pasadena city college pasadena, california dave douglass, dean natural sciences

Pasadena City CollegePasadena, CaliforniaDave Douglass, Dean Natural Sciences

College Founded in 1924First Geology Course taught in 1927

First overnight field trip in 1928

Hispanic Asian PI White Black Native Amer.05

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ETHNICITY

One of 112 California Community Colleges• ~23,000 Credit Students• 53 acre urban campus• ~ 1800 students per year transfer to the

University of California (UC) of the California State University System (CSU)

“Traditional” 2YC Geology Curriculum• Physical -> Historical -> Mineralogy• Emphasis on Field Experiences

General Education CoursesOceans, Environmental, Dinosaurs,

Hazards, Earth Science etc.

Recent Additions…Field Methods

Paleontology

~600 Students/year take Physical GeologyAbout 5% of those become geology “Majors”Most are headed for Transfer…

Traditional Geology Department

• Strong emphasis in field experiences

• Laboratory focus on identification of geological materials

• Excellent relationship with transfer institutions

• Large contribution to general geoscience literacy

• Collaborative faculty

21st Century Geoscience Department

• Friendly acquisition of geography• Embracing active, project-based

learning • Classroom technologies such as

clickers, lap tops etc.• Working towards early “research”

experiences• Working towards improved

partnerships with 4-year institutions

• Working towards skills certificate in GIS

• Better roadmaps for “majors” in broader STEM curriculum