ARCC instructor discusses yearly class field trip to South Dakota

Jeff Knapp, an instructor at Anoka-Ramsey Community College, has a passion for science and the outdoors. Each year he shares this enthusiasm with students by bringing them on a weeklong camping trip into the wilderness of South Dakota where they can experience classroom material in real life.

The camping trip has been a favorite part of Knapp’s Geology course since 2005, when he first proposed the idea. “I identified it as something that was missing at this campus,” Said Knapp. Growing up, he took many outdoor fieldtrips with his classmates and has fond memories of these experiences. Instead of having a normal lab component with the class, Knapp decided to replace it with the weeklong trip and get students outside.

“I enjoy interacting with young adults and students because I grew up doing these activities,” Knapp explained. “If I don’t take these students out there, who will?” Students gain only so much from textbooks and homework assignments. Knapp wants them to get as much out of his class as possible and taking them on this camping trip is an excellent way for them to learn and gain experience working in the field.

“I’m trying to make something available to students to get them excited about learning,” Knapp further explained. He believes that students can benefit from seeing real life examples from the textbook such as rock formations and fossils. He also wants to give students the opportunity to experience something new outside the classroom.

“You gain so much life experience by doing these things, not just academic experience,” said Mr. Knapp. Students will get the real camping experience when they come on the trip. Students will have the basic amenities such as running water, showers, and toilets since they’ll be staying at a campground. They will however be sleeping outside in sleeping bags and will be responsible for cooking their own food on a campfire and cleaning up after themselves.

The trip is designed to be both a fun experience and a culmination of everything learned in the course. Students will be given a journal to keep track of different things they see on the trip such as rock formations, stratification in rock layers, and the formation of minerals and different type of landmasses. They will also be encouraged to make sketches and take pictures of what they see.

Along with learning about geology, students will have the opportunity to explore many different areas of South Dakota, including caves, state parks, museums, abandoned mines, and fossil dig sites. Students will also be kept busy with a variety of activities such as hiking, panning for gold and watching local wildlife.

Mr. Knapp’s geology course is only offered during the summer on the Anoka-Ramsey Community College Cambridge Campus. The eight week course is open to everybody and costs the same as a regular four credit course plus a $300 fee which covers lodging, food, and transportation for a week. If students are interested, Mr. Knapp has information about the course on his website at www.geo-site.net.