Approach to Integrated Pedagogical Model for the teaching of groundwater hydrology

Grounded on basic and applied research, the Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana system is working on the implementation of the Integrated Pedagogical Model (IPM) to help students develop their own academic training skills,. A collaborative effort between professors and students has been made to design and build a two-dimensional physical model of an aquifer at a small scale in order to understand the interaction of surface and groundwater resources. The physical model consists of a 1mx1mx0.1m transparent box containing the two-dimensional system including an unconfined aquifer on top of an aquifer confined by a layer of clay. The dimensions of the physical model allow the professor and students to visualize the implications of phenomena such as groundwater flow, surface water and groundwater relationship, surface contaminant infiltration, fate and transport of ground water contaminants, and effect of ground water exploitation. In conclusion, small-scale physical models represent ideal pedagogical strategies which convey the potential of knowledge generation and better understanding of concepts and theories of the groundwater phenomenon.