Extended Abstract (112K)2.4
A hands-on interdisciplinary laboratory program: an approach to strengthen the weather radar curriculum at the University of Oklahoma
M. Yeary, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK; and T. Yu, R. Palmer, M. Biggerstaff, and L. D. Fink
This paper describes the curriculum details of a recently funded NSF DUE project that will commence in the fall 2004 semester at the University of Oklahoma (OU) and will have a three year duration. This new active-learning and hands-on laboratory program is an interdisciplinary program, in which engineering, geoscience, and meteorology students are encouraged to actively participate. The program is intended to generate a unique, interdisciplinary research-oriented learning environment that will train future engineers and meteorologists in the full set of competencies needed to take raw radar data and transform it into meaningful interpretations of weather phenomena. The heart of the program is the development of a set undergraduate courses, offered by the School of Meteorology and the School of Electrical & Computer engineering, that will provide hands-on laboratory experiences in the special knowledge and skills necessary for organizing real-time weather data, improving and preparing that data for display, and interpreting its meteorological and scientific significance. In addition, programs will be generated for K-12 students for the purpose of increasing their interest in science and engineering prior to entering college. Efforts will also be made to interest other university departments in building similar or related curricula in their programs.
There are two special features in this research-oriented teaching program: (1) it will be the only program in the country with a full and equal collaboration between the School of Meteorology and the School of Electrical & Computer Engineering for the purpose of providing an integrated curriculum on weather radar, and (2) it will have access to weather data from the recently constructed National Weather Radar Testbed (NWRT) at the University of Oklahoma. Students will have a unique opportunity to take advantage of the weather data derived from this new phased array radar, specifically suited for weather observations. In essence, the project will decentralize this major research facility and make it available at zero-cost to a wide array of students across the nation. By placing the radar's data on a website, a diverse population of students will be able to use this state-of-the-art facility. To bolster the undergraduate education aspects of this project, a small, diverse team of six undergraduate peer teachers will be employed - differing from a limited number traditional graduate student(s) that will assist with the laboratory experiments. The judicious use of peer teachers has been shown to be a highly effective means to motivate and retain undergraduates. The principal investigators will partner with the Oklahoma Climatological Survey (OCS) to adapt and implement project materials directly to K-12 students and teachers via the OCS Earth-Storm outreach program. Finally, an assessment plan has been devised by an expert at OU who specializes in learning and course development. Moreover, assessment tools will be developed to identify at-risk students who will receive enhanced training.
Supplementary URL: http://www.ou.edu/engineering/ece/faculty/myeary.html
Session 2, University Educational Initiatives
Tuesday, 11 January 2005, 8:30 AM-12:15 PM
Previous paper Next paper
Recorded presentation