AMS OCEAN, WEATHER, AND CLIMATE STUDIES: USING REAL-WORLD DATA TO TEACH GEOSCIENCE IN AN E-CLASSROOM

The American Meteorological Society (AMS) has been a pioneer in the development of online educational materials since 1996 and has worked closely with faculty to enhance their online course offerings. Through AMS Ocean Studies, AMS Weather Studies, and AMS Climate Studies, supported by NSF, NASA, and NOAA, AMS is able to offer introductory, undergraduate courses that engage students in relevant topics in the geosciences by utilizing real-world, current, environmental data.

Designed to be adaptable to traditional, hybrid, or online instructional settings, these courses have already been adopted by more than 600 colleges and universities across the United States, with an increasing number offering the courses completely online or in a hybrid learning environment.

The courses consist of a fully-integrated set of printed and online learning materials, including a comprehensive textbook, Investigations Manual, a course website, and faculty resources. Instructors can use these materials in any combination that best suits their needs.

The AMS Ocean Studies student package also includes an inflatable globe which helps students understand complex oceanographic principles, such as the Coriolis force, plate tectonics, and ocean circulation.

Updated yearly, the Investigations Manual contains 30 laboratory activities, two per textbook chapter, and innovatively connects with an optional third online component, Current Ocean/Weather/Climate Studies, via the course website. These online investigations reference recent events, such as the Gulf Oil Spill and use data from the NOS, NWS, reports from the IPCC, and other lead scientific organizations. The course website is an all-inclusive webpage that provides links to numerous external sources as well as other information to further engage and educate students.

Central to AMS’ goal is course implementation at minority-serving institutions. AMS, with Second Nature, will be offering NSF-supported AMS Climate Studies Diversity Project in early summer 2012.

AMS Ocean, Weather, and Climate Studies can be offered by experienced science faculty or those new to teaching the subject matter. Mentoring by AMS-trained course instructors is available to all new instructors. For more information, please visit http://www.ametsoc.org/amsedu.