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plans in the case of an outbreak before or period from March to August 2020 and subsurface geological areas of interest was
during the camp. Building this field camp include course development, logistics plan- introduced each day.
required significant planning, execution, ning, implementation, and review. The Our 14-day online portion had 45 students
success—and serendipity—in key areas. planning for the online and field-course from 18 different U.S.-based undergraduate
While this course was developed in phases is outlined in Table 1 and divided institutions, and our field-based face-to-face
response to the COVID-19 pandemic, its broadly into early and late-stage deliver- portion had 30 students from 14 different
application is not limited to public-health con- ables and considerations. institutions. The course was intentionally
cerns that limit face-to-face instruction. The Preparation for the online course started designed such that students were given
geoscience field by its nature requires an inti- shortly after most U.S. institutions shut assignments that would take anywhere from
mate understanding of the natural world and, down or were locked down due to the out- 6 to 12 hours to complete. In addition to
as such, often relies on field-based observa- break in mid-March 2020. At this time, hand-drawn maps, topographic profiles, and
tion and research. Furthermore, most job universities and colleges canceled face-to- cross sections, only our virtual platform
descriptions for geoscientists in the U.S. as face instruction, closed most of their facili- (Zoom), Google Earth, R. Allmendinger’s
well as abroad specify the need for fieldwork ties, and sent students home to finish out Stereonet, and standard word processing
and competency in working in the field (sensu the school year through online instruction. software (Microsoft Office) were required to
Oliveri and Bohacs, 2005). Unfortunately, the As the pandemic situation progressed and complete the exercises.
requirements of a field-based capstone under- affected summer travel plans, multiple
graduate course can inadvertently restrict field courses that the BHNSFS operates IMPLEMENTATION AND RESULTS
access to our science. A multi-week field- internationally were soon canceled; U.S.-
based geologic mapping course can be prob- based courses were postponed and then A Typical Online Course Day
lematic for non-traditional students with fam- finally arranged for an online format. A typical online day consisted of four main
ily and work obligations that prevent them However, there still existed a need to parts: (i) an introductory informal discussion
from traveling to a remote field site for an deliver a field course for students wishing about the course or exercise from the previous
extended time. Furthermore, the cost of some to complete their field component and fin- day; (ii) a lecture covering a new topic of
field-based mapping courses is prohibitive for ish their undergraduate education require- interest; (iii) a description of the new project
low-income students, thereby potentially lim- ments during the summer. In April, our or exercise of the day to be completed by the
iting the diversification of practitioners within team of instructors began planning for the students for a grade; and (iv) an afternoon
the geosciences (see Chiarella and Vurro, hybrid online and field-course logistics Q&A session typically in a group forum last-
2020, for an in-depth discussion on this topic). and curriculum. ing 1–2 hours to cover any existing questions
This public-health crisis also presents an Because a five-week–long standard field the students had regarding the exercise.
opportunity: by developing robust remote camp was not feasible for health and safety We covered topics of the day, including
learning opportunities to cultivate geologic reasons, we decided on a hybrid course with pacing, three-point problems, planar mea-
mapping skills, we provide an accessible and two distinct parts: (i) a 14-day online webi- surements (strike and dip of bedding, joints,
alternative pathway to experience the cap- nar-based portion followed immediately by etc.), trend and plunge measurements, inter-
stone undergraduate geoscience course. (ii) a 15-day face-to-face field-based portion preting physical stratigraphy, measuring
While this paper describes just one experi- held in Rapid City, South Dakota, USA. This stratigraphic section, building weathering
ence, and we do not have access to every course was approved because it satisfied the profiles to trace mappable units and forma-
available data point at this time (reviews are requirements set forth by relevant university tion boundaries, interpreting depositional
still being generated for this course), we feel and government guidance: (i) having a best environments, measuring fractures and
we do have a particularly insightful view of practices plan in place for travel, accommo- folds, strike/dip and trend/plunge measure-
several key concepts for developing and deliv- dations, dining, and fieldwork; (ii) providing ments, mapping geological contacts and
ering a hybrid course during the COVID-19 a method for departure and travel to field structures using both field photos and remote
pandemic. This paper has three primary aims: areas; (iii) incorporating best health, safety, sensing data, using geomorphology and out-
(i) to characterize the portions and extent of and environmental (HS&E) practices while crop weathering patterns to trace lithofacies
the planning, execution, and review process in the field; and (iv) having a contingency and formation boundaries to establish struc-
for this course; (ii) to issue a qualitative analy- plan in case someone showed symptoms or tures, and more. Following the lecture and a
sis of what worked and what did not work for tested positive for the virus. short break, the instructor would then pres-
this course, from the various perspectives of Our online geological field methods ent the daily exercise. Overall, most morning
key stakeholders, including students and course is divided into four primary modules: lectures and exercise introductions took
instructors; and (iii) to provide a method for (i) an introduction to field mapping and read- ~2–3 hours to complete.
an ideal set-up for a hybrid online and field ing geologic and topographic maps (three Following the end of the morning session,
course during a pandemic anywhere in days); (ii) sedimentation, stratigraphy, and each recorded lecture was submitted to the
the world. basin analysis (four days); (iii) structural course platform—D2L—an online reposi-
geology, and fracture analysis, and mapping tory for all materials. Each PowerPoint lec-
COURSE DEVELOPMENT AND geologic structures (six days); and (iv) a final ture and slides were also submitted to D2L
PREPARATION project encompassing mapping, sedimenta- by the end of each day, along with the project
Here we present the four key stages in tion, geomorphology, and structural analysis description and grading rubric. It was critical
delivering a hybrid course. The following (one day). A new skill or topic pertaining to be able to grade everything using digital
stages took place over a six-month time to mapping and interpreting surface and copies to return to the students who were
www.geosociety.org/gsatoday 5