The Tectonic Studies Group funded two Early Career Researchers, Catherine Mottram (University of Portsmouth) and Adam Cawood (University of Aberdeen), to attend the European Geophysical Union (EGU) Teaching Structural Geology and Tectonics in the 21st Century workshop in April 2019.

This pre-EGU workshop, organized by Florian Fusseis (University of Edinburgh), Hans de Bresser (Utrecht University), Bernhard Grasemann (University of Vienna), Janos Urai (RWTH Aachen), Kamil Ustaszewski (University of Jena), Anna Rogowitz (University of Vienna) and Mark Anderson (University of Plymouth) was held over three days in the historic village of Wolkersdorf im Weinviertel, just north of Vienna. The aim of the workshop was to outline a common vision for teaching Structural Geology and Tectonics over the next decade. The 26 participants shared and discussed ideas and approaches through a series of presentation slots, open discussions and collaborative writing sessions.

The first day of the meeting was devoted to discussing and comparing current approaches to teaching Structural Geology and Tectonics in Europe. Representatives from universities across Europe presented their approaches to teaching the subject, and provided workshop participants with an outline of current curricula in their own institutions. This was followed by a group discussion session in which the relative strengths and weaknesses of courses and curricula were discussed, along with current opportunities and threats.

Sessions on the second day of the workshop covered a variety of content. Delegates heard from several industry representatives who provided their perspectives on the subject and the key skills and abilities they require of newly graduated students. This was followed by a discussion on the pros and cons of fieldwork as part of a university education and a breakout group session dedicated to defining future directions in Structural Geology and Tectonics teaching. In the evening of the second day, Barbara Tewksbury (Hamilton College, USA) delivered her keynote lecture about On The Cutting Edge, an impressive online collection of teaching activities and resources for geoscience educators, developed over the last 17 years. Following Barbara’s inspiring lecture, the evening of the second day was devoted to presentations from those teaching further afield (e.g. Canada & French West Indies) and finally to a poster session.

The final day was dedicated to presentations and discussions on innovative approaches and methods for teaching Structural Geology and Tectonics. This fascinating session outlined current state of the art teaching methods, including field-based apps and measurement devices, virtual and augmented reality, virtual microscopes and UAV-based approaches to teaching, including a presentation from Adam on virtual outcrops (https://www.e-rock.co.uk/). This session highlighted the potential for novel tools and datasets to develop teaching methodologies and improve learning outcomes for a students with a range of abilities and backgrounds.

The workshop provided an excellent platform for current and future geoscience educators to share ideas, identify existing challenges, and discuss the future of Structural Geology teaching. Throughout the workshop there was a strong sense of community among participants, driven by the common goal of developing and improving the way in which Structural Geology and Tectonics is taught. We would both like to say a massive thank you to TSG for supporting our attendance at this workshop. As Early Career Researchers, this was a hugely motivating and informative meeting that has left us better equipped to inspire future generations of structural geologists!

Fig caption: Participants of Teaching Structural Geology and Tectonics in the 21st Century (April 2019, Wolkersdorf im Weinviertel)