An Applied Alternative with Emphasis on Local Environmental Issues to a Traditional Term Paper for Environmental Geology Classes.

Every year several hundred non-geology majors, mostly juniors and seniors, take our Environmental Geology classes (Geology 300) to meet their Upper Division General Education course requirements. In order to encourage environmental curiosity and personal responsibility, in lieu of a traditional term-paper, a 30-page homework packet, which is based on ongoing environmental issues and realistic data, has been developed. The packet was initiated in the spring semester of 2002 and has been revised several times to reflect top environmental issues, the course's general requirements/expectations, students' writing and mathematical skills and their general environmental background knowledge. Through the assessment of this newly developed packet, although more than half of the students surveyed (58.8%) indicated that the packet is more challenging than doing a traditional term paper and some had difficulties with mathematical sections of the packet, 88.7% of those surveyed recommended the continuation of the packet. The packet contains several components in which the students are given the opportunity to conduct research on some specific local environmental issues and through their documentation to advance their writing and mathematical skills. Through up to four in-class small group 30-minute discussions, the students help each other to improve their mathematical skills and exchange ideas on understanding the related concepts and initiate original discussions on various environmental issues. The packet is flexible enough to be readily adapted to other geographical regions and various educational levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]