The VRV-ET will be used initially in the laboratory portions of Toomey's Geology 201 (Internal Heat and Dynamics) class.  GEOL 201 is offered during the fall quarter of each year and the typical enrollment in the lecture part of the class, which meets MWF, is about 50.  The lab section meets twice on Thursdays, and because some students from the 10X series take the lab, its enrollment is usually greater than 60.  The majority of students in this class are lower-level undergraduates enrolled in geology, the honors program, or environmental studies.  In general, the students are enthusiastic and receptive to challenges.

In the very near future (i.e., next year), the use of VRV-ET will occur principally in the laboratory sections of GEOL 201.  Our goal for the longer term is more ambitious, in that we anticipate that a successful VRV-ET can be used to substitute for at least 30% of the lecture format.

As noted in the body of the proposal, the tools that we develop will be of considerable benefit to other instructors in the Geological Sciences.  In particular, on the long term we can envision that GEOL 306 (Volcanoes and Earthquakes) could easily make use of web-based instructional tools.  The enrollment in this class is typically 80-100.