ABSTRACT
This chapter illustrates that there are some advantages of online courses that can be incorporated in larger introductory courses in geology. Furthermore, online learning content mixed with hands-on laboratory exercises and field trips will likely result in improved learning, especially if that learning is personalized and includes frequent individual student interactions. Given the positive learning outcomes for online course-delivery methods, it is surprising that so few centers of higher education offer online courses in geology. The chapter focuses on developing an online class, with a focus on science and geology. Student engagement is the most important portion of the online class experience, yet it frequently gets the least amount of attention. In fact, the slight increase in completion of course work found in online classes indicates that students in the online class are slightly better at submitting course work, which may be related to the self-paced nature of learning online and the flexibility it offers students.
