Teaching Students to use “Big” Data in an Online Teaching Environment

Abstract:

As they become more commonly available online, large environmental datasets provide new opportunities for instructors to teach quantitative reasoning and scientific concepts. However, curricular materials developed to help instructors use these resources needs to be flexible and adaptable for a wide range of abilities, course types, and time limits. Project EDDIE (Environmental Data-Driven Inquiry and Exploration) modules are built with this flexibility in mind. Modules are scaffolded to progress from guided- to open-ended inquiry. As well as student handouts, modules include extensive supporting information for instructors, with the intention that they will be able to modify these materials as appropriate for their course, students, and learning goals. We have found that Project EDDIE modules can be effective in achieving the overall conceptual scientific and quantitative reasoning goals across a wide range of courses and approaches. To assess their effectiveness for online teaching specifically, we used the EDDIE Climate change module in introductory science courses at four different institutions across the USA (IL, NY, AZ). This module uses global temperature and atmospheric CO2 datasets to explore current rates of change, and to compare those rates of change using Vostok Ice core data. Students are asked to reach their own conclusions regarding how changes in the last 100 years compare with changes over the past 400,000 years, and what this might imply about the role of human activity in current climate change. As with all modules, one key component is that students make their own decisions about how to use the data, in this case selecting the time frames that they want to use. The EDDIE Climate Change module has already been tested several times in in-person teaching settings for comparison. We describe the core modifications that we made in order for students to have a similar experience that incorporates dialogue and discussion to develop scientific argumentation skills. The module would typically take approximately 1 -2 weeks of time during an online course to complete. We assessed student outcomes in terms of how module us affects their quantitative reasoning, understanding of the underlying beliefs and methods of sciences, and how their attitudes about climate change are altered by completing the modules.