Field and Stream: Initial Testing of a Live-Streamed Field Course

Keywords: inclusion, online, education, field, teaching
Session Type: Virtual Poster Abstract
Day: Sunday
Session Start / End Time: 2/27/2022 03:40 PM (Eastern Time (US & Canada)) - 2/27/2022 05:00 PM (Eastern Time (US & Canada))
Room: Virtual 27

Abstract

Field experiences have consistently been shown to be vital components of successful undergraduate curricula in geosciences disciplines, including atmospheric sciences. Numerous studies have documented the value of field courses, but these courses also discourage certain students from pursuing careers in the geosciences, due to inaccessibility, financial constraints, or other concerns. Some college/university atmospheric-science programs offer a storm-chase field course as a capstone experience and/or a recruiting tool. Here we share results from a trial of an online-streaming version of such a course. This tested course was led by experienced instructors, and the participants included three students who had never taken a storm-chase course as well as four students who had previously completed at least one storm-chase course. Post-course survey results show that each participant agreed the online version of the course exceeded the value of typical classroom experiences. Some responses suggest that certain concepts (e.g., identification of clouds and storm processes) might be better taught in a classroom setting, but there was unanimous agreement that this tested course created personal investment in the course that was greater than a classroom-based version. Likewise, students found weather discussions to be more valuable than in a classroom setting. Some students considered this version to be at least as good as in-person field experiences due, in part, to equitable access to instructors and visual aids and the ability to re-watch recorded streams. While this is only a first step, our experiences show promise for the future of accessible field courses in the atmospheric sciences.