1. Developing a Community of Scholars and Teaching Modules for Water Resource Courses at KU, University of California, Davis, and the University of Alabama
Mary Hill1, Josh Roundy2, Laura Folgia3, Grey Nearing4, Randy Stotler1, Andrea Brookfield5, Geoff Bohling5, and Erick Van Vleck6
1Dept. of Geology, KU; 2Dept. of Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering, KU; 3Dept. of Land, Air and Water Resources, University of California, Davis;
4Dept. of Geological Sciences, University of Alabama; 5Kansas Geological Survey; 6Department of Mathematics, KU
This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant Number DUE Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.
Example Course – GEOL 591/791
MODFLOW Module
Results
The course GEOL 591/791 is an upper-level undergraduate and graduate course for geology and civil engineering students interested in the building and use of computer models of groundwater systems. The course has been taught for the last four years and offered in the spring. Typical enrollment consists of 6-8 students.
Student surveys were conducted after each use of modeling software. Identical surveys were used in each instance, consisting of the following statements/questions:
Activity objectives were –
I felt participating in the activity –
I liked participating in the activity –
I understood what was being represented in the activity –
I better understood the physics of groundwater flow because of the activity –
I better understood the mathematics of groundwater flow because of the activity
Was there any one thing in the activity that helped me better understand the material covered?
Was there any one thing in the activity that did not add to my understanding?
Was there any one thing in the activity that I would change to help me better understand the material?
Transformation Effort
Goals for course transformation included the following objectives:
Students understand relevant physical and mathematical processes and interactions needed to analyze and simulate ground and surface water resources
Students learn to think quantitatively in how they approach problems, organize information, pose questions, and implement mathematical models
Numbers 1-6 were answered with Likert-like choices, #s 7-9 were short response (NA – not applicable; NR – no response).
#1 Activity Objectives Were: #2 I Felt Participating in the Activity:
MODFLOW MODFLOW
Dupuit Dupuit
AnAqSimEDU AnAqSimEDU
To meet these objectives, modules were developed incorporating active learning methods to assist student learning with specific topics.
Specific modules were also introduced to CE 455, Hydrology. However, students did not complete these modules in time for inclusion on this poster.
User starts with this tab and can modify variables of the hydraulic conductivity field.
0% 20%
Not clear at all Mostly clear NR
40%
Mostly not clear Very clear
60% 80%
Somewhat clear NA
100% 0%
Was not useful Was mostly useful NR
20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
was mostly not useful was somewhat useful Was very useful NA
Course module development and transformation efforts are part of a larger collaboration with the faculty in the Dept. of Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering at KU, the Dept. of Mathematics at KU, the Kansas Geological Survey, the University of California, Davis, and the University of Alabama.
AnAqSimEDU Survey
Dupuit Survey
MODFLOW Survey
Question 6
Question 6
Question 6
Question 5
Question 5
Question 5
This poster presents preliminary results regarding the development and use of one of the modules in which funding was used to facilitate creation of a groundwater modeling program using MODFLOW with a graphical user interface created in MATLAB.
Question 4
Question 4
Question 4
Question 2
Question 2
Question 2
0% 20%
40% 60% 80%
No, mostly not Yes, mostly NA
100%
20 40
60 80
No, mostly not Yes, mostly NA
100
0% 20%
40% 60% 80% 100%
No, mostly not Yes, mostly NA
No, not at all Somewhat clear Yes, very much NR
No, not at all Somewhat clear Yes, very much NR
No, not at all Somewhat clear Yes, very much NR
Assessing the Module
In examining groundwater flow, students use several types of modeling methods and software. Groundwater flow software and models used earlier in the course include AnAqSimEDU and the Dupuit Forward Model. Learning objectives for these models were similar to that of the MODFLOW module, allowing for comparison between the models. Students were surveyed regarding use of AnAqSimEDU, Dupuit Forward Model, and MODFLOW after use of each model.
The following are selected student responses for #7, 8, and/or 9 regarding AnAqSimEDU:
I thought the activity was a good introduction to what groundwater modeling is based on and gave insight into what was expected.
AnAqSimEDU seemed to follow the rules of math much stricter than other software we've used, but it did not have a user- friendly interface. It served as a better 2D calculator.
It may take some time to use AnAqSimEDU for the first time on a different project that has no tutorial to follow, because certain steps may be easily forgotten and small "bugs" that cause big problems in the result can be difficult to find out.
The following are selected student responses for #7, 8, and/or 9 regarding the Dupuit Forward Model:
Hydraulic head distribution after X days as per user settings.
AnAqSimEDU modeling software
I liked the software Dupuit very much because it was very logically organized (the "packages" for example) and appeared much more logical than all other software I've seen (including MATLAB and JAVA). The way the program designers organized Dupuit, putting "things" into "packages," helped understanding how the program works and consequently, the materials related to groundwater flow.
The following are selected student responses for #7, 8, and/or 9 regarding the MODFLOW module:
Just being able to see the particles flow in regards to changing conductivities, pumping rates, and whatnot really helped in the visualization and understanding of the materials covered.
By combining the graph of hydraulic head and the graph of physical height helped understand more on the concept of mechanical energy and the philosophy deep within.
Perhaps participate with [developer] in developing such a model, so I'd understand it from the developer's view.
Discussion and Conclusions
Dupuit Forward Model file structure
Generally, students favored use of the MODFLOW module and appeared to develop a better understanding of groundwater flow represented by the model. As the MODFLOW module was utilized later in the course, however, student understanding of groundwater flow using the MODFLOW module may be partially due to greater mastery of the subject later in the semester. In the future, pre- and post-tests or quizzes will be utilized to better understand student gains regarding this module, and other modules, in addition to student survey feedback, and the MODFLOW module will be introduced earlier in the course.
Particle trajectory paths after X days as per user settings.
We would like to thank Andrew Banks, KU graduate student, for his work in creation of the MODFLOW module featured in this poster.