Lecture Design

I used Google Slides as the platform for the lectures so students could access the most current slides if I made edits. I used the assertion-evidence slide design, where each slide contains an assertion and evidence that back up the statement in the form of photos, figures, and videos. I connected meteorological concepts to biological examples, current weather events, and personal experiences. I used Poll Everywhere to promote student engagement throughout the lecture.

Assertion-evidence enables students to grasp what is most important to know and remember. The figure relates to the assertion and is used by the instructor to further elaborate on the statement.

I used current weather events to illustrate concepts within the lecture or as a review in future lectures.

Since I taught during the time when we practiced social distancing in the class, I used Poll Everywhere as an interactive approach for students to engage with the content and to document participation points. This also helped me gauge how well students understood the material within the current class time and created an opportunity to review content. Types of poll questions include multiple-choice, short-answer, clickable image type activity, and creating a word cloud.

An example of a multiple-choice question.

An example of a short-answer question. Study could upvote their favorite answer.

An example of a word cloud. Students were asked to submit a one word answer. The larger the word in the word cloud, the more students submitted that word.

This is an example of a clickable image type activity.

I included biological examples and personal experiences (my own and/or students' experiences with weather) to help students make connections to meteorological concepts.

This slide communicated the role microbes have in weather events through catalyzing ice nucleation, the first step in cloud formation.

This slide communicated how we feel similar temperatures differently depending on the time of year.

I included current relevant topics such as how microorganisms like the SARS-CoV-2 virus are spread and the increase of secondary infection of fungal diseases in COVID-19 patients. This brought awareness to pathogen mechanisms of dispersal and how the measures to decrease spread help reduce infection.

I included information about the impact climate change has on indigenous communities and their involvement in climate policy to promote cultural awareness.

This slide contains an emended YouTube video on the impact melting ice has on the indigenous community in Alaska and a photo showing the impact rising sea levels have on the Polynesian community in Tuvalu.

To connect weather and climate to biology, I planned a series of lessons on biometeorology, the study of weather on living organisms. Alanna Staffin, Ph.D. candidate in the Integrative Biomedical Physiology program who specializes in animal physiology guest lectured on animal biometeorology.