College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Iowa State University

Storm watch

Doug Yarger has developed computer programs to give meteorology students a real-world experience.

Eight years ago, Doug Yarger, professor of atmospheric sciences, thought about walking into a classroom of 350 students and didn't know what to do.

"I inherited an introduction to meteorology class," he recalled. "I quickly realized that after 25 years of teaching, I was out of my league. I had always taught smaller classes."

Instead of trying to continue to teach the same way, Yarger sought help. He started working with other individuals on campus to improve his teaching skills. It was then that he says he learned to be a better teacher.

"I had taught for all those years and never thought about how students learned," he said. "It's been an eye-opening experience."

In the eight years since, Yarger, along individuals from the Computer Supported Learning group in the Computation Center and curriculum and instruction department, have developed a series of computer tools managed by Classnet that have assisted meteorology students in their coursework.

In the introduction to meteorology course, Yarger wanted students to do what professional meteorologists do --forecast the weather.

"I thought if we were able to create an opportunity for students to be able to forecast the weather, that would be a wonderful addition to the course," he said. "But with 350 students how do you do that?"

The answer came from Peter Boysen of the Computation Center. Boysen and Yarger combined to develop a Web-based software program that allows students to forecast the weather for any place in the country based on current atmospheric conditions.

Typically Yarger's students are asked to forecast the weather a minimum of 25 times during the semester. Through the Web they have access to the latest weather reports. They then develop a forecast for daytime and nighttime temperatures, precipitation, wind speed and direction, and cloud cover. More importantly, they are required to select reasons for their predictions. These are also part of their forecast grade.

"The program allows the students to appreciate weather forecasting," Yarger said. "Initially they get frustrated by not knowing enough to make reasonable predictions, but by the end of the semester, they demonstrate to themselves that they can do this ®¢ that they have learned something."

Yarger and Boysen have created other computer tools to help meteorology students learn. A series of JAVA simulations have allowed them to create an environment for students to learn about difficult concepts in meteorology.

The meteorology department hasn't stopped with these innovations. A virtual reality program is being developed along with the College of Engineering that will be like "stepping into a severe storm world."

"The student will be in a car and as they drive around and through the storm they can actually see the rain hit the windshield or see lighting in the sky," Yarger said.

A series of USDA and National Science Foundation grants have enabled Yarger to develop these computer tools. He has received more than $700,000 in grants over the past five years. Other colleges and universities have taken the programs he developed and now use them in their meteorology courses.

Yarger is quick to point out these computer programs would not be possible without the assistance and innovation of Boysen, his fellow meteorology professors and others on campus. In the end however, it is the knowledge of what his students are accomplishing that is most important to him.

"I think we're making real strides in student learning," he said. "Instead of measuring understanding with multiple choice exams we now can see that students come out of the course being able to solve authentic weather-related problems."