 Ogden St, Townsville 6:30 drinks, 7:00 pm dinner All the above functions are free events for registrants.

Other Information Taxi : Sunbus: Luggage:

13taxi (131008) http://www.sunbus.com.au/sit townsville.htm Luggage can be stored securely at EGRU.

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Geological Society of Australia, Abstracts No. 106 2nd Australian Geoscience Teaching Meeting Townsville, Australia, January 2013

Workshop Abstracts

Geological Society of Australia, Abstracts No. 106 2nd Australian Geoscience Teaching Meeting Townsville, Australia, January 2013

The Landscape of Digital Learning Professor Paul Dirks School of Earth & Environmental Science, James Cook University Paul.dirl<s@jcu.edu.au

Geological Society of Australia, Abstracts No. 106 2nd Australian Geoscience Teaching Meeting Townsville, Australia, January 2013

Geology and the Google Generation Marion Anderson School of Geosciences, Monash University, Clayton 3800, VIC marion.anderson@monash.edu

With the increasing ubiquity of ''connected" students, having 24/7 go-anywhere access to the internet via phones, tablets or laptops, it is becoming clear that many teaching and learning methods that were de rigueur in the 20th Century and even in the last decade, are no longer viable.

When faced with a practical class question to which they do not immediately know the answer, the immediate response of the 2012 first-year University student is to enter the question verbatim into Google (or similar internet search engine), and then copy down the first result that appears in the search list as their answer without first parsing it for relevance or accuracy. When given a hand-specimen of a rock or mineral to identify, they take a photograph with their smart-phone or tablet camera, and then enter the photo into Google to find matching images. Textbooks and lecture notes remain unopened and unused as sources of information for answers to practical questions, and rotelearning is not used. Secondary school teachers (M. Pakakis and D. Shean, VSSEC, pers. comm., Dec 2012) have noted that students in years 7-12 are one step ahead of University students, and are now using YouTube as their search and answer delivery service instead, as they prefer a visual or animated representation of the answer.

Now, not all students are working in this way, and there have always been some who will turn to resources other than those provided in class or texts in order to copy down the answer without checking its veracity or citing the source.

The main problem is that the number of students 'Googling' answers in practicals is rapidly increasing, and we as teachers are not providing them with the knowledge or tools to use the resulting data in the best ways.

One of the key problems with search-engine driven learning is that websites created by vested interest groups are not necessarily recognised or identified as such by students (or, for that matter, the general public). For example, typing "How old is the Earth?" into Google returns the scientifically correct age of 4.54 billion years as the first answer, but it also gives two Biblical (young Earth) ages within the top 10 hits. Students also need to be aware that Wikipedia is a mutable and sometimes incorrect resource, despite being on average as correct as the Encyclopaedia Britannica (Giles, J. (2005). "Internet encyclopaedias go head to head". Nature 438 (7070): 900-1). Wikipedia pages can be easily changed by anyone with internet access, and more obscure pages, once changed, may remain both uncorrected and incorrect for years - e.g., Rhyodacite "is the extrusive equivalent of granodiorite", according to Wikipedia, and has been so since at least 2003 (Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhvodacite , Dec 10 2012) As educators we need to recognise that we cannot stifle this emerging behaviour, and need to adapt our practical teaching methods to accommodate search-engine based learning. In 2013 I will be running part of a first-year level geology practical class teaching students how to use and critique search results. For example, we will discuss bias by entering the phrase "global warming facts" into a search engine, examining the top 10 results, and then comparing the content, funding, and biases of http://www.edf.org/climate and http://www.globalwarmingheartland.org/. We also need to assume that asking students to "define" a term or "describe" a geological process will not result in them rote-learning the result, and we should leave such searchable tasks as required and tested pre-learning to be done before hands-on, do-it-yourself, real specimen learning in practical classes.

Geological Society of Australia, Abstracts No. 106 2nd Australian Geoscience Teaching Meeting Townsville, Australia, January 2013

Engaging undergraduates through flexible workshop teaching and learning Annette George The University of Western Australia annette.george@uwa.edu.au Geoscience students and graduates recognise the value of practical work during their courses, and the emphasis on laboratory-based and field-based teaching is core to a Geoscience major. While lecture format has a place, e.g. large classes of say level 1 students, the weekly multiple (typically recorded) lecture and lab class format can become increasingly less engaging at higher levels. Workshop teaching and learning has been adopted as a way of signifying in-class activity to the students and to establish an environment where students are encouraged to participate and learn in class time.

A workshop should not simply be considered a lecture and a lab rolled into one timetable slot, but an opportunity to use the time more flexibly to achieve the learning outcomes. Workshop format requires 'letting go' of 'content' so that time is effectively freed up to include a great range of activities, and in turn this requires making some choices about what are the most important aspects to focus on. Important guides are, among others, the appropriate level of conceptual understanding and depth of skill development, and more general understanding about application of knowledge and skills. Not everything needs to be 'taught' and online learning management systems provide a straightforward way to add reading material, resources, and links to external online resources.

Basin Analysis (level 3) at UWA has been taught in workshop style (2x 3 hour workshops per week) for about the last 10 years. The comments from students are very positive because the workshops are a bit different and an efficient way for them to use their time - 3rd years are the students most likely to recognise and appreciate this aspect and, in their feedback, they do. The workshops target specific topics (e.g. facies analysis, sequence stratigraphy, seismic interpretation) and are taught over one or two weeks in a continuous series. Conceptual material is presented as needed interspersed with practical exercises or group activities that aim to emphasise key elements and demonstrate relevance. It is well suited to topics that require increasingly more complex concepts and/or tasks, or integration of tasks, because students can continuously assess their own level of understanding. In addition, workshop activity can be modified (added to or reduced) depending on the cohort, supplemented by selected out-of-class work. Small group-based exercises that lead to discussion with the whole class are valuable because aspects that are inherent in geoscience, such as having to work through data to make reasoned interpretations or formulate a conclusion (in the absence of 'right' answers) can also be part of the discussion.

Workshops are also used in Sedimentology (level 2) along with lectures and practical classes to have small group activities ranging from developing understanding of major concepts to spending time on difficult practical skills (e.g. matrix vs cement). This provides an opportunity to emphasise observation and interpretation. Student survey responses are also positive to the workshop components of this unit.

Geological Society of Australia, Abstracts No. 106 2nd Australian Geoscience Teaching Meeting Townsville, Australia, January 2013

The Minerals Industry National Associate Degree (MINAD) project: addressing the mining and geoscience skills shortages in Australia Dr Gavin Lind Minerals Tertiary Education Council (MTEC) Gavin.lind@minerals.org.au The Minerals Council of Australia (MCA) is developing an Associate Degree program model in geoscience as a way to address the chronic professional skills shortages in these disciplines experienced in the minerals industry. These complimentary para-professional roles, with specific occupational outcomes, are expected to fulfil specific aspects of the roles of a geoscientist.

Geological Society of Australia, Abstracts No. 106 2nd Australian Geoscience Teaching Meeting Townsville, Australia, January 2013

Student usage of online lectures in an introductory Environmental Earth Sciences subject Peter W. Whitehead James Cook University, Cairns campus Peter.Whitehead@jcu.edu.au As technology develops it is increasingly easy to make various types of online course materials available to students.

This transition has seen the incorporation of lecture notes, access to PDF files of lecture presentations, audio presentations of lectures (podcasts) and audiovisual presentations (vodcasts) as online resources. Empirically, PDF files of lecture presentations are widely made available to students, with podcasts and vodcasts adopted by a smaller, but increasing number of lecturers. Griffin et al. (2009) showed the pedagogical benefits of vodcasts over podcasts.

There is a belief by some educators, however, that the provision of online material deters students from attending lectures with the assumption that this is detrimental to the overall learning experience (Larkin, 2010).

To test these assumptions, lectures in a level 1 Earth & Environmental Sciences subject were given in a traditional face-to-face format and vodcasts of the lectures were made available the following day. Students were informed that attendance at lectures was a matter of personal choice. During the last week of lectures, students were surveyed to assess vodcast use. These responses were correlated to the students' marks in the final theory examination to determine whether their choice of how they viewed the lectures affected their results.

113 responses were obtained, representing 73% of students. Attendance roles were not taken during lectures, so the validity of the responses could not be verified and it is possible that some students responded according to what they thought they should have done, rather than what they actually did. As the survey was voluntary (but with a small incentive), the results were also biased towards students more actively involved with the subject. Notwithstanding this, the following observations were made: Most students attended lectures. 89% of respondents attended lectures and 33% also reviewed the same lecture at a later time.

25% of students relied on vodcasts only for at least some of the lectures.

There was no significant correlation between lecture attendance and the final mark. The difference in the average marks for students who attended no lectures (n=5), or all of the lectures (n=81), that reviewed all vodcasts (n=17), or none of the vodcasts (n=32), was only 2.2%. Of these groups, the highest average mark was from the group that attended no lectures, whereas the lowest average mark was for the group that reviewed no vodcasts.

Higher performing students made more use of vodcasts as revision of already attended lectures. Students who gained > 70% on the final examination reviewed an average of 41% of the vodcasts that they had already attended, compared to an average of 30% for students gaining < 70%.

The data from this study suggests that vodcasts, in conjunction with traditional lectures, are beneficial to students in that they: do not deter most students from attending lectures, are not detrimental to students' grades, but may lead to a marginal improvement of student performance, allow students who could not attend lectures to review the material presented, and allow revision of lectures by students.

As vodcasts can be supplied with minimal effort in less than 10 minutes, they are an easy and effective extension of traditional courses.

References Griffin, D.K., Mitchell, D. & Thompson, S.T. 2010. Podcasting by synchronising PowerPoint and voice: What are the pedagogical benefits? Computers & Education, 54, 992-998.

Helen E. Larkin, H.E. 2010. "But they won't come to lectures ..." The impact of audio recorded lectures on student experience and attendance, Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 26(2), 238-249.

Geological Society of Australia, Abstracts No. 106 2nd Australian Geoscience Teaching Meeting Townsville, Australia, January 2013

A Laboratory in a Box Patrick Keleher and Andrew Hammond School of Engineering and Technology, CQ University, Australia p.keleher@cqu.edu.au;_a.hannmond(5)cqu.edu.au

Central Queensland University (CQU) has responded to the need to accommodate a diverse group of students and resource industry demands for gaining experience and tertiary qualifications through the provision of geoscience focused courses delivered in both face-to-face and distance modes for students studying geoscience and nongeoscience focused programs.

Students enrolled in distance mode have extra needs as they grapple with the demands of full-time work and family as well as study; some study or work is undertaken at locations distant from the family home. While there are many challenges in offering any tertiary-level course in distance mode, there are particular difficulties for courses that have traditionally included laboratory and field based components. In this presentation, the authors explore a successful solution for students studying an introductory geoscience course; PHYG 12003 Geological Science. Students are provided with a 'laboratory in a box' to support their learning experience by gaining the skill set to identify rockforming minerals, to classify igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary rocks and in ore recognition.

By providing mineral, rock and ore samples students are able to commence the process of learning in the home or in their 'home away from home' (eg. mining camp) environment with minimal equipment and at their own pace. The geoscience learning experiences are reinforced by follow up lecturer instruction, tutorial exercises, residential school activities and field work with students learning and testing their knowledge by way of both individual and group learning mechanisms and assessments. Their knowledge acquisition is assessed by formative (eg. tutorial exercises) and summative assessment (eg. rock identification test) strategies.

Lectures, tutorial sessions and laboratory exercises are collated in the term's weekly schedule so that students are progressively introduced to the range of concepts and associated mineral, rock and ore samples. This method of delivery aligns well with the course content covered in other courses (eg. environmental and engineering sciences).

The cohort consists of students enrolled internally and those in a distance mode who are studying a diverse range of discipline areas; geoscience, environmental science, humanities and mining engineering. The profile of the student cohort can be further differentiated as being current secondary school students, secondary school leavers, degree holders transitioning into new programs, experienced and unqualified practitioners in the geology, mining engineering and geotechnical engineering arenas.

The course has a dedicated Moodle site whereby students can access lecture notes, discussion forums, tutorial problems, resource materials and video links of relevant Youtube videos and recorded lecture and tutorial material conducted by the course lecturer. Moodle is an acronym for Modular Object-Orientated Dynamic Learning and is an open source Course Management System (CMS) CQ University adopts for delivering online courses and for supplementing traditional face-to-face courses.

Geological Society of Australia, Abstracts No. 106 2nd Australian Geoscience Teaching Meeting Townsville, Australia, January 2013

Linking (Earth) Sciences and Mathematics through inquiry-led collaborative learning in first year: the new 'Experimental Science' and 'Quantitative Methods in Science' units at Queensland University of Technology (QUT) Christoph E. Schrank*, Sama Low Choy, Linda Nothdurft, Jessica Trofimovs Science and Engineering Faculty, School of Earth, Environmental, and Biological Sciences Queensland University of Technology christoph.schrank@qut.edu.au Integrating the development of quantitative skills into the first year of a science curriculum is a longstanding challenge [Macdonald et ai, 2000]. In the classical approach, mathematicians provide "service" units taught similarly to those designed for mathematics major students, which often yield unsatisfactory results [Witten, 2005]. Here, we describe two recently developed first-year science units from QUT - 'Experimental Science' and 'Quantitative Methods in Science' - that attempt to bridge the gap between science and mathematics with a hands-on experimental approach to teaching and learning. Inquiry-led collaborative learning is at the heart of this approach. Both units will run in parallel, strongly linked by their focus on a common denominator: an experimental science project. The final of two assessment items - the presentation of a scientific poster at a student conference - is also shared. Students will choose two out of five experimental streams, representing the science disciplines of biology, chemistry. Earth science, environmental science, and physics. In this presentation, we will focus on the experimental program of the Earth science stream and its linkage with mathematics.

References Macdonald, R. H., L Srogi, and G. B. Stracher (2000), Building the Quantitative Skills of Students in Geoscience Courses, Journal of Geoscience Education, 48, 409-412.

Witten, G. Q. (2005), Designing a Mathematics Course for Chemistry and Geology Students, Educational Studies in Mathematics, 58(1), 1-19.

Geological Society of Australia, Abstracts No. 106 2nd Australian Geoscience Teaching Meeting Townsville, Australia, January 2013

Promoting deep learning in an introductory Earth Systems class at the Australian National University Penelope Kingl, Stephen Egginsl, Christopher FultonZ, Janette Lindesay3,Ceridwen Fraser3, Ross Griffithsl & Joerg Hermannl 1. Res. Sch. Earth Sci., 2. Res. Sch. Bio., 3. Fenner Sch. Environ. & Soc. Aust. Nat. Uni. (ANU)

Earth System Science is a relatively new approach that aims to provide a holistic understanding of the atmosphere, oceans, land, and biosphere to evaluate the state of the Earth and its future [1]. At The Australian National Univeristy (ANU), The Blue Planet undergraduate course introduces a large cohort (100+ annually) of first year students to Earth Systems Science. The course is taught cooperatively by a diverse group of academic staff (geology, biology, geography, sustainability) and it provides a basis for degree programs in Earth Sciences, Environmental Sciences and Biology.

The Blue Planet course has several interesting challenges: 1. The class cohort is diverse with a range of backgrounds in High School maths and science, and up to 10% of the class comprises indigenous and foreign students; 2. Varied material is covered including geology, meteorology, ocean science, biology, chemistry, physics, maths, forestry and geography; 3. There is no textbook for the course with an Australasian focus, as identified by the Australian Academy of Science [1]; 4. It is one of the first courses taken in first year by students new to university [2]; and 5. Teaching staff are both diverse in discipline and experience, with the co-conveners based in different schools and relatively new to the ANU (King and Eraser).

In the past The Blue Planet delivery has followed a lecture-based model (3h per week) supplemented with practical exercises (2h per week). A mid-semester field trip is a pivotal experience that allows students to make observations, collect data and relate the findings to the Earth Systems theory covered in other parts of the course. Having won ANU funds to improve the learning experiences of students in The Blue Planet course, over the next year we plan to: 1. shift the focus of face-to-face class time away from content-delivery and towards problem-solving and question-driven discussion by developing online digital resources such as bite-sized videos of key concepts supplemented with key primary literature; 2. establish pilot online quizzes to provide early assessment feedback and to promote realistic student expectations of tests; and 3. expand practical content to enrich independent thinking skills and to promote active and deep learning experiences [e.g., 3]; and 4. install at least three 'Earthcaching' sites where students learn about Earth Systems Science by visiting natural locations that are described online (www.earthcache.org) with geographical positioning system (GPS) co-ordinates. Visitors will learn what the site reveals about the Earth.

To achieve this we will be making some major and novel structural changes, by replacing two hours of lectures with two hours of practical exercises on the same topic over the next few years and promote student access to the new digital resources prior to the practical classes. Our ultimate goal is to develop an adaptive learning course that uses a classroom reversal model: face-to-face time will be dominated by problem-based practical exercises that build on the students' learning outside of the classroom. To help guide the project, we have an Advisory Committee who will first determine methods to evaluate whether these new approaches are successful [e.g., 4]. We hope to use our findings as a springboard for initiating connections with other Australian universities to promote Earth Systems Science learning across Australia.

References [1] Gifford, R.M., Steffen, W. Finnigan, J.J. & Nat. Comm. Earth Sys. Sci., 2010, To Live Within Earth's Limits: An Australian Plan to Develop a Science of the Whole Earth System, Aust. Acad. Science; [2] Kift, S. & Nelson, K., 2005, Beyond curriculum reform: Embedding the transition experience, herdsa2005, 225-35; [3] Entwistle, N., 2003.

Concepts and Conceptual Frameworks Underpinning the ETL Project Occ. Rpt 3, ETL Project, Uni. Edinburgh, Coventry & Durham, pp 12; [4] Moore, I., 2009. A Guide to Practice: Evaluating Your Teaching. Cen. Excel. Teaching & Learning, Sheffield Hallam Uni., pp 17.

Geological Society of Australia, Abstracts No. 106 2nd Australian Geoscience Teaching Meeting Townsville, Australia, January 2013

Exams: Outmoded Practice or Educational Opportunity Thomas Blenkinsop School of Earth and Environmental Science, James Cook University. thomas.blenkinsop@jcu.edu.au This contribution reflects on how the changing context of tertiary education may affect the practice of undergraduate examination. Traditional exam questions demand substantial memorization of basic geological knowledge (e.g.

Bowen's reaction series). The availability of data in the digital era raises the question of the extent to which undergraduates should be required to reproduce rote-learned material in exams. However, a reduction in emphasis on this approach is controversial, perhaps for the same reasons that children are still taught multiplication tables despite the availability of calculators. Undergraduates must have core geological knowledge and this is reinforced by exams.

In the last ten years, students have required increasingly detailed rubrics, perhaps because they are evaluating more precisely what is necessary to achieve a chosen grade in a course, rather than simply achieving the best possible result. This trend is abetted by faculty requirements to provide unprecedented detail about coursework assessment.

These developments lead to selective studying for exams, and worse, a focus on content rather than underlying principles. Creative examination can overcome these negative trends. Simple ways of dealing with selective learning and question spotting are to avoid recycling of questions within some time period, or to use substantively different questions every year.

Creative questions can redirect attention to principles. Contrast these ways to examine igneous classification: Describe a classification scheme for felsic plutonic rocks (10 marks).

Versus: A medium-grained igneous rock contains 25% quartz, 45% alkali feldspar and 30% plagioclase. i) Why are the proportions of these minerals useful for classifying this rock? (5 marks) ii) Draw a diagram representing these proportions and a general classification scheme for similar types of rock.

(5 marks) Past exam questions inevitably focus student attention. This focus is a most useful pedagogical resource. A substantial body of diverse past exam questions can be used by student study groups; lecturers and tutors can give input by evaluating group answers to previous questions.

In summary, it can be argued that exams play a more important role today than previously, because they instill an intellectual rigor that is otherwise threatened in the digital era. Exam questions can be set in creative ways that demand a greater problem-solving component, even for lower-level questions that primarily test memory recall.

Exams are sometimes overlooked as an important educational opportunity.

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Geological Society of Australia, Abstracts No. 106 2nd Australian Geoscience Teaching Meeting Townsville, Australia, January 2013

The $20 Exploration Seismograph - A TESEP Initiative Michael Roach School of Earth Sciences, University of Tasmania Michael.Roach(5)utas.edu.au Seismology is probably the most widely publicised discipline within the Earth sciences due primarily to the media coverage associated with catastrophic events such as earthquakes and tsunamis. In the new national science curriculum it is expected that all school students will be exposed to concepts related to earthquakes, plate tectonics and the structure of our planet. Seismology is a critical technique that provides information on all these topics.

There are significant resources available on the internet to assist teachers with classroom activities in these areas but the majority of resources are static, relying on printed material. Engaging interactive materials and activities are needed to enliven classroom teaching in Earth sciences but dedicated seismic recording equipment is expensive and totally beyond the financial means of most schools. The Seismographs in Schools program provides an excellent mechanism to bring seismology into the classroom but only a limited number of seismographs will be deployed across the nation and the students will not have direct 'hands-on' access to the instrumentation. A cheap flexible seismic recording system is needed for classroom displays and activities.

This presentation outlines an initiative, as part of the Teachers' Earth Science Education Program (TESEP), to provide teachers with appropriate resources and ideas for classroom activities in applied seismology. It describes how a sensitive electronic exploration seismograph system can be constructed, utilising a geophone provided by TESEP and a standard laptop computer. The additional components for the system are either free or can be purchased for less than $20 and can be assembled by people with only limited experience with electronics. The classroom seismograph has sensitivity equivalent to a standard engineering seismograph, is suitable for indoor or outdoor use, and can operate in either continuous or triggered modes.

Seismic instrumentation, in addition to providing Earth science educational opportunities, also provides a very useful way to illustrate important basic physical phenomena such as wave propagation and electromagnetic induction. As part of the TESEP initiative, a PDF file and a 15 minute video have been produced that describe seismic wave propagation, the construction of the seismograph and suggestions for classroom activities including an activity to measure the velocity of seismic waves through the floor of the classroom. The classroom seismograph will be demonstrated and its uses discussed as part of this presentation.

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Geological Society of Australia, Abstracts No. 106 2nd Australian Geoscience Teaching Meeting Townsville, Australia, January 2013

Spreading Geoscience Expertise across Australian Universities Neil Williams Honorary Professorial Fellow, University of Wollongong President, Australian Geoscience Council neilw@uow.edu.au

The most recent Australian Geoscience Tertiary Education Profile conducted by the Australian Geoscience Council reveals an impressive range of geoscience expertise amongst the geoscience academics of Australian universities (Powell, 2011, Table 4). Collectively our universities are well equipped to teach and supervise students on just about any aspect of the geosciences. However, academic geoscience expertise is distributed unevenly across the nation and students in some universities do not have easy access to geoscience expertise that could be very relevant to their future careers in the geosciences.

Advances in information technology and communication provide many opportunities for students to overcome the uneven spread of academic geoscience expertise across Australia. One possible model is the one being used by the University of Wollongong for an International Science Degree that is offered in partnership with the University of Colorado (Boulder; UCB), USA, and Dublin City University, Republic of Ireland. There is a compulsory student exchange component to the degree and additionally a number of 3rd and 4th year courses are run internationally on-line with three-way tutorials held using video-conferencing facilities. The tutorials are proving to be very successful, and work best for small groups (maximum 12 participants).

No doubt there are other internet-based models that could also be used in Australia. The real challenge will not be technological, but rather reaching agreement amongst universities to partner across Australia to present more comprehensive geoscience degrees for our students, and establishing good collaborative arrangements for partnerships.

References: Powell, T.G., 2011. Australian Geoscience Tertiary Education Profile 2010, Australian Geoscience Council Report: http://www.agc.org.au/reports

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Geological Society of Australia, Abstracts No. 106 2nd Australian Geoscience Teaching Meeting Townsville, Australia, January 2013

Preparing Geoscience Students for their Professional Roles Kaylene Camuti Australian Institute of Geoscientists Email: president@aig.org.au In 2013 many Australian geoscience graduates will enter a work environment that is increasingly focused on professional issues. This increased focus is also occurring globally in response to a growing recognition of the role of the geoscientist as a professional. As evidence of this global recognition, in August last year the International Union of Geological Sciences (lUGS) approved the formation of a Task Group on Global Geoscience Professionalism. In Australia the Australian Institute of Geoscientists (AIG), which is a founding member of the lUGS Task Group, has been focused on geoscience professional issues since its inception in 1981.

Geoscience professional issues that are receiving increased attention from professional groups, regulatory bodies, and academia include: standards for geoscience practice, including ethical standards; standards and content of academic training; ongoing professional development.

Geoscience students in some other regions - notably North America - are aware they will be graduating into a professional environment with its accompanying ethical, regulatory and professional development obligations. In many cases students will make subject choices based on the professional licensing requirements of their home state or country. In contrast, many Australian undergraduates have little or no knowledge of professional issues and enter the work environment unaware of the relevance of these issues to their careers as practicing geoscientists.

The importance of professional issues in Australian undergraduate science training was acknowledged in the Science Standards Statement, September 2011, where one of the Threshold Learning Outcomes for science graduates is "demonstrating knowledge of the regulatory frameworks relevant to their disciplinary area and personally practicing ethical conduct" (Jones et al., 2011). The AIG is hopeful that recognition of the increasing importance of professionalism in geoscience practice will promote the inclusion of professional issues in Australian undergraduate geoscience courses.

Reference: Jones, S., Yates, B., and Kelder, J., 2011. Science Learning and Teaching Academic Standards Statement, September 2011. Learning and Teaching Academic Standards Project.

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Geological Society of Australia, Abstracts No. 106 2nd Australian Geoscience Teaching Meeting Townsville, Australia, January 2013

Collaborative curriculum development: engaging industry to align learning outcomes, assessment and delivery with 'real world' content Dr Maree Corkeron Earth, Environment and Biological Sciences, Queensland University of Technology Maree.corkeron@qut.edu.au What do you do when course offerings are not matched by in-house academic expertise? QUT has a long history of teaching coal geology at 3rd year level. The recent coal industry boom in Queensland increased employer demand for graduates with industry-relevant experience in coal geology At this same time, academic turnover resulted in a dearth of coal expertise on staff. Our challenge was to maintain high-level learning outcomes in coal geology for third year students and address industry feedback regarding industry-relevant content.

Our strategy involved engagement with industry professional groups (GSA Coal Geology Division and Bowen Basin Geologists Group). Existing professional networks within these groups provided introductions to individuals with a range of expertise (e.g. Queensland coal geology, coal seam gas, resource assessment, JORC standards and mine access) and enthusiasm for undergraduate outcomes.

Through a series of meetings with a group of 4 industry professionals, deficiencies in geoscience graduate expertise were identified and essential areas of graduate capability and understanding were highlighted. A common goal to ensure high-level learning outcomes with meaningful real world application was identified by all participants. A willingness to collaborate in course planning and delivery by both parties meant that learning outcomes were identified collaboratively and matched to both QUT staff and industry participant interests and expertise. Learning outcomes were aligned with assessment tasks developed and administered by academic staff.

Industry participants were involved, pro bono, in lecture and practical delivery in a conventionally timetabled 6-week teaching module as well as field trip participation. Crucial to this successful collaboration was early planning (6-12 months prior) and assiduous communication (informal meetings and regular emails), acknowledging that academic and industry work schedules differ significantly. Student results and feedback were summarized and presented to all participants at a review meeting at semester end. A QUT Learning and Teaching Grant covered planning meeting costs and professionally videoed lectures collated on DVD as a learning resource (for staff and students).

Key outcomes from this project were: Delivery of industry-relevant undergraduate coal geology content at a time of high industry demand, despite limited academic expertise. This content would otherwise have been dropped from the undergraduate course. (QUT academics up-skilled in coal geology.)

Deficiencies in learning outcomes were identified. Industry collaboration resulted in more rigorous and meaningful learning outcomes.

A misalignment between unit assessment and learning outcomes was identified. Assessment modes and assessment criteria were redesigned to align with the new learning outcomes.

Early planning resulted in a more organized structure for industry participants translating positively to the undergraduate learning experience.

Industry professionals developed a more realistic view of undergraduate capabilities and teaching/learning limitations.

Student and industry engaged enthusiastically throughout the 6 weeks. Mutually beneficial connections were established, translating to tangible workforce placements.

New academic-industry collaboration resulted in new research projects (honours and PhD).

A greater sense of confidence in the suitability of the module within the degree for both teaching staff and industry.

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Geological Society of Australia, Abstracts No. 106 2nd Australian Geoscience Teaching Meeting Townsville, Australia, January 2013

Whither/wither Applied Geophysics in Australian Universities Michael Roach School of Earth Sciences, University of Tasmania Michael.Roach@utas.edu.au Applied geophysical information is an integral component of most mineral and hydrocarbon exploration programs, is almost universally utilised as a tool for geological mapping, and contributes significantly to engineering and environmental investigations. However, despite increasing use of geophysical methods in almost all geoscience areas, there has been a significant reduction in the quantity and rigour of applied geophysics teaching in Australian universities over the last 20 years.

There are a number of factors that potentially contribute to this situation: Geophysics students in most Earth science departments are typically drawn from the Earth science student quorum and the majority of these students now do not have adequate backgrounds in maths or physics to be able to directly undertake quantitative geophysical coursework. This is a systemic issue that has its roots in the high school education system and changes in the university education system in the early 1990s.

Geophysical coursework options are perceived by most Earth science students as 'hard' options and hence are avoided. This means that class sizes are typically small and, as a result of current funding models, geophysical units are continually at risk of being discontinued in favour of units that it is perceived will have greater enrolments.

Teaching in applied geophysics also requires access to significant infrastructure in the form of geophysical instrumentation which is expensive to purchase and maintain.

Most Earth science departments at Australian Universities do not have applied geophysical staff members.

This presentation reviews the current status of undergraduate applied geophysical education in Australian Universities and paints a fairly grim picture of a discipline in decline, particularly in Eastern Australia. There is no easy fix in university environments where 'bums on seats' at each institution is the main factor that dictates the viability of a discipline and mitigates against a more collegial and strategic approach. Industry potentially also has a role to play as the applied geophysical workforce greys and geophysical knowledge and experience becomes increasingly scarce and valuable.

There are no clear answers as to how the decline in the quality and quantity of applied geophysical education can be addressed but the first step towards rectifying any issue is to clearly identify the problem. This review has been conducted in the hope that it will invigorate discussion on a topic that the Australian geoscience community cannot continue to ignore.

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Geological Society ofAustrolio, Abstracts No. 106 2nd Australian Geoscience Teaching Meeting Townsville, Australia, January 2013

AusIMM and Tertiary Geoscience Education Dale Sims AusIMM dalesims@tpg.com.au The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (AusIMM - also known as the Minerals Institute) has a core principle of minerals education within its charter. It has some 12,000 members of which approximately 3,850 are geoscientists hence the support of tertiary geoscience education is an important objective for the organisation. Within the AusIMM the group responsible for geoscience issues is called the AusIMM Geoscience Society.

Personally my involvement with the AusIMM began in Mount Isa in 1989 and I have been involved since then at a branch and national level including being a past Chair and current deputy Chair of the AusIMM Geoscience Society. I also sit on the Board of Directors of the organisation although my real job is as an independent consultant in both mining and exploration geology.

Currently support for tertiary geoscience education takes the form of assistance through bursaries for students via the Education Endowment Fund (EEF) and support for Student Chapters at particular universities or in capital cities. Some student chapters are able to hold industry based field trips as part of their activities although most usually the chapters organise social events and student meets industry evenings. Late last year a $30,000 fund was made available for support of tertiary education activities with fund allocations based on submissions from university groups.

The AusIMM Geoscience Society runs a number of initiatives for graduate geologists in their first few years of employment to assist in developing and enhancing their professional skills. In 2012 this involved two week long field mapping skills courses, one held in the Pilbara and the other in Mount Isa. The aim of these courses is to enhance existing skills developed at university as well as allow exposure to the geology of a region or district looking particularly at mineralisation styles. In 2013 we are running an exploration industry skills workshop for 5 days in Kalgoorlie for new graduates as well as the mapping courses. We also sponsor lecture tours to our remote Branch locations where we are always looking for interested and interesting presenters.

The AusIMM Geoscience Society is keen to progress developing initiatives and dialogue with both students and education providers. This includes undertaking promotion of tertiary geoscience education and developing opportunities for students and recent graduates as well as supporting activity to encourage a wider appreciation of geoscience with the general public through the Australian Geoscience Council and in secondary education through TESEP and ESWA. We also assist to sponsor this meeting.

We have recently undertaken a desktop survey of tertiary geoscience courses in Australia based on university website information to identify or recognise programs which produce geoscience graduates. All recognised courses will be promoted by the AusIMM as providing suitable training for geoscience professionals wishing to enter the minerals industry. It is anticipated that all university courses where a geoscience major involves significant study of geoscience in the final year should achieve recognition with advice to universities in the first quarter of 2013. Importantly students undertaking these courses will be better placed for EEF applications as under the by-laws of the scheme preference is given to students undertaking courses recognised by the AusIMM. Additionally one complimentary full membership to the AusIMM is offered to each university department delivering recognised courses or programs for a staff member (chosen by the Head of Department) and free attendance at an AusIMM conference each year is included in the package.

These initiatives aim to develop closer relationships between the AusIMM, its membership, tertiary education providers and current or prospective students. We are interested in developing further ways to support and assist tertiary geoscience education and we will welcome your input and involvement.

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Geological Society of Australia, Abstracts No. 106 2nd Australian Geoscience Teaching Meeting Townsville, Australia, January 2013

Fieldwork tips for the Educators of Urban-raised Geoscience Students Marion Anderson School of Geosciences, Monash University, Clayton 3800, VIC marion.anderson@nnonash.edu Increasing numbers of students in our first year university geoscience units has resulted in a larger number of urbanraised students, both local and foreign, undertaking geology field trips and field-based units. Many do not come from backgrounds where they have been camping or bushwalking with their families or peers, and they (and their families who provide funding for field trip equipment) are unfamiliar with the equipment necessary for safe field work. They have also neither learned nor practiced the physical skills necessary for field activities, such as walking on uneven or irregular surfaces, or traversing vertiginous and sometimes unstable slopes.

It is also common for academics and demonstrators on field trips to assume that this knowledge is innate to students, as many have been doing fieldwork for decades and have forgotten that they once didn't know how to traverse a scree slope! The trip leader is often first up a hill, or first down it, with little regard for how the slower students are coping. This can result in students feeling left behind, left out, or just feeling stupid and uncoordinated - situations that do not result in either an enjoyable field experience or good and safe learning environments.

At the School of Geoscience at Monash University, we are introducing the following strategies to help reduce this skill disparity: Footwear guidelines for field trips - we have developed new footwear guidelines featuring clear and unambiguous descriptions of suitable (broken-in) and unsuitable footwear.

General fitness - students are encouraged to increase their level of fitness by using the four flights of stairs in our building, at first unencumbered, and when their fitness level increases laden with ~10kg of books in a backpack, and also to go walking the 2.5km track around the Clayton campus.

Uneven surfaces - we will be building some into our new geology rock garden, but there is presently a need to source other uneven practice surfaces on campus or nearby.

Trekking/walking poles - there should be no shame in their use, and they should be encouraged for all field trip newbies, they also come apart for use as ideal splints for snakebite or broken limb emergencies.

Hands-free walking - we are working out ways of strapping map boards on to backpacks, rather than being carried under arms as this presents a hazard if the student falls.

Demonstrator support - Having a demonstrator be last up or down a hill providing encouragement and moral support to less experienced students Terrain-awareness - Students with large girths or chest measurements lose peripheral vision of their feet when walking; this results in more uncertainty (and fear) when walking on irregular and unstable surfaces.

We try to pair such students with more confident students, and will be encouraging the use of trekking/walking poles.

Traversal skills - Teach students to zig-zag up and down hills to minimise apparent steepness of slopes; and try to encourage trip leaders to set the example in doing so.

Field clothing awareness - Provide handouts and demonstrations of layering field clothing to provide suitable cover for all weather conditions. This is demonstrated in a first year lecture, much to the amusement of students.

Fieldwork should be enjoyable to all students, not just to those who have been bushwalking since they were children.

Morale is critical to the ability to learn; hopefully some of the above tips will help to restore the confidence of urban students.

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Geological Society of Australia, Abstracts No. 106 2nd Australian Geoscience Teaching Meeting Townsville, Australia, January 2013

Rapidly Increasing Class Sizes: Challenges and Solutions to Leading Subject-specific Fieldtrips at and year Levels Eric Roberts James Cook University eric.roberts@jcu.edu.au

In the last few years, geology enrolments at James Cook University have increased significantly. Class sizes have doubled, and in some cases, tripled in and year subjects, presenting many challenges. Although, adjustments to greater numbers commonly require relatively simple solutions, one facet of geoscience teaching that presents a much greater dilemma, is leading fieldtrips. Key considerations to successfully running fieldtrips in our rapidly growing subjects, include: costs, transport (i.e., can we access the same outcrops in a bus that we used to get to via 4x4), outcrop logistics (i.e., can we fit everyone on the outcrop at the same time), and availability of extra instructors and demonstrators. I will discuss a number of specific hurdles and potential solutions (as learned on the fly) to maintaining effective fieldtrip teaching within and year sedimentology courses at James Cook University.

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Geological Society of Australia, Abstracts No. 106 2nd Australian Geoscience Teaching Meeting Townsville, Australia, January 2013

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Geological Society of Australia, Abstracts No. 106 2nd Australian Geoscience Teaching Meeting Townsville, Australia, January 2013

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Geological Society of Australia, Abstracts No. 106 2nd Australian Geoscience Teaching Meeting Townsville, Australia, January 2013

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Geological Society of Australia, Abstracts No. 106 2nd Australian Geoscience Teaching Meeting Townsville, Australia, January 2013

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Geological Society of Australia, Abstracts No. 106 2nd Australian Geoscience Teaching Meeting Townsville, Australia, January 2013

Participant List Marion Thomas Kaylene John Maree James Paul Cindi Clement Chris Annette Andy Penny Gavin Chris Sandra Luke Linda Ryan Eric Chava Christoph Dale Jess Peter Neil

Anderson Blenkinsop Camuti Carranza Corkeron Daniell Dirks Dunjey Fay Folkes George Hammond King Lind Mays McLaren Nothdurft Nothdurft Petterson Roberts Rodriguez Schrank Sims Trofimovs Whitehead Williams

marion.anderson@monash.edu Thomas.Blenkinsop@jcu.edu.au lantana@beyond.net.au John.carranza@jcu.eud.au maree.corkeron@qut.edu.au james.daniell@jcu.edu.au paul.dirks@jcu.eud.au cindi.dunjey@uwa.edu.au clement.fayl@my.jcu.edu.au chris.folkes@monash.edu annette.george@uwa.edu.au a.hammond@cqu.Gdu.au penny.king@anu.edu.au gavin.lind@minerals.org.au chris.mays@monash.edu mclarens@unimelb.edu.au l.nothdurft@qut.edu.au linda.nothdurft@qut.edu.au r.petterson@uq.edu.au eric.roberts@jcu.edu.au chris.mays@monash.edu christoph.schrank@qut.edu.au dalesims@tpg.com.au jessica.trofimovs@qut.edu.au Peter.Whitehead@jcu.edu.au williamsgeoscience@grapevine.com.au

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Monash University James Cook University Lantana Exploration Pty Ltd James Cook University Queensland University of Technology James Cook University James Cook University University of Western Australia James Cook University Monash University University of Western Australia Central Queensland University Australian National University Minerals Council of Australia Monash University University of Melbourne Queensland University of Technology Queensland University of Technology University of Queensland James Cook University Monash University Queensland University of Technology AusIMM Queensland University of Technology James Cook University University of Wollongong & Australian Geoscience Council