1. A proposal for
Geology 490: Geologists’ Role in the Workplace
A practical approach to Junior/Senior Seminar and the Writing Requirement
Connor Faccone, Sean Kotter, Nate Hickman
3. Introduction
The Geology department here at WVU is known for its academics, and ground breaking
research. As students of this program, we can attest to the knowledge base that this school has
given us over our academic careers. The problem that we found with the curriculum is that, even
though students have a great knowledge base in geology they lack the skill necessary to
effectively apply it as professionals in the real world and work force. Our solution was to
propose a new course that would fix this problem and evaluate how the department could go
about correcting this issue. This course is designed to use practical skills taught in the geology
program in order to better prepare WVU geology students for life in the workplace. Strategies
used will include field trips, learning useful computer programs, and trying to understand
practical problems encountered in the workplace. The academic background at WVU is
outstanding but there must be knowledge that would help WVU students be even more
competitive on the job market. Through conducting interviews with two Baker Hughes
employees this group has identified a few issues that could use attention throughout this course.
Along with practical professional knowledge this class will also cover basic ways to conduct
yourself in the workplace, proper dress, attitude, and polite problem solving skills. The addition
of this course to the geology curriculum will better prepare students to become successful
professional geologist.
Problem
The problem we identified in the current curriculum is that the current Junior/Senior
seminar does not adequately prepare graduates to transition to the workforce. When they graduate,
a standard geology student has a lot of math, physics, chemistry, and specific geology knowledge,
which is very applicable in the work place. What they lack is an understanding of how to get into
the work place i.e. finding a job and what will be expected of them once they are there. A study
conducted by the AAC&U showed that seventy-three percent of employers surveyed would like
colleges and universities to spend more time on teaching the ability to apply knowledge and skills
to real-world problems. The lack of an ability to apply the book learning can hinder or even kill a
career.
Proposal
Geology 490: A Geologist Role in the Workplace aims to put students through tasks that
mimic real world situations and make them apply their knowledge. This course will further
educate students with regards to how to get a job and what will be expected of them in a much
more professional atmosphere. This course will replace Junior/Senior seminar with a more
rigorous course that walks students through the process of applying, interviewing, and working at
a new job. As well as teach them the proper way to write up papers, reports, presentations, emails
and memos in order to also fulfill the writing requirement and further evolve their caliber for
writing.
The overall purpose of this course is to better prepare WVU geology graduates for the
workplace. Throughout the length of this course students will be tested on various knowledge
and skills they have studied the last four years. Implementation of these skills will happen in a
4. way that is similar to that of a workplace setting. Senior level students will be guided through
information such as resume making and how to prepare for and execute an interview. Along with
work place ethical conduct and other professional tendencies that need to be learned, students
will be tested on their geology knowledge, cooperation with others, ability to work alone, and
overviews of how economics will affect their career path. Students will develop a portfolio
throughout the course that hopefully will go on to be useful when it comes to getting a job.
Finally there will be implementations of two field trips that will increase in expectations and
workload, to better represent the work environment in real life.
Procedure
The beginning of the course will go slow. The course will begin with an introduction to
resume building and distribution. This will comprise the first week and half and it will be
followed with the interview portion of the course. The purpose of the resume and interview
section is to teach the students while actually mimicking the process of attempting to get gainful
employment. After the interview process is complete students will get their first grades and then
move on to the first large project, which is group data analysis. Students will be put into groups
and have to interpret a raw source of data (i.e. core samples) and then present their data and their
findings much like a professional researcher would do once at a firm.
Prior to the first field trip of the course students will be given a brief overview of their
Mineralogy, Petrology, and Sedimentation and Stratigraphy courses. This week is meant to test
the student’s retention of previous material while preparing them to implement this knowledge in
the upcoming field trip. No homework is assigned during this portion of the course because of
the upcoming second large project that will go in the portfolio. The second project is an
overview of how well a student works independent of the group. On the field trip students will
be responsible for field notes as well we data collection. This data will then be presented in front
of the class with the student’s findings. This will make the student more self-reliant which
would be necessary if the student worked for an agency such as the USGS or similar government
bureau.
Over the next week the course takes on a lighter note with the introduction of the final
portfolio and a day spent explaining “Geologic Economics” so the students have a better grasp of
what industry they are getting into. After spring break recess the course starts back out a little
slow with a two-week overview of the petroleum and fracking industries. These weeks are
followed up by a field trip to a fracking pad to show the students up close what the industry
looks like. Following this field trip the course dives into teaching the students about how to
learn a subterranean drilling program. This skill could be very valuable seeing as how most
wells are coordinated this way now, and already having a partial understanding of how a system
works gives the graduate of looking good among his peers and to his superiors. In the
conclusion of the course students bring together all the things they created: Resume, Data
Analysis group project, Data Analysis solo project, and a well design they create using the
program they learn. This final portfolio will work as their final and there will not be a written
test.
The purpose of this course is to take students from the beginning of the process through
all steps of getting a new job, working with a group, working solo, and learning something new
on the fly. After completion of this course students will have a portfolio to show potential
employers that has details about their work ethic, attitude, and how their work will look when it’s
5. done. WVU will use this course to replace the current junior/senior seminar and will also fulfill
the writing requirement for the geology program.
Research
A professor for Northern Virginia Community College, Callan Bentley, is a
staunch advocate of the importance of field trips. Bentley states in his 2009 article in The
Journal of Virginia Community Colleges, The field trips are especially useful as performance
evaluations for the students. He developed methods for grading students based on knowledge,
attention to detail, and individualistic approach to the problems. Based on his information, the
field trips in this course are planned to test a student’s abilities on several levels. Not only will
they be evaluated for how they conduct themselves on the field trip and how well they collect
data, they will also be evaluated on how well they interpret that data and present it to the other
students in the class. This will cause students to have to understand the importance of paying
attention during the field trip as well as being able to recall experiences and observations after
the fact. The application of the field trips also fits in with the multimodal learning design by
taking the students out of the classroom and putting them in the field with responsibilities that
would be similar to those in the workplace.
The course was designed to help benefit all students and one method the course will use
was proven at Ottawa University, multimodal learning. Multimodal learning states that your
classroom material should be taught in multiple forms and genres. This is because students learn
in different forms (audio, visual, hands on, etc). “A student’s response to choosing and using
genres to represent important information helps them to ‘see more’ and ‘look at things in
different ways’… At the end of the research project, the teacher observed that her students
submitted well-documented texts that investigated a topic from many perspectives and then
presented the findings in interesting and creative formats” (Morawski 5).
One way in which our course will emphasize less lecture-centered learning and more
project-centered learning is by implementing a problem based learning (PBL) curriculum.
Created in the 1980s and researched by professors at the University of Delaware, PBL is
designed to take a student centered approach to learning and skill development rather than
professor centered lecture approach. PBL is a curriculum model that teaches students how to
tackle task-based problems as well as involve students in active and multidisciplinary learning.
With a PBL curriculum students will strengthen their skills to be able to solve problems that are
open-ended or ambiguous. In most of academia, a traditional teacher centered approach is used
to teach undergraduate sciences. However, a major criticism of this approach is that students are
often passive receptors of knowledge. By using the PBL approach students would have the
knowledge to engage their classmates in collaborative decision-making and team building
discussions as they learn to solve problems through group negotiations. Furthermore, the
assigned problems in the PBL curriculum would encourage the students to move away from
prescribed approaches and discover new means to solve open-ended scientific problems by
thinking outside the box.
6. Below are reasons for implementing PBL in the classroom:
• Allow students to select members and inform students in advance of the penalty for
non-participation in group work
• Set aside a dedicated session for groups to discuss the progress of their research and to
provide feedback when necessary
• Consider having a mock presentation at which students present their results and invite
another students to observe and to give comments
• Use online discussion forums for students to post their meeting minutes and to discuss
the progress of their assignments
Resources and Cost
There are three main resources that need funded for this course to succeed. Field trips, a
graduate student to help the professor, and the purchasing of the geosteering software training.
Hotels and gas will be the biggest costs due to field trips. The first field trip will only require
WVU to put forth funds for transportation but the second will require an overnight stay near the
fracking pad. Actually being on or at the fracking pad will be coordinated with the Corporate
Company and will not cost money. Insurance for the teachers, students, or property of WVU is
either already provided or would be taken care of by WVU should anything happen.
The other large cost will be the purchase of the S.E.S. geosteering software. The name
of this software is StarSteer from a company called ROGII. Many larger companies are
switching to this software due to its focus on geosteering and geology versus focusing on
clicking buttons in the old-fashioned software. ROGII will send an expert to teach the course to
the professor and will provide all licenses free of charge for educational purposes. The training
will take two days (one conceptual, one practical application). WVU will be responsible for the
plane ticket and accommodations of the specialist while he is in Morgantown.
The professor in charge, who will also be assisted by a graduate student, will complete
oversight for the course. The professor will be available to answer questions via office hours or
e-mail and will oversee both field trips. In order to make room in Dr. Toro’s already busy
schedule he would drop his current Geology 101 course.
This course will cost $24,971 (Appendix 3) which is more expensive than most courses.
The upside is that the course will have the freedom and the ability to adequately educate the
students.
7. Conclusion
In summation, we believe that with all these learning implementations into our
curriculum WVU geology graduates will be better suited to the workplace after college. The
usage of multimodal learning to teach the students both in class and with the projects, to help
better visualize geologic process with physical and visual demonstrations (and even allowing
students to create and see the effects of changing conditions with in class experiments) helps
students further grasp geologic concepts with hands on experiments and experience. As well as
using problem based learning, and the effectiveness of hands on field trips will bring the students
up to level of professionalism that they aim to achieve at WVU. Our Geology 490 class will
remove the need for the Junior/ Senior seminar, while continuing to provide the same
information in the curriculum, as well as fulfill the geology technical writing requirement. The
students who take this course will be pushed academically with large projects and data based
learning and that pushing is what the students’ needs before they enter the workforce. This
course will instill values that will let employers know that WVU geology graduates are a great
addition to any professional team. Geology 490: A Geologists Role in the Workplace is a large
comprehensive course that will take students through several different types of learning methods,
environments, and comfort levels but in the end the student will better prepared for the
workplace than if they had taken the current Junior/Senior seminar.
Students who take this course will easy compete or excel past other new professionals
entering the workplace due to the extra effort they put in to the skills that are accentuated
throughout the course.
“It is only through labor and painful effort, by grim energy and resolute courage that we move on
to better things.”- Theodore Roosevelt. This course may be painful and it may be challenging but
it is a key to opening the door for Mountaineers to open the door to better things.
8. Appendix #1
Syllabus
Geology 490 Geologist Role in the Workplace
Spring 20##
(3 credits)
Instructor: Dr. Jaime Toro
Office: G39 Brooks Hall Phone: 293-9817 email: jtoro@wvu.edu
Office Hours: Tuesday and Thursday at 11:30-12:30 p.m. or by appointment.
T.A. Ben Johnson email: foldandthrust@gmail.com Office: G42
Lecture: Tuesday and Thursday at 10:00-11:15, Brooks Hall G25
Website: http://www.geo.wvu.edu/~jtoro Follow the link for Geol490
Prerequisites: Geology 103, 104, 285, 341, Math 128 (Trigonometry), Physics 101 or
111,
Grades: Lecture: 60% = Project 1 10
Project 2 10 %
Final Portfolio 15 %
Quizzes and Homework 25 %
2 Fieldtrips: 40%
Attendance: Required. GEOL 490 is a project and field based course that will prepare students for the
modern work environment. Most of the learning in the class will take place during lectures and
field trips. Due to this, all lecture are an important tool in maximizing the learning while in
GEOL 490.
All field trips that are taken during the class are mandatory. Given that the areas that we will be visiting
will be more than an hour drive from campus all of the field trips will be difficult to make-up
after the fact. All students will need to arrange their schedules. If any student cannot attend a field
trip they must contact me no less than one week in advance of the trip.
9. Goals of this class:
1. To teach practical skills that are common in the workplace to help the transition
from being a student to a professional.
2. To help get a basic background of geologic programs that are used out in the
field.
3. To get hands on learning with actual fieldwork through field trips.
4. Help design a resume, and how to conduct yourself better in an interview,
business meeting, and in a work/group environment.
Geology 490 is a field-based, hands-on discipline. You will find that much of the learning in this class
will take place in the class and during the field trip. For that reason,the lecture portion is an
integral part of the course.
Each field trip report will be due according to the syllabus date after the trip. Late reports are not
acceptable. Ifyou are having trouble finishing the report, talk to the TA. Don’t wait to the
end ofthe semester. Because the field trips are such a large portion ofthe grade it can have
severe consequences ifyou don’t turn in all the write-ups.
You will need the following items at some point during the semester. Bring them to every lecture/ trip:
• Ruler
• Straight-edge
• Scissors Calculator with trig functions
• Hard Colored pencils (Cheap, hard Crayola Pencils work well, avoid soft Prismacolor
and other waxy art pencils)
• Tracing paper
• Graph paper
• 2 good quality Mechanical Pencils with 0.5 HB lead. Pentel pencils are good.
• Scotch tape
• Black ink drafting pen or extra fine point Sharpie
• Clipboard for field trips (get one with a small metal clip and a plastic cover if
possible)
• Geologist’s compass with inclinometer and declination adjustment: You will need to
own one for Field Camp. A good compass is also handy for backpacking trips, so it is
a good investment. Make sure it is an azimuth compass.
www.forestry-suppliers.com item#37036 Silva Ranger CL15 Azimuth (0-
360°) $46 (or equivalent).
Field Notebook- You will also need it for Field Camp. www.forestry-
suppliers.com item#49352 FB842 – 50% rag paper, ($7) is fine.
Item#49328 No. 350 Rite-inthe-Rain paper is better in very wet
weather($16).
• Small protractor
10. Appendix #2
LECTURE SCHEDULE
Date Topics Assignments Due
January 12 Introto Geology490/ Syllabus
14 Introto Resume’s
19 BuildingaResume
21 JobSearchingDay Resume Completion
26 InterviewEtiquette
28 Mock Interviews
February 2 Office/ GroupEtiquette
4 Basic ComputerResourcesOverview
9 Introto Project1 MicrosoftHW Due
11 Work Day
16 Work Day
18 Data Presentations Project1 Due
23 Data Presentations Project1 Due
25 Mineralogy/PetrologyOverview
March 1 Sed. Strat/Structure Overview
3 Sed.Strat/Structure Overview
5 Field Trip 1 (Practical Skills@Local Outcrops)
8 Work Day
10 SoloProject2 Analysis/Presentation Project2 Due
15 PortfolioIntro
17 GeologicEconomics
22 SpringBreak(NOCLASS)
24 SpringBreak(NOCLASS)
29 PetroleumOverview
31 PetroleumOverview
April 5 FrackingOverview PetroleumOverview HWDue
7 FrackingOverview
9/10 Field Trip 2 (HydroFrackingpad)
12 S.E.SDrillingProgramTutorial FrackingOverview HWDue
14 S.E.SDrillingProgramTutorial
19 Drill ProjectWorkDay
21 Drill ProjectWorkDay
26 Hand inAnalysisof FrackingPad FieldTrip2 Analysis
28 PortfolioCompletion
May 3 No Class
5 Hand inFinal Portfolio
11. Appendix #3
GEOL 490
Proposed Expense Estimates
Actual Expenses Jan Feb Mar Apr May YEAR
Employee Expences
TA Salary $3,000 $3,000 $3,000 $3,000 $3,000 $15,000
0
0
Subtotal $3,000 $3,000 $3,000 $3,000 $3,000 $15,000
Field Expences
Van/Bus Rentals $0 $0 $331 $2000 $0 $0
Gas Expences $240 $300 $540
Lodging Expences $3,300 $3,300
Inusureence Cost $0
Subtotal $0 $0 $3,871 $2,300 $0 $6,171
I.T. Cost
Starseer Geosteering Program $3,800 $0 $0 $0 $0 $3,800
0
0
Subtotal $3,800 $0 $0 $0 $0 $3,800
TOTALS
Monthly Actual Expenses $6,800 $3,000 $6,871 $5,300 $3,000 $24,971
TOTAL Actual Expenses $6,800 $9,800 $16,671 $21,971 $24,971
12. Work Cited
Bentley, Callan. "Geology Field Trips as Performance Evaluations." Inquiry: The Jounral of
Virginia Community Colleges, 2009, 77-93. Accessed March 12, 2015. eric.ed.gov
Duch, Barbara J. The Power of Problem-based learning a Practical "how to" for Teaching
Undergraduate Courses in Any Discipline. Sterling, Va.: Stylus Pub., 2001.
Morawski, Cynthia, Hayden, Kinberley, Nutt, Aileen, Pasic, Nikolas, Rogers, Angela, and
Zawada, Violet. “International Journal of Education & the Arts” A gallery of multimodal
possibilities in a graduate course on learning differences in education Volume 15, no. 18 (2014):
1-31 Retrieved from http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1045917.pdf
