Educational challenges Olav Eldholm Professor, head of department

Department of Earth Science Educational challenges Olav Eldholm Professor, head of department FORCE Seminar Feb. 13, 2008, Stavanger

Department of Earth Science • Premise: • University education - Norway • An earth science perspective • Main challenges: • Integration • Strong basic natural science foundation • Research/project-based education • Quantitative approaches + modeling • Cooperation - national + international

Department of Earth Science • Educational level – degree • Bachelor (3 yr.) • Master (2 yr.) • PhD (3 yr.) • Candidate recipients • Industry - M, P, B • Government - M, P, B • Research - P • School system - M, B

Department of Earth Science Challenge # 1 The-Real-World = Industry + Science Increasingly Between-and-Across not Up-down (vertical or strictly disciplinary) Key words: Thematic approaches, Integration

Research Cause Effect Increasingly Between-and-Across Technology/ applications Outreach/ profiling PhD- education Education

Department of Earth Science WISHFUL THINKING? Educational programs Research groups/themes

Department of Earth Science REAL LIFE (NORWAY)!! Educational programs Research groups/themes

Department of Earth Science WHO-TO-BLAME? Teaching and education is an institutional responsibility; i.e. new tasks and responsibilities at all organizational levels – and in particular, for departments and head of departments Quote ”My father superior”

Department of Earth Science • Challenge # 2 • Provide The Right Courses • (a two-way-street) • Basic Science Foundation • Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Informatics • Understanding earth properties (media) - GEO • How to find the Right Mix? • ”Not only the fun courses”

Department of Earth Science • Challenge # 3 • Research/project-based education • Field studies + analogs • State-of-the-art data and tools • Industry-standard • Team approach to problem solving • From I to We (mainly teacher challenge) • The geophysical and geological messages • Understand limitations + opportunities

Example: Field work applying industry-standard seismic equipment

Example Statoil – UiB Earth Science Research • Sponsored projects • Joint projects • VISTA Education SVALEX E-LEARNING INITIATIVE • Statoil + 5 universities led by UiB • Modernizing learning (in academia and industry) • Promoting problem-based learning • New: journal learningGeoscience CANDIDATE PRODUCTION - the first online journal for multimedia learning

Department of Earth Science • Challenge # 4 • Quantitative approaches + modeling • In all geodisciplines • System science approach • Understand and quantify earth processes

Department of Earth Science • Challenge #5 • Cooperation - national + international • Semester(s) elsewhere/abroad • International networks • WUN, Mentor, BasinMaster, +++ • National university profiling • Master, PhD • National pool of spesialized petroleum courses • New PhD initiative

Department of Earth Science • Where to we stand? Academia vs industry • (Actually – not too bad!!) • Avenues of cooperation re educational challenges • Research • Availability of data + state-of-the-art tools • Specialist teaching • Adjunct professors • Modulate upcoming retirement tsunami (”bridge” professors) • Remember: • without teaching staff – no candidates

Educational challenges Olav Eldholm Professor, head of department