Enhancing STEM classes using weave: A collaborative web-based visualization environment

Learning within a STEM classroom environment can be greatly enhanced by engaging the students in real-world datasets. This provides the opportunity to go beyond textbook examples that are often only marginally close to those students will see in their future careers. The Weave (WEb-based Analysis and Visualization Environment) developed at the University of Massachusetts at Lowell allows collaborative data visualization in a web browser that is highly applicable to STEM classrooms. Larger and more field appropriate datasets can be loaded into the system, hypotheses can be made and confirmed, and students can collaboratively work together. This paper discusses the ways in which Weave could be used in the STEM classroom to foster learning.