Center for Distance Education& Independent Learning

Alaska, with its nearly 9,000 km of coastline, has a population with a strong heritage and interest in the sea and its commercial and subsistence resources.

During the International Polar Year 2007/08, the AMS Online Ocean Studies program was chosen for implementation entirely online, including web-delivered laboratory exercises.

This course was great. As a mother, full time employee, and all around non-traditional student, I have had a difficult time finding a science class that meets the core requirements without having to miss work everyday of the week. I wish there were more classes out there like this.

We began a six-month course development cycle with three instructional designers and two faculty members.

1. Moran, J. P. 2008. Ocean Studies: Introduction to Oceanography, Second Edition, American Meteorological Society. 474 pp.2. NCES. 2002. Special Analysis 2002-Nontraditional Students. http://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/2002/analyses/nontraditional3. Wiggins, G. and J. McTighe, 2005. Understanding by Design. Assoc. for Curricular Development, Alexandria, VA USA. 370 pp.

The AMS Ocean Studies Course with Investigations Manual offered a practical means of achieving our goals.

One designer and one faculty participated in the week-long AMS course orientation at University of Washington.

Two designers and one faculty participated in the week-long OLI Summer Workshop at Carnegie Mellon University.

Course material was adapted and enhanced to parallel the classroom-delivered course, and to ensure that it qualified as a core science course for undergraduates.

The University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) is a research and teaching institution with a strong interest in the Arctic. It is also a minority institution providing educa-tional services to the many Alaska Native communities. Distance learning is an important component of Alaska’s educational outreach to non-traditional students.

The Importance of Online Ocean Studies for Circumarctic CommunitiesJohn Kelley and David Norton, UAF School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences (SFOS)Curt Madison, Carol Gering, Chris Lott and Heidi Olson, UAF Center for Distance Education (CDE)

Abstract

Collaborative Process

References:

Special thanks to the American Meteorological Society and to Carnegie Mellon for their instructional support.

Onstage in the Davis Concert Hallduring the Festival of Native Arts.

—Photo by Todd Paris

Faculty and instructional designers collaborate via web cam.

—Photo by Christen Bouffard

American Meteorological Society MeetingPhoenix , AZ, January 2009Poster 1.6

Acknowledgements:

Fall Semester 2008, twenty-two students—largely non-traditional and rural students—enrolled in the online course. Enrollment was limited for quality control in this inaugural semester.

Web-based discussion activities were lively. The cohort atmosphere enhanced student learning.

End-of-course survey verified that the combination of AMS content and supplemental material was effective.

Results

Collaboration between SFOS faculty, AMS, and CDE resulted in a core lab course for the remote regions of Alaska.

To deliver the course entirely online, the following elements were created to supplement the AMS material:

Student web pages, to facilitate a sense of pres-ence and learning community.

Discussion forum to address specific marine science issues, encourage critical thinking, and facilitate student interaction.

Term paper to afford experience in the scientific method and science writing. Weekly graded mile-stones helped students prepare to write effectively.

Value Added

Two exams to evaluate student understanding.

Flash-based tutorials with images and audio to highlight historical events and concepts.

Lecture slides and notes to reinforce concepts.

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For more information, contact John Kelley: ffjjk@uaf.edu