Initial Publication Date: July 31, 2026
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Cite thisWest Virginia University: Using the TIDeS module in Natural Disasters
Eury Speir, West Virginia University
Why I Revised My Course
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Provenance: Eury Speir, West Virginia University
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About the Course
Natural Disasters
Level: Students who enrolled in this course are students within the WVU Eberly College of Arts and Sciences, with most students being non-majors, as part of the Eberly EDGE program (college-specific curriculum requirements.
Size: ~55 students
Format: Three 50-minute lectures sessions (2 sections); two 75-minute lecture sessions (one section)
Introduction to natural disasters and the natural processes and human actions that cause them. This course will introduce common natural disasters (including floods, landslides, earthquakes, volcanoes, and severe weather) and investigate their frequency, magnitude, global distribution, and impacts on society. The course will also discuss the promise and pitfalls of common natural disaster mitigation techniques.
This course focuses on multiple natural disasters and the Earth systems and societal drivers behind them. We will discuss topics such as plate tectonics, volcanoes, earthquakes, extreme weather events (including hurricanes), flooding, landslides, coastal erosion, sea level rise, and long-term climatic events. You will learn about the different types of data that are collected for each of these natural disaster events and how that information is communicated to advance societal efforts in mitigation, preparedness, and resilience.
By the end of the course, you will be able to:
- Apply science and engineering practices to address questions about major natural disasters and their relevant Earth systems.
- Analyze and interpret data to investigate the relationship between humans and Earth processes and make decisions about societally-relevant issues.
- Identify and evaluate the societal impact of potential natural disaster management and mitigation plans.
- Work in teams to problem-solve and communicate the results of scientific investigations.
- Reflect on your ability to use science and engineering practices in your everyday life and how those relate to sustainability development goals.
Course Syllabus for Natural Disasters (Acrobat (PDF) 333kB Jul10 26)
As a new faculty member, I was tasked with developing a relatively new course, Natural Disasters, that would introduce students to "Data and Information Literacy" concepts. I wanted to create a course that moved away from traditional lectures and exams and encourage students to work together to investigate and understand the natural world. The TIDeS teaching materials allowed students to investigate and discover the world around them.
This particular course is part of the "Data and Information Literacy" portion of the EDGE program, with the primary learning objective being to "evaluate the readability, validity, and scope, including assessing the role of technology in creation, analysis, representation and accessibility of information." The course is also listed as a course that meets program requirements for majors within the Department of Geology and Geography.
While students had been required to take this course to fulfill program objectives under the new Eberly EDGE program, future semester will allow students more options to select from to fulfill the "Data and Information Literacy" EDGE goal. This particular course does not include a lab portion nor a math prerequisite, making it ideal for non-STEM major students.
In addition to using the course to fulfill program requirements, the Natural Disasters course is appealing to students from West Virginia, as we cover topics on floods and landslides. These are highly relevant to West Virginia students given the high rate of landslides in the state and the propensity for the campus to flood during large periods of rainfall. Students are able to connect the course to their own experiences.
Overall, the material was very informational and I learned a lot.
My Experience Teaching with TIDeS Materials
I combined TIDeS materials with modules from the InTeGrate repository to introduce different Natural Disaster concepts to my students. For some TIDeS units, I used only a few activities to better suit my course needs and utilized online and in-person submissions.
A Unit-by-Unit Breakdown of How I Taught this Module
Unit 1
- I used Unit 1 in it's entirety, with the exit tickets being administered as Journal Entries on Blackboard. I also created a worksheet for the Observations and Interpretations activity from Unit 1.1.
- Observations and Interpretation Worksheet (Microsoft Word 2007 (.docx) 24kB Jul10 26)
Unit 2
- I used all the materials for Unit 2.1 and converted the worksheets into online activities to accommodate inclement weather.
I did not use Unit 2.2 or 2.3.
Unit 3
Unit 4
- I used Unit 4.1 in its entirety. Students who attended class completed breakout session 1 in small groups, while students who were absent completed breakout session 2.
- I did not use Unit 4.2.
- We completed all activities from Unit 4.3 except for the Think-Pair-Share.I used Unit 4.4 as our Mid-Semester Project. The summative assessment was administered in Blackboard as a Journal Entry where students discussed the types of severe weather new students should be aware of. Students were tasked with taking simple notes during presentations and completing self- and peer-evaluations.
- I modified and shortened the activities for Unit 4.5, focusing more on the formation and development of Mid-Latitude Cyclones and discussing historic storms. Breakout 2 was completed as a Journal Reflection on Blackboard.
Unit 5
- For Unit 5.1, I provided students with the pre-work and Activity A as a singular worksheet. I did not use Activity B or the Homework.
We used Unit 5.2 in its entirety, with additional lecture instruction to introduce students to Hurricane Harvey and flooding in the region.For Unit 5.3, I combined the pre-work and in-class activity into a single worksheet. I did not use the Homework activity.I did not use Units 5.4 or 5.5.
Unit 5.1 Combined Activity (Microsoft Word 2007 (.docx) 21kB Jul10 26)
Unit 6
Assessments
The TIDeS assessments allowed me to move away from high-stakes exams and introduce engaging and collaborative learning activities that better aligned with our learning objectives. These assessments made it easy to implement flexible deadlines and delivery for my class, reducing the burden of students who were unable to attend classes throughout the semester.
Outcomes
I wanted to create a classroom environment where students felt comfortable asking questions about new concepts and could explore different aspects of the practice of science. I wanted to move away from traditional exams and lectures and towards a classroom where students took agency in their learning process.
As I continue to develop this course for future semesters, I will work on streamlining the activities and ensuring a more equal distribution of workload across the semester.
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