INTRODUCTION TO GROUNDWATERU: AN ONLINE LIBRARY OF GROUNDWATER EDUCATIONAL VIDEOS (Invited Presentation)

GroundwaterU is a non-profit initiative to bridge the knowledge gap between groundwater experts and the millions of people worldwide who need sustainable access to clean water. Knowledge transfer by video instruction is a very effective means of learning when presented in a format consistent with evidence-based cognitive theory of multimedia learning, which incorporates a combination of audio, film footage, animation, graphics, text, and still images. GroundwaterU (https://groundwateru.org) consists of a catalog of high-quality educational videos related to all things groundwater: from science and engineering to law and policy, and for several interest and learning levels. Videos are searched using keywords and filters, including by video features, such as computer simulations and animations, laboratory or field demonstrations, and figures and maps, and in various presentation styles, such as documentary or lecture, for example. The inclusion of a written summary of each video creates an extensive database of keywords, and each summary is translated into 100 languages using a simple dropdown menu. Volunteers build the video library. Fortunately, there are many creative practitioners who are interested in teaching and learning and who have already developed high-quality educational videos that are available on the internet, which can now be included in the GroundwaterU Library. Others have recorded instructional video footage or developed and given high-quality presentations using PowerPoint in classrooms and at conferences. These creative works can also be saved as video files and included in the GroundwaterU Library.