COMET Faculty Multimedia Workshop*

A Workshop sponsored by the National Science Foundation
with additional support from the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration

17-21 July 2006
Boulder, Colorado

Workshop Goal:

The primary goal of this workshop is to help university faculty make greater and more effective use of multimedia in their teaching at their home institution. There is considerable evidence that today's students rely on active and collaborative learning while expecting to see materials in a variety of media. On the other hand, faculty members recognize that there is considerable challenge to learning science topics in depth and wish to avoid skimming over important material. This workshop will deal with this dilemma by exploring the use of multimedia to motivate interest and curiosity while stimulating the drive to learn in depth.

Workshop Content:

The workshop will feature a combination of presentations and small focused workgroup sessions aimed at effective integration of multimedia into the instructional environment in the atmospheric sciences. Participants will work together in groups of 3 to 7 in one of the following four focus areas: mesoscale meteorology, numerical weather prediction, application of satellite data, or multimedia applied to introductory courses in atmospheric sciences. Presentations will provide examples and discuss instructional design approaches. Participants will collaborate to develop strategies for the effective use of multimedia in classroom and laboratory learning. Focus groups will explore existing Web-based multimedia resources, drawn from the extensive COMET media library, UCAR's digital library (DLESE), and other generally-accessible resources while developing plans for integrating them into their courses. Guidance will be provided to these groups by university faculty members with experience in the use of multimedia in the instructional environment and by COMET personnel.

Accordingly, each participant will be expected to develop a specific plan for applying multimedia in one or more courses or course segments by the end of the workshop. It is expected that the teamwork approach of the workshop will carry over into the academic year to result in shared progress and success in multimedia use to promote learning. Examples or descriptions of plans and implemented strategies are expected to be made accessible through COMET at the end of the 2006-7 academic year.

Who should participate?

This workshop is geared toward college and university faculty members who teach undergraduate meteorology courses that include some component of the focus areas (mesoscale meteorology, numerical weather prediction, application of satellite data, and multimedia applied to introductory courses in atmospheric sciences). Enrollment is limited to 18 participants. The participants for this year's workshop have been selected.

Costs:

  1. The COMET Program will provide per diem and lodging.
  2. A registration fee of $50 per person will be required to cover logistical expenses.
  3. Participants are responsible for their own travel costs.

Email Dr. Greg Byrd at byrd@comet.ucar.edu with any questions and/or for additional workshop information.

COMET Faculty Course Material

Current Course 17-21 July 2006

For information on the Faculty Course contact Dr. Greg Byrd, byrd@comet.ucar.edu or for help in other areas:

  • Computer Support csdg@comet.ucar.edu

    Last Updated 2 June 2006

    • * NOTE: This workshop follows the Unidata Users Workshop on Expanding the Use of Models as Education Tools in the Atmospheric and Related Sciences which takes place the week of 10 July 2006.

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