P1.2
Clustering key concepts when teaching Oceanography online
Horacio Ferriz, California State Univ., Turlock, CA
Recognizing and explaining key concepts prior to tackling the regular curriculum for an Oceanography college class, or the online internet exercises, seems to greatly help the students. Key concepts that benefit from early presentation, as a cluster, include: (a) For Marine Geology: World geography, density and buoyancy, convection, internal structure of the Earth, rock dating and paleomagnetism, plate tectonics, and isostasy. (b) For Physical Oceanography: Geostrophic flow, Coriolis effect, Eckman transport, wave theory, and thermohaline circulation. (c) For Chemical Oceanography: Chemical compounds, pH, speciation, and chemical equilibrium. (d) For Ocean-Atmosphere Interactions: Heat budget of the Earth, pressure-driven flow, and water vapor solubility. (e) For Marine Biology: Ecosystem food relations. I had success presenting the concepts in this order, building on concepts presented in early units (e.g., density and buoyancy through the units on Marine Geology, Physical Oceanography, and Ocean-Atmosphere Interactions. A key concepts addendum to the book, or an internet module, would be useful.
Poster Session 1, Educational Initiatives Poster Session
Sunday, 20 January 2008, 5:30 PM-7:00 PM, Exhibit Hall B
Previous paper Next paper