Teaching Science Process and Relevance in a Large Introductory Oceanography Class

The learning goals for UCSB's large general education oceanography class are for students to increase their understanding of how science works, of how ocean sciences are relevant to their life, and to gain some knowledge of the oceans and their influence on the planet and Earth system. In support of these goals, the course activities, which model those of practicing scientists, include: 1) learning background knowledge, 2) selecting, plotting and annotating real Earth data, 3) discussing and presenting interpretations and models, 4) writing findings in a science paper format, and 5) reviewing and commenting on the writing of peers. Writing has been shown in numerous studies to have a strong effect on student learning, and provide a structure for students to summarize and understand the subject. The construction of a scientific argument is emphasized.

During some of the course versions students were asked to choose a country (from a given list) and write their science papers as if they were a science advisor to that country. They were asked to develop a point of view and make recommendations for action based on it. For example, recommendations for responding to natural disasters would be different for developed than it would for undeveloped countries. For example, the potential for natural disasters due to earthquakes will depend on the tectonic regime of a particular country.

The course activities were supported by the “EarthEd Online” software system, which includes class management features as well as data browsers, an image editor, and calibrated peer review writing software. “EarthEd Online” has been updated to emphasize easy implementation of the data browsing, editing, and content delivery features, with the writing and course management modules as add-ons. For more information, see http://learningwithdata.org/.