Data-driven discovery and virtual labs – Undergraduate Class-based research from the inside-out.

Abstract:

Actively learning about physical, oceanographic processes, and intertidal coastal communities is difficult when access to the ecosystem of study is limited. It is further challenging to apply basic ecological and oceanographic concepts to meaningful research in the context of introductory courses. The approaches presented here were aimed at “bringing the outside, in” and carried out during two undergraduate courses: Oceanography and Coastal Ecology. In Oceanography, students asked questions and analyzed processes in the Southern Ocean using open access data from the SOCCOM (Southern Ocean Carbon and Climate Observations and Modeling) project. In Coastal Ecology, students observed and analyzed images (using ImageJ, an open source program) taken by the instructor to complete a series of labs that investigated the population and community dynamics of an intertidal ecosystem. In each case, students actively gained invaluable experiences collecting, analyzing, and synthesizing interpretations of data to apply and support content-learning of basic oceanographic and ecological principles. Here I present the instructor approach, student and instructor challenges, and reflections on how to improve the student experience for future courses. The Coastal Ecology labs were planned as a direct response to adapting teaching techniques to COVID-19, whereas the Oceanography course research project was planned as a way for students to understand how Oceanographic data are directly collected, accessed, and analyzed.