2009 Institutional Report

Reporting Institution

Vancouver Island University

Representative

Steven Earle

Programs/Courses

The course framework for a BSc Double Minor in Geography and Earth Science has been developed and we are now in discussions with Geography to see if we can also offer an Earth Science major, with an emphasis on environmental geoscience. A few more courses will have to be developed, but we do not have additional funding.

Staffing 

Maggie McColl (On sick leave)

Steven Earle (GEOL 111, GEOL 304, GEOL 308, SCIE 303, GEOL 412)

Tim Stokes (GEOL 111, GEOL 202, GEOL 301)

Sandra Johnstone (GEOL 112, GEOL 200)

Owen Peer (technician)

Enrolment Trends

Course

07/08

08/09

GEOL 111 

-

Introduction to Physical Geology

32

118

GEOL 112 

-

Introduction to Historical Geology

16

51

 

 

 

 

 

GEOL 200

-

Mineralogy and Petrology

7

7

GEOL 201 

-

Sedimentology and Stratigraphy

5

8

GEOL 202

-

Earth Structures

6

7

GEOL 206

-

Geological Mapping and Field Methods

7

-

 

 

 

 

 

GEOL 301

-

Cave/Karst Landscapes and Systems

11

15

GEOL 304 

-

Hydrogeology

6

-

GEOL 308

-

Geochemistry

-

5

GEOL 412

-

Climate Change – past present and future

-

15

 

 

 

 

 

SCIE 303

-

Energy and the Environment

20

24

 

 

Total enrolment

100

250

As is evident from the table above, enrolments increased dramatically in 2008/09, to levels not seen in about 10 years. Most of the increase was in the 1 st -year courses and can be attributed partly to the introduction of a non-lab option for both courses (about 1/3 of the seats), and partly to the fact that we had 20 students from the new Green Building and Renewable Energy program enrolled in GEOL 111. We are optimistic that the increased numbers in first-year courses will be reflected in better numbers in higher-level courses in 2009/10.