Abstract
Students employ spatial thinking in a variety of geoscience contexts. Namely, students may require visuo-penetrative skills to solve many structural geology tasks. Several pedagogical tools have been used to assist students in visualizing unexposed surfaces within a sequence of faulted and folded strata, including geologic block models. With the recent expansion of remote and virtual instruction with the COVID19 pandemic response, digital block models are now widely available online for instructors and are being used in exciting new capacities beyond the more traditional applications of physical block models in undergraduate classroom. Our research goal is to understand the efficacy of both digital and physical block models on student spatial performance on the Geologic Block Cross-Sectioning Test and activity performance. Our research question is: How can using physical or digital geologic block models during a structural geology and topographic map activity support performance on a penetrative-thinking spatial assessment compared to not using any geologic block model? We will explore performance differences between digital, physical, and control groups and explore outcomes based on STEM backgrounds. This work contributes to the database of adaptable and research-grade lab activities for practitioners, as well as provides more insight into building and supporting students' spatial skills.