Using Project EDDIE modules in Meteorology/ Climatology
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Meteorology/ Climatology
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HideEDDIE Module(s) Adopted and/or Adapted
My course is meteorology/climatology for environmental & resource science, education and non-science majors. Usually this class is taught as a lecture format but I incorporate daily meteorological data and use project-base as a way to assess students learning. This time I also used ungrading and weekly reflections to encourage students to focus on their learning instead of the grades. The climate change module was intended to get students to use data to create a graph to visualize the data, identify relationships and answer questions using this data.
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Relationship of EDDIE Module(s) to my Course
This module was meant to support a semester long Climate Change Resilience project.
Learning objectives:
Evidence on global warming and the correlation with human activity as setting the stage for the Climate Change Resilience project the students will be completing.
Application of inquiry-based and quantitative thinking. Introduction to causation and correlation through the linear regression vignette
Motivation to learn about climate change- video about global warming and introduction to the climate resilience project
Introduction to linear regression through the EDDIE Vignette
Completion of the climate change assignment
[Introduction to data analysis and interpretation using Excel]
By working with data students will be able to discover by themselves how temperature has changed globally through time and how carbon dioxide concentration relates to the temperature changes. Creating their own graphs will help them to ponder the relationship between humans, carbon dioxide concentration and global average temperatures.
Last, students will be decreasing their anxiety related with numbers and data by getting familiar with the tools to create their own graphs and interpret what the graphs say.
Teaching Details
Second week of classes I prompted the students to use the Question Formulation Technique (QFT) to ask questions about the video: Temperature Record 101: How We Know What We Know about Climate Change https://youtu.be/pLU8v8fAw7s
Link to the Question Formulation Technique at the Right Question Institute (https://rightquestion.org/what-is-the-qft/)
Each student had to complete and present a Climate Change Resilience project at a location they selected. A librarian and I introduced possible sources of data for the project and how to assess the sources reliability using the CRAAP Test (Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy, & Purpose) https://library.csuchico.edu/sites/default/files/craap-test.pdf
To introduce the Climate Change module per se, I used three 80 min lecture sessions.On the first two session I introduced the climate change module and regressions using the powerpoint slides and the statistical vignette and then let students use the rest of the class to start the assignment. Students new to excel were in charge of completing Activities A & B, while students familiar with excel were encouraged to complete activity C also. The second class, I gave time for students to work on completing the assignment or their project while I was available to answer questions. Students were provided with the three videos generated by past QUBES instructors. Last session, I used some slides on climate change from the e-text book to wrap up the topic.
Adaption Materials
- Slides to introduce the Climate change module (PowerPoint 2007 (.pptx) 20.7MB Jun2 22)
- Closing slides for Climate Change module (PowerPoint 2007 (.pptx) 5.9MB Jun2 22)
- Student Handout for the Climate Change Module with slight modifications (Microsoft Word 2007 (.docx) 180kB Jun2 22)
- Video and questions-introduction to climate change (Microsoft Word 2007 (.docx) 658kB Jun2 22)
- Implementation Plan (Microsoft Word 2007 (.docx) 187kB Jun2 22)
How did the activity go?
First implementation of the module went OK, but could have been better. I was hoping to create my own video to guide students to complete the assignment but I ran out of time so I just posted videos created by previous EDDIE instructors.
Students main takeaway was the capability to visualize how a parameter changes and how it relates to another. Particularly having them select their own data to identify rates of warming and rates in the increase of carbon dioxide gave them the freedom to explore and make the data their own. In the same way having their own data and the questions made them better ponder how does a glacial and an interglacial period looks like. Advanced students struggled with the use of formulas to calculate the temperature from isotopic data in Activity C. Beginner students struggle downloading the data and using excel.
Future Use
I plan to complete this activity when I teach this class again and I am collaborating with some math teachers to modify the handout so they can use the module for their students to complete a final project to learn about regressions.
Next time I teach the Meteorology/Climatology class I plan to include this module earlier in the semester with a previous excel based assignment for us to complete together as a class, posting in google slides the graphs created to better track the different levels of the students using excel. Then use this knowledge to pair advanced and beginner students on how to complete Activities A & B. I will also have the excel file with the data to assure this step does not become an obstacle for the completion of the assignment. Then wrap up and reflect together as a class on what we learned about this module before starting the Climate Change Resilience project. These changes will help me to better assess the learning from using this module.
In the future implementation of this module I am collaborating to modify with math professors we will be partitioning the temperature and carbon dioxide data in 30 years intervals and have the students investigate the global historical background for that time lapse. Students will then plot the complete data. This will allow students to ponder the difference in rates at small and longer intervals, as well as to make the project unique between different iterations. Activity C can be used as a different project on its own.