Visualising Magmatism and Metamorphism in the Field

The aim of the project was to create a video series for the lecture ‹Magmatismus und Metamorphose I›, which is held in the 3rd semester Bachelor in Earth and Climate Sciences. In addition to the videos, a learning environment was created on Moodle in which the videos were embedded, summaries and the graphics shown in the videos were made available. A number of tasks were also created on Moodle, which students could use to test the knowledge they had acquired from the videos.
A good half of the videos were recorded directly in the field “on the rocks”. In a classic lecture, various rocks and structures in rocks can be shown in the form of handpieces and pictures, but the actual conditions in the field are difficult to illustrate. We have therefore created videos in which the basics of the lecture are explained in the field using representative outcrops. This gives students a better understanding of the various processes and, above all, the resulting conditions in the field using concrete field examples.
The video format allows students to absorb the basics at a pace that suits them individually, as breaks and repetitions are possible at any time. This basic knowledge is then deepened in the face-to-face lecture in the form of a “flipped classroom”. Videos in a similar style have already been created for two other lectures in the ‹Earth and Climate Sciences› Bachelor’s degree program. The current project has benefited greatly from the experience and knowledge gained from these earlier projects. As the previous video projects were perceived as very positive by the students, we decided to carry out another video project, which is how the current project came about.

Students watch the videos independently as preparation for the corresponding lectures or, in few cases, as follow-up work. Most of the videos cover the basics of certain topics, while some are specific field examples of topics covered in the lecture. By watching the videos individually, students can watch them as often as they like and at a pace that suits them. In this way, students can learn the content of the videos at their own pace. In addition to the videos, summaries and all graphics shown in the video are available for download on Moodle. Students can use this material to compile their own notes and prepare for the exam more easily. There are also some short tasks on Moodle to accompany the videos (H5P elements) in which students can test their knowledge. Of course, there is always the opportunity to ask questions and clarify any ambiguities in the subsequent face-to-face lecture. In order to compensate for the extra work students have to do by watching the videos and solving the tasks on Moodle, some lectures are held in a reduced format.
The videos are published here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLQ9p-BgoiRwFektVXjr7wI6I_w8Z87nnp

The project goals were achieved – the desired videos were produced and the learning environment on Moodle was created. The only “setback” was the weather: for one of the videos we would have gone filming in northern Italy. Although we reserved 3 postponement dates for filming, the weather was always bad, which meant that this video could not be produced. However, the production of this video will be done in summer 2025 in our own effort so that all the desired videos will be available for the start of lectures in fall 2025.
The project has benefited greatly from the experience of previous, similar Innovedum projects in which we also produced videos for lectures. The project manager, Léon Frey, had already led these previous projects and thus brought a great deal of experience in the field of video production, which was of great benefit to the current project.
The current videos were produced specifically for the lecture ‹Magmatismus und Metamorphose I› and can only be used in part for other lectures. However, the concept of producing videos for students to prepare for or follow up on a lecture can of course also be applied to other lectures. It is of great benefit if students can watch the basics of a lecture independently using videos with good explanations. This way, all students in the upcoming face-to-face lecture are already at a certain level and ready for the more advanced and complex concepts of a subject area. Since the field is very important in the Earth Sciences and the field conditions can only be reproduced to a very limited extent in a lecture, videos with field examples are also very useful, as they come close to virtual excursions.
The lecture in the revised form with videos and the learning environment on Moodle will be held for the first time in fall 2025. Therefore, we do not yet have any feedback from students on the new content at the time of writing the final report. Student feedback and the results of the evaluation can be submitted at a later date if there is interest.