It has recently become clear that traditional, lecture-based courses do not serve the needs of most college science students. Learning facts in a lecture setting is an ineffective way to prepare students. To help solve this problem, research components are being introduced in many of the geology courses. This project, centered around the Mineralogy class, is a further move toward a research-based curriculum. Students enjoy doing experimental studies. They like working on projects where they become the expert. They become original thinkers and investigators. They learn how scientists create science, and learn basic scientific principles through application. The new equipment being acquired allows students to conduct more sophisticated, semester-long, experimental investigations. They work in teams, designing their projects, collecting data, and interpreting results. They present their conclusions in class, in seminars, and in publications. The equipment can also be used for teaching and for student research in classes other than Mineralogy, including Structural Geology, Geomorphology, Petrology, Industrial Minerals, Ore Deposits, Sedimentology and Stratigraphy, and Coal Geology. The video system, in particular, simplifies large group instruction and discussion based on the petrographic microscope, and facilitates presentations of student research results. *
