Using EM Induction and ERI Geophysical Methods in Undergraduate Teaching: A Case-Centered, Discussion-Based Approach

In the last decades, the application fields of exploration geophysics have considerably broadened, reinforcing the relevance of exploration geophysics courses both within geosciences and non-geosciences degrees. Among these courses, those with a hands-on, place-based pedagogical approach and aligned with problem-based and case-based learning methodologies have proven to be particularly successful in regard to addressing the recognized difficulty that students experience in transferring their classroom knowledge to the field environment. In this article, we report a theoretical–practical module for the teaching of exploration geophysics methods to undergraduate non-geoscience major students, and in particular, to forestry engineering students. The in-field activity, based on a combination of Electrical Resistivity Imaging (ERI) and electromagnetic induction (EM) methods, was complemented with in-class sessions covering the fundamentals of these methods and Archie’s equation, software usage, data analysis and interpretation, and critical in-group discussions. This situated, context-rich teaching and learning example may be reproduced in other teaching institutions to provide technology-driven educational experiences in their curricula, helping students recognize the relevance of the abovementioned geophysical methods to address research questions beyond geology.