Creating A Computer-Enhanced Geology Learning Environment

As we stated in the section on "The Process of Getting Going," the faculty members at SDSU place a premium on networking both outside of one's own department and even outside the university.

Eric: To adopt new ways of teaching, people have to get involved with people who are doing it already. I think as soon as people actually see concrete examples of how somebody is using technology, they realize what science can do. Once you see that and imagine yourself teaching that way, it is a downhill ride that would be hard to stop even if you tried to.

I teach within the corporate world, for Chevron. They have a "Top Gun" school kind of a thing. I teach people who have been in the oil industry for awhile and are brought in to raise their skill level. So, a lot more than most of the faculty, I have a sense of where our students (on campus) need to go, and that they will be using much higher technology than is usually available at the university.

One of the other big lessons I've learned is that a lot of the most creative people in the university are not on the faculty. I've found that there are a lot of really creative, talented people that would fit in as sort of quasi-faculty, staff people, volunteers or alumni. The things you try to do with them often move forward much more rapidly because they often times have thought about things for a long time. They have technical capabilities to do things and often do so in a better time frame because they don't have as many distractions as a lot of faculty members do.

One of the lessons that I have really used is that if you want to work on accomplishing a lot of things like this, you have to go work outside of your own department with other people who know something about cognition and/or learning. It is really helpful to work with people from other universities. It helps you appreciate what you have in a positive way, see what things other people have that you would like to mimic.

Also, because of Eric's interest and knowledge in working with supercomputer applications at the San Diego Super Computer Center (SDSC), he was much more aware of new technological innovations. Kris Stewart, professor of math and computer sciences, explains this point:

Marco (interviewer): How did you get Eric, and why him? What did you like in him that made you somewhat embrace him as a member of your academic family?

Kris, student: He respected high performance computing, he knew of its value. I had actually known of his work with the San Diego Super Computer Center from many years ago. So there is a long time association with Eric. He really believes in his teaching and benefiting his students, so it is a natural thing to help him.