Geology Online Lab Activities: An Open Educational Resource for Community College Students and Instructors

Reviewed by Brent Silvis, Natural Science Faculty, Leech Lake Tribal College on 12/13/22

Comprehensiveness rating: 4 see less

Overall, this book covers much of what you would expect to cover in an Intro to Geology course. Some topics such as hydrology and Earth System Science are not included. There is a teacher's guide that accompanies this which contains some ancillaries that are needed for some of the labs.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

This seems very accurate and informed. Includes context and supporting material to inform students. Contains citations.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

Relevance is subjective. Seems current and covers many of the fundamentals of geology. Some activities rely on URLs which may become obsolete. First few activities seem to target a younger audience than intended, after which the activities get up to speed. A lot of focus is placed on New York / New Jersey geological features, but I feel most instructors will use this resource for ideas around which to build customized activities.

Clarity rating: 4

Something about the layout seemed a bit disconcerting, perhaps the overuse of bold text and inconsistent formatting of activities. After a bit of use, it
Also took a little hunting to locate the teachers' guide, which is needed.

Consistency rating: 4

As noted, the use of bold text becomes a bit uniform throughout the text and no longer becomes an effective device. This gives the book a chaotic feel, but this can be overcome after spending a little time with it. And, as noted, the first few activities seem to be a bit too elementary, although the other activities are appropriate.

Modularity rating: 5

I would have no concerns about borrowing parts of these activities to integrate into my own lab. Of course, the activities in this book are likely supportive of course texts and lectures and wouldn't really work as a standalone resource.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 4

As noted, the use of bold text becomes a bit uniform throughout the text and no longer becomes an effective device. This gives the book a chaotic feel, but this can be overcome after spending a little time with it.

Interface rating: 4

I think the pdf could benefit greatly from hypertexts that allow the reader to jump to various parts of the text. Perhaps indicating the title of the activity in the footer would also help with navigation.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

No grammar issues.

Cultural Relevance rating: 3

Minor cultural context, such as climate change issues, references to economic value of minerals and a place-based focus on the New York / New Jersey area. Otherwise, no cultural relevance.

Comments

This book starts out slow, with the first few activities seemingly targeted towards a younger audience. The format takes a little getting used to. Also, it may take a little hunting to find the teachers' guide, which is needed. Once I got past these things, I found it a very useful resource. I probably will not adopt any single activity wholesale, but will definitely use this for ideas and probably utilize parts of various activities. I appreciate this free resource.