Learning Together, Growing Together: Distributed Online Learners as One Scientific Community
Concurrent Session 9
Brief Abstract
How are Environmental Science students collecting data and conducting fieldwork to solve environmental problems in an asynchronous learning model? Come experience it for yourself! Join us for a highly collaborative discussion on opportunities that exist for creating one scientific community to address environmental problems at scale.
Presenters
Extended Abstract
“How could online students be prepared for the workforce in a hands-on field like Environmental Science?”
“You can read about how to collect a water sample or watch someone else do it, but it’s not the same as being out there in the field yourself- I want candidates who have the experience, who have gone out there, gotten their hands dirty, and had to solve problems and make decisions out in the environment that they’re studying.”
These are just a few anecdotes that drove one partnership to challenge the status quo to meet the needs of online learners pursuing their degrees in environmental science.
So, how are online Environmental Science students collecting data and conducting fieldwork to solve environmental problems in an asynchronous learning model? Come experience it for yourself in this session!
In this session, presenters will share how existing beliefs and mindsets about online learning have evolved in recent years and how this shift presented an opportunity to create an online course in environmental fieldwork.
Previously viewed as limiting, online learning has become an effective means for driving diversity, equity, and inclusion in STEM fields. Presenters will highlight how online learners develop their identity and a sense of belonging in the scientific community through hands-on fieldwork.
The session is seeking active participation from attendees. Presenters will lead a conversation with attendees to explore ways that learners can collect and database environmental data that contributes to the larger scientific community in collaboration with other institutions.
Outcomes for this session include:
- Discuss how the evolution of mindsets and technical advancements have created the opportunity for large-scale collaboration among distributed learners
- Highlight flexible learning methods that can be used to prepare online learners to be career-ready in the new world of work
Attendees can expect to:
- Actively participate in a hands-on demonstration of an environmental science lab kit
- Think critically about the future of online STEM education and opportunities that exist
- Discuss current methods for data collection and ideate on opportunities for collaboration