Authors: Patrick Schneider, Towson University: Tim Shipley, Temple University; Teresa Bals-Elsholz, Valparaiso University; Kevin Goebbert, Valparaiso University; and Peggy McNeal, Towson University
The 21 May 2024, tornado outbreak in Iowa produced an EF4 tornado with maximum wind speeds estimated at 185 mph that toppled a wind turbine, leveled homes, killed five people, and injured 35 others. Seventeen students from Valparaiso University were in the area as part of an 11-day convective field study (MET385) offered by the university. These 17 students, who had varying levels of expertise, organized into student pairs consisting of junior and senior partners. These pairings facilitated an apprenticeship-like dynamic that scaffolded the learning of the junior partner and provided for rich discussions, learning, and mentoring opportunities. A unique aspect of the field study was the presence of an education researcher who embedded with the group, made observations, conducted interviews, and collected data on how students think and learn in authentic contexts. The evolution of the 21 May convective environment, over three days, provided a unique opportunity for student forecasting and data collection that will help us better understand what students learn from severe storm scenarios and how these experiences alter conceptual understanding of complex atmospheric processes. For example, how does the high stress environment affect learning? Does anxiety modify the experience? How does this experience impact student learning? This presentation reports our initial findings as it follows this group of students and instructors through a particularly destructive and fast-moving tornado outbreak sequence.
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