1. ONLINE WEATHER STUDIES: A Distance-Learning Course
Ira W. Geer
R.S. Weinbeck
B.A. Blair
American Meteorological Society, Washington, DC
CALMet99
Helsinki June 1999
J.A. Brey, University of Wisconsin-Fox Valley;
E.J. Hopkins, University of Wisconsin-Madison;
J.M. Moran, University of Wisconsin-Green Bay

2. Historical Perspective: AMS Educational Initiatives
Project ATMOSPHERE
The Maury Project
The DataStreme Project (1996-present)
Online Weather Studies (1999- )
Water in the Earth System (1999- )

3. ONLINE WEATHER STUDIES OVERVIEW
Developed & pilot-tested by AMS;
Support from National Science Foundation;
One-semester, introductory, college-level course on fundamentals of atmospheric science;
Online distance learning stressing current weather;
Suitable for 2 and 4 year post-secondary educational institutions;
Designed for diverse and non traditional student populations.

4. ORGANIZATION AMS EDUCATION DC Office & COMET Boulder, CO Madison
Text Products
Current Weather
Products
ONLINE WEATHER
STUDIES

5. Online Weather Studies: Course Components
Textbook
Student Study Guide--Learning Activities
Course Homepage
Faculty Manual & Secure Homepage
Course Management Homepage (optional)

6. Online Weather Studies: Pilot-Test
Background
Spring 1999
14 institutions (two- & four-year colleges & universities)
Varied Formats
Student-Instructor Interaction
Student-Student Interaction

7. Online Weather Studies: Pilot-Test (con’t.)
Results
Student Evaluation
Advantages
Disadvantages
Student Attrition

8. DEMONSTRATION CONNECTIONS
Online Weather Studies Demo Page
Sample Class Page
Univ. of Wisconsin-Green Bay ( J. M. Moran)

9. CONCLUSIONS OLWS Pilot Course: was successful
was well received by students
technology not a limiting factor
students were generally well motivated

10. CONCLUSIONS (con’t.) Advantages:
Convenience & flexibility attractive features for students
Administration very supportive
Comparable student performance with other traditional introductory courses

11. CONCLUSIONS (con’t.) Areas of concern: maintaining students’ schedule
little face-to-face contact between student and instructor