Working Together for Better Student Learning: A Multi-University, Multi-Federal Partner Program for Asynchronous Learning Module Development for Radar-Based Remote Sensing Systems

Students are not exposed to enough real-life data. This paper describes how a community of scholars seeks to remedy this deficiency and gives the pedagogical details of an ongoing project that commenced in the Fall 2004 semester. Fostering deep learning, this multiyear project offers a new active-learning, hands-on interdisciplinary laboratory program in which engineering, geoscience, and meteorology students are encouraged to participate actively. Storms, tornadoes, and hazardous weather cause damage and loss that could be minimized through enhanced radar technologies and longer warning lead times. To study these topics, the program has generated a unique, interdisciplinary research-oriented learning environment that will train future engineers and meteorologists in the full set of competencies needed to take raw radar data and transform them into meaningful interpretations of weather phenomena.