An Exploratory Study with COPUS: Identifying Behaviors and Instructional Styles in Collegiate Atmospheric Science

Extensive research has demonstrated that active learning improves student outcomes. While studies have explored active learning use across various STEM fields, few studies have focused specifically on the atmospheric sciences. Handlos, Davenport, and Kopacz (2022) surveyed atmospheric science instructors to reveal case studies as the most popular high-use active learning strategy in atmospheric science. The study also showed that new instructors, instructors beyond the typical five-year tenure mark, and female instructors use the highest number of unique active learning strategies.

To build on the findings of Handlos, Davenport, and Kopacz (2022), this study used direct classroom observations to identify common student behaviors and instructional practices used in undergraduate atmospheric science classrooms. Specifically, researchers used the Classroom Observation Protocol for Undergraduate STEM (COPUS) to examine video recordings of six undergraduate atmospheric science courses taught by four different instructors at a large, research-intensive university in the United States (twenty-nine class sessions). Radar plots were created and analyzed to categorize each class session and course into one of three instructional styles (didactic, interactive-lecture, and student-centered).

Findings show that while COPUS was effective in identifying common teaching strategies (e.g., lecturing and posing questions), capturing instructional strategies that are not well aligned with a COPUS code (e.g., case studies) can be difficult and this may erroneously lead to more didactic instructor profiles. Insight into best practices and recommendations regarding the use of video recordings and assessment tools for classroom observations will be shared so future observational studies can help to fully characterize the spectrum of atmospheric science learning environments.