ONLINE WEATHER STUDIES:
A Distance-Learning Course
• Ira W. Geer
• R.S. Weinbeck
• B.A. Blair
– American Meteorological
Society, Washington, DC
J.A. Brey,
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University of Wisconsin-Fox Valley;
E.J. Hopkins,
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University of Wisconsin-Madison;
J.M. Moran,
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University of Wisconsin-Green Bay
CALMet99
Helsinki 14-18 June 1999
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Historical Perspective:
AMS Educational Initiatives
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Project ATMOSPHERE
The Maury Project
The DataStreme Project (1996-present)
Online Weather Studies (1999- )
Water in the Earth System (1999- )
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ONLINE WEATHER STUDIES
OVERVIEW
• Developed & pilot-tested by AMS;
• Support from National Science Foundation;
• One-semester, introductory, college-level course on
fundamentals of atmospheric science;
• Online distance learning stressing current weather;
• Suitable for 2 and 4 year post-secondary
educational institutions;
• Designed for diverse and non traditional student
populations.
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ORGANIZATION
AMS
EDUCATION
DC Office &
Madison
COMET
Boulder, CO
Text Products
ONLINE WEATHER
STUDIES
Current Weather
Products
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Online Weather Studies:
Course Components
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Textbook
Student Study Guide--Learning Activities
Course Homepage
Faculty Manual & Secure Homepage
• Course Management Homepage
(optional)
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Online Weather Studies:
Pilot-Test
• Background
– Spring 1999
– 14 institutions (two- & four-year
colleges & universities)
– Varied Formats
• Student-Instructor Interaction
• Student-Student Interaction
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Online Weather Studies:
Pilot-Test (con’t.)
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Results
Student Evaluation
Advantages
Disadvantages
Student Attrition
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DEMONSTRATION
CONNECTIONS
• Online Weather Studies
Demo Page
• Sample Class Page
– Univ. of Wisconsin-Green Bay
( J. M. Moran)
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CONCLUSIONS
OLWS Pilot Course:
• was successful
• was well received by students
• technology not a limiting factor
• students were generally well
motivated
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CONCLUSIONS (con’t.)
Advantages:
• Convenience & flexibility
attractive features for students
• Administration very supportive
• Comparable student
performance with other
traditional introductory courses
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CONCLUSIONS (con’t.)
Areas of concern:
• maintaining students’ schedule
• little face-to-face contact
between student and instructor
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