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 (1991-present)
The Maury Project (1994-present)
The DataStreme Project (1996-present)
Online Weather Studies (1999- )
Water in the Earth System (1999- ) 2 2

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 & 4 year post-secondary educational institutions;
Designed for diverse & non-traditional student populations. 3 3

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

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

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

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

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