A forecasting activity for a large introductory meteorology course
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The Department of Geological and Atmospheric Sciences offers majors in three areas: Geology (traditional, environmental, or hydrogeology, for work as a surveyor or in mineral exploration), Meteorology (studies in global atmosphere, weather technology, and modeling for work as a meteorologist), and Earth Sciences (interdisciplinary mixture of geology, meteorology, and other natural sciences, with option of teacher-licensure).
History
The Department of Geology and Mining was founded in 1898. In 1902 its name changed to the Department of Geology. In 1965 its name changed to the Department of Earth Science. In 1977 its name changed to the Department of Earth Sciences. In 1989 its name changed to the Department of Geological and Atmospheric Sciences.
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1898-present
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- Department of Geology and Mining (1898-1902)
- Department of Geology (1902-1965)
- Department of Earth Science (1965-1977)
- Department of Earth Sciences (1977-1989)
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- College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (parent college)
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Abstract
A large lecture introductory course at Iowa State University has used a forecasting activity since 1993 to actively engage students in doing science. This automatically scored Web-based activity requires students to evaluate selected weather parameters and to also select appropriate physical reasons for their values. Participants can select from more than 1000 cities in the United States for their forecast city. This activity engages students in doing what practicing meteorologists do. Further, forecast scores demonstrate increased understanding throughout the course. Design considerations were based on constructivist learning theory in order to address goals articulated by national panels; to promote problem solving, collaboration, and communication skills by being involved in scientific inquiry.
Comments
This article is from Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society 81 (2000): 31, doi: 10.1175/1520-0477(2000)081<0031:AFAFAL>2.3.CO;2. Posted with permission.