A VIRTUAL EXPLORATORIUM TO SUPPORT INQUIRY -BASED LEARNING IN GEOSCIENCE COURSES Rajul Pandya 1, Mary Marlino 2, Robert Wilhelmson 3, Mohan Ramamurthy 3, Ken Hay 4, Don Middleton 5 and Dan Bramer 3 (1) West Chester University, West Chester, PA (2) PAGE/UCAR, Boulder, CO (3) University of Illinois, Urbana, IL (4) University of Georgia, Athens, GA (5) NCAR, Boulder, CO

Scientific Literacy n Undergraduate Education the key –science education for general public –professional trainning for K-12 teachers –professional training for industry –preparation for advanced SME&T degrees From “Shaping the Future”

Scientific Practice vs. Scientific Education n Science is active and technologically intensive –emphasizes relationships and why n Science Education is passive and low tech –emphasizes definitions and what

Hot Air Rises Students are good at telling what happens, but don’t often move to understanding “why”

Can we increase n Ability to explore and discover? n Ability to find relationships? n Ability of students to conceptualize the complex?

Some Recommendations n Inquiry Based approach to Science Education n Emphasis on Scientific Principles and their applicability to everyday life n Experience of “doing science” From “Shaping the Future” In other words, the student becomes the scientist

The Virtual Exploratorium n A pedagogic framework for Geoscience Education n A learner-centered scientific exploratory environment for introductory undergraduate education –Utilizes UCAR/UIUC visualization technology – Funded through NSF DUE/EHR

Virtual Exploratorium will provide learners with n a well-supported inquiry environment n opportunities to engage the “tools of practice” of scientific investigation n opportunities to use and understand the roles of modeling and visualization n inquiry based projects on Earth Systems Science e.g. El Niño, hurricanes, plate-tectonics

VE: A Pedagogic Framework What A description of the phenomena, including sophisticated learner- constructed visualization Why Relation to the underlying physical principles that “explain” the behavior of the natural world Phenomena as the “hook”

VE: A Pedagogic Framework Phenomena: concrete, observable, direct student experience Processes: A collaboration of building blocks that explains a result or aspect of a phenomena Building Block: combination of fundamental principles into recyclable units Fundamental Principles: basic immutable laws of physics, e.g. Newton’s Laws

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A VE Scenario

Components of the VE

Goals n Develop Conceptual framework n Secure Funding n Investigate current understanding n Identify topics to develop –El Niño, plate tectonics n Identify appropriate data sets and architecture n Develop a visualization interface n Adapt modeling tools n Develop a single curricular element n More Funding