HR: 13:40h
AN: ED23C-01    [Abstracts]
TI: Climate Change Science: A Vehicle for Engaging Undergraduates in Science
AU: * Stewart, R
EM: stewart@ocean.tamu.edu
AF: Texas A&M University, Oceanography Department, College Station, TX 77843-3146 United States
AB: For four years I have taught climate change as a two-and-a-half week case study in an upper-division oceanography course and a freshman environmental geoscience course, both for college students. I find that the issue of climate change engages student interest, and that it is an ideal vehicle for teaching fundamental scientific concepts. During the weeks we discuss climate change, students are much more active in classroom discussions. They particularly like the relevance to their day-to-day lives, and the policy implications of the science. Some see for the first time that science and policy and daily life are deeply related. As a result, student evaluations of the course are up and students want to take similar courses. I also find that introducing the case study before discussing scientific ideas is important. It provides the motivation leading students to study less appealing concepts such as radiation transfer in the atmosphere. The course provides many challenges: First, teaching the module is not easy because it required me to learn a wider range of concepts than I taught in previous courses. The concepts range from physics to biogeochemistry to public policy. Fortunately, others have written very useful tutorials available on the web. Second, I find that students are very sensitive to faculty bias. They prefer to discuss both sides of the issue, the uncertainty of the data and theories behind climate change, and the implications for the future. The rewards? Students turned on to science as never before. And, students see that physics, chemistry, and biology are connected. As a result, I am moving my courses toward case studies, bringing in scientific concepts as necessary, and I am moving away from the traditional science course built around scientific concepts.
UR: http://oceanworld.tamu.edu/home/college.htm
DE: 6309 Decision making under uncertainty
DE: 6600 PUBLIC ISSUES
DE: 6605 Education
DE: 6620 Science policy
DE: 1600 GLOBAL CHANGE (New category)
SC: Education and Human Resourcese [ED]
MN: 2004 AGU Fall Meeting