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

Reviewed by Alyssa Smith, Part-Time Instructor, Mt. Hood Community College on 4/10/25

Comprehensiveness rating: 3 see less

This textbook, which is structured for an online lab course, covers 11 different topics in Geology: the scientific process, minerals, plate boundaries, igneous rocks, sedimentary rocks, metamorphic rocks, earthquakes, geological time, glacial landforms (in New York specifically), geography and landforms (in New York), and climate change. Additionally, it includes a field trip, but the online only version of the trip would not be an equal replacement for the in-person version and therefore isn't very useful for those living in different areas.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

No errors found.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 3

While some activities in this book could be used outright for schools outside of New York State, several, including the sections on glacial landforms and landforms/geography of New York would not be applicable as is. There could also be issue with video links not working in the future, as the videos linked are to content that is not owned by the authors, so whomever would use this book would want to check links before assigning material to students.

Clarity rating: 5

Level of detail should be sufficient for ~100 level community college courses for non-majors.

Consistency rating: 4

Text is relatively consistent with terminology and framework. One confusing portion was in the rock activities--for all other chapters, the maps or diagrams were in line with the text, but for the rock activities, the images are at the end of the textbook. Doing one or the other would be helpful.

Modularity rating: 5

Activities are appropriately divided for different subjects. Activities have subdivisions that are clearly organized.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 4

The order of topics is mostly appropriate. I would personally shuffle some of the topics based on the textbooks I have used and use currently, such as geological time being an earlier topic and minerals and rocks going in sequence, but someone using the text could simply teach them in the order they chose.

Interface rating: 4

Most images are clear and most links work--there are a few images that are a little fuzzy, but hopefully this should not take away significantly from the user's experience. It may become an issue if things are printed and copied, however. One link to a Google Earth file did not work for me.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

No errors noted.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

No cultural insensitive material noted.

Comments

There are a few topics missing that I would want to see incorporated, such as stream processes, coastlines, and desert processes/ landforms, but I could see myself adapting some of the activities for my online classroom. Incorporating things like 3D rock and mineral models via Sketchfab would be a way to increase the effectiveness of the rock and mineral sections.

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.