How modern technology can meet needs of modern learning in geoscience

Jonny Hesthammer, formerly with Statoil and now a professor in the Department of Earth Sciences, University of Bergen, is a leading advocate of modern learning techniques for geoscience education. In this article he describes how new technologies can be adapted to meet the needs of both students and those already employed in industry. Modern technology can change the way we learn. Used correctly, the technology can enhance learning, used wrongly, it may reduce the learning effect. This article describes modern learning in light of (a) problem-based learning, (b) organizing and administrating content, (c) interactive multimedia learning experiences, and (d) geosimulators (advanced flight simulators). Two geological field courses will be used to illustrate the concept. The field courses in structural geology and sequence stratigraphy were run in the areas of southeastern Utah and eastern Colorado. One of the courses was held for geoscience students at M.Sc. level, while the other course had participants from the petroleum industry. Both courses consisted of a pre-field course and the field course itself. During the course, participants worked in groups, solving problems related to general topic disciplines and petroleum industry value chain processes. The participants used geosimulators and e-learning modules (interactive, multimedia learning experiences) to acquire the necessary knowledge. The article presents results that have developed from a major collaboration effort between Statoil and all Norwegian universities, called the Collaboration Agreement. The collaboration started in 1998, and Statoil annually spends approximately $3 million to strengthen learning both within the company and at the universities.