TEACHING AN ONLINE OCEANOGRAPHY LABORATORY COURSE USING THE AMERICAN METEOROLOGICAL SOCIETY ONLINE OCEAN STUDIES CURRICULUM

The introductory Physical Oceanography laboratory class (Oceanography 10) taught at Los Angeles Valley College (LAVC) was offered in the online format in spring 2007 using the American Meteorological Society (AMS) Online Ocean Studies curriculum. The AMS Online Studies curriculum is a nationally recognized program that examines the world ocean by using current oceanographic data and investigations in real-time delivered via the Internet, and is currently licensed by over 300 undergraduate institutions.

Oceanography 10 is the 2-unit introductory laboratory course that accompanies the introductory Oceanography 1 lecture course at LAVC. Laboratory assignments from the AMS Online Ocean Studies curriculum were selected to complement the material covered in the lecture course over the 15-week semester. Videocasts of the instructor demonstrating key concepts covered in the AMS curriculum such as pressure, density, and ocean circulation are incorporated into the course and available to the students using the free Real Player. Student reviews of the first semester offering of the AMS Online Ocean Studies curriculum indicate a positive reaction by the students towards using the real-time data. The enrollment for the Oceanography 10 laboratory course increased from an average of 22 in the traditional face-to-face class to 37 using the AMS Online Ocean Studies curriculum.