Initial Publication Date: March 2, 2017
Nicole Davi: Hydrology and the Environment at William Paterson University of New Jersey
About this Course
This is a 400 level class for Environmental Science majors.
12
students
One 2.5 hr class each week
Water is one of the defining issues of our time, and water availability and quality will almost certainly be affected by changes in climate and land use. In this class students will explore the components of the hydrologic cycle (precipitation, evaporation, transpiration, infiltration, ground-water flow, surface runoff and streamflow), issues that have and will continue to impact the water cycle, and "Best Management Practices" for water sustainability. Through examples and case studies we will examine environmental issues around water resources globally and locally. Assignments include readings, fieldwork, problem-solving activities, and independent research projects. The class period will be formatted to be a mixture of fieldwork, lectures and discussions, and hands-on-activities.
Through this course students will develop:
1. A deeper understanding of all aspects of the hydrologic cycle and its reservoirs, and how water moves around earth.
2. An understanding of various natural and human influences on water and its availability and quality.
3. Increased skills in reading maps, fieldwork and data collection and analysis.
4. A global perspective of water issues and management practices.
A Success Story in Building Student Engagement
Students in my hydrology class were very engaged and excited to use these materials. The instructions were clear and the students did a great job working through the module in the time allotted. Having them analyze and compare datasets firsthand was very effective and motivating. Students developed a much deeper sense of our water problems and how they connect to them and also a better sense at how to evaluate data first hand.
The quote I heard from students that was most memorable to me was "this is fun!" That is about the best I can hope for when students are waist deep in interpreting data. This was during the gallery walk, and it was fun, for me as well.
My Experience Teaching with InTeGrateMaterials
My hydrology class met for two and half hours each week, so for the first part of that class I gave a brief lecture and we discusses readings and various topics connected to the course content. I used the data/modules during the 2nd half of the class, much like a lab. This worked out very well. Students worked through the materials in the time allotted.
Relationship of InTeGrate Materials to my Course
My class runs for 16 weeks and I started incorporating the module materials in the 4th week, after students were introduced to introductory material on watersheds, the hydrological cycle and ENSO.
I incorporated Unit 2, 4 and 5 into my Hydrology class. Unit 2 began in the 4th week after we covered topics such as the water cycle, watersheds and global precipitation patterns and forcings (eg. ENSO). This gave students a chance to evaluate their use and connection to water. Unit 4 was introduced later in the semester in the 6th week when we were covering groundwater in our textbook. I also used this module much like a lab after a ~30 minute lecture (incorporating the Unit 4 PowerPoint slides into my own lecture). Students very much enjoyed getting out of the seats, walking around and evaluating data. Unit 5 was incorporated in the 10th week when I cover drinking water in the class. This way a nice way to discuss the impacts of agriculture and sustainability, something that they were familiar with based on their experience looking at land use data in Unit 4 and through other course content. We referred back to these units throughout the semester and they helped students understand learning goals for the course.
Assessments
I use discussions in every class to gauge student learning and see what topics/activities are most effective and/or most challenging. I also, often use "2-minute papers" at the end of class to find out what material is working and what isn't. Through these assessments I could see that the students were doing well with the material and the really enjoyed working with it. I give a midterm and a final in the class that also touched on the module materials. I use a somewhat open ended essay (short essay) format for these exams.
Outcomes
My vision for this class was to make it more student-centered with active learning activities. I also wanted to use materials that gave students more opportunities to analyze and compare data 1st hand. Students performed very well using these materials and it was clear that they enjoyed working with it and were excited by it.
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