FACILITATING SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY THROUGH THE USE OF STUDENT-CONSTRUCTED WEATHER INSTRUMENTS

To facilitate introductory science students’ understanding of the scientific process, students in an introductory-level course were given a semester-long assignment that required them to build and calibrate a weather instrument from household materials, then observe weather with their instruments for a period of five days. Students submitted a journal detailing their experiences developing and using one of four weather instruments: a barometer, a thermometer, an anemometer, or a hygrometer. The assignment incorporated scaffolding to provide students with an opportunity to receive peer feedback and support on their instrument design and operation. A detailed rubric was used to evaluate the effectiveness of this assignment in advancing students’ understanding of geoscientific methods. Exam questions queried students’ understanding of the fundamental principles of operation of their instrument and their ability to read and evaluate a calibration curve. This presentation will include quantitative results from the assessment and qualitative feedback on students’ perceptions of and reflections on the assignment. Overall, qualitative feedback was positive, and students enjoyed the assignment. This presentation will also provide suggestions on how the general structure of this assignment could be adapted to other introductory geoscience science courses and how such an assignment could be used as a discussion prompt regarding the nature of scientific inquiry.