HR: 1340h
AN: ED13A-1138    [Abstracts]
TI: Visualizing the Bay: Bringing a Research Experience into a High Enrollment Online Oceanography Course
AU: * Reed, D L
EM: dreed@sjsu.edu
AF: San Jose State University, Dept. of Geology, San Jose, CA 95191-0102
AU: Anglin, J
EM: judi@janglin.com
AF: San Jose State University, Dept. of Geology, San Jose, CA 95191-0102
AB: General education courses at many universities are required to demonstrate specific student learning outcomes and methodologies of learning assessment that can be measure the success, or lack thereof, of meeting these outcomes. A primary learning outcome of the SJSU general education program is to have students apply a scientific approach to problems of the earth and environment. This requirement can be challenging in high enrollment classes offered at universities without the resources of graduate teaching assistantships. In order to meet this outcome through an active learning environment, we have redesigned a web-based oceanography course, primarily for non-science majors, that has students assume the role of shipboard scientists on a number of ocean-going virtual research experiences. One activity has students participate on a virtual research voyage based on a multi-beam sonar study of the central San Francisco Bay described in USGS Circular 1259 by Chin et al (2004). Students carry out the duties of virtual shipboard scientists, including pre- and post-cruise scientific meetings, sonar data acquisition, processing and visualization, and interpretation of the seafloor mapping data using a combination of scientific visualizations, animations, and audio and video segments. While on the voyage, students are required to: (1) determine the navigational hazards posed by three submerged rocks near the main shipping lane in the bay, (2) assess the long-term viability of a disposal site for mud dredged from the bay, and (3) generate a sediment characteristics map of the bay floor that can be used as a basis for future studies of contaminant transport. Upon completion of the voyage students are required to write an abstract describing their research for publication in the proceedings volume of a virtual scientific conference in the form of an essay question on the mid-term exam. Based on the work of over 200 students, this question has received the highest score of four essay questions on the exam during the past two terms.
UR: http://oceansjsu.com
DE: 0810 Post-secondary education
DE: 0825 Teaching methods
DE: 0840 Evaluation and assessment
DE: 0845 Instructional tools
SC: Education and Human Resources [ED]
MN: Fall Meeting 2005