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| AMS Weather Studies Course Information |
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We have compiled several common questions about offering the AMS Weather Studies course and have posted their answers below. Should your question not be answered in this listing, please:
Question Topics
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Gaining Approval to Offer the CourseQ. I am a professor who would like to offer the course, but getting a new course approved is very difficult and time consuming. Do you have any advice? A. There might
already be a course in your college catalog, such as “weather and
climate” which could serve as a home for AMS Weather Studies. The
course can be offered with a title other than Weather Studies. Remember
that AMS Weather Studies is a very versatile offering which may be
easily adapted to many course descriptions and situations. Be sure to check
lists of infrequently offered or banked/archived courses. Also, look into
courses offered by other disciplines that could be cross-listed with your own.
In some cases, the course is offered as a “special topics” or
“directed reading course.” Q. I will have to submit a detailed proposal to the curriculum committee to get the course approved. Can I get a syllabus for the course? A. Because the
course is offered in so many ways and by individual faculty members at many
colleges, AMS does not provide a syllabus for the course. However, a course
schedule and syllabus can easily be constructed from information found on the
Textbook info page, the Investigations Manual info page, and by viewing the
real-time course delivery schedule. Q. Is the course suitable to be offered as a lab science course? A. To offer AMS
Weather Studies as a lab science course, we suggest you
license the complete Course Package, which
includes the Textbook, Investigations Manual, and Course Website. The twice
weekly investigations (found in the Investigations Manual and Course Website)
are considered by many to be ideal lab exercises with a mix of hands-on
exploration, data manipulation and analysis, as well as map and graph work.
These investigations are similar to activites found in many typical lab
manuals, except that in the case of AMS Weather Studies, they are based
on current and/or real-world weather situations. Offering the course with
additional semester hour credit adds value because there are no additional
licensing fees or book costs. Q. What is the major advantage to incorporating the real-time aspects of the course (in addition to using the Textbook and Investigations Manual)? A. The real-time
aspect has been proven to heighten student interest and extends learning
because other weather variables may be considered along with the specific topic
of the lesson. A Weather Summary is available each weekday when the course is
offered and a variety of real-time weather data, maps, radar and satellite
images as well as forecast products are available 24 hours a day, 365 days a
year from the Course Website. In lab settings, the real-time analysis offers
the ability to fashion additional exercises around current weather data that
connect to the daily summary and the weekly investigations. Faculty BackgroundQ. What kind of background does the instructor need to offer the course? A. Specific
qualifications needed for offering AMS Weather Studies will depend on
local course requirements and the departmental and curricular policies in
effect at your institution. AMS Weather Studies can be offered by
instructors with a broad range of backgrounds. The course's turnkey package
design and accompanying faculty manual (on the CD) allow AMS Weather
Studies to be successfully implemented by instructors new to teaching
meteorology. The course can be offered in a variety of departments including:
meteorology, mathematics and physical science, physics, biology, geography, and
earth science. In some cases, the course will be offered as part of a career
degree program, for example, in teacher education, geotechnologies, aviation,
conservation, and natural resources. Q. If I do not have a lot of formal training in atmospheric science, will I feel comfortable offering the course? A. The course
materials are presented in such a way that an instructor in most science and/or
mathematics departments should have no difficulty offering the course. The
AMS Weather Studies complete Course Package includes everything needed
for your success. While one might wish to add supplementary materials in some
situations, the course as packaged is a robust introduction to meteorology.
Collegial assistance from AMS professional meteorologists, earth scientists,
and educators will be available to faculty members offering the course. A
Faculty Website and a comprehensive Faculty Resource CD provide answer keys to
exercises, a large test-question bank, and suggestions for offering the course
in various ways. Q. How much mathematics is needed for the course? A. While atmospheric science is a quantitative science, this introductory course does not require extensive mathematics preparation beyond basic algebra. Instructors who would like to expose students to mathematical applications of meteorology are invited to incorporate the optional weekly Math Skills Challenge found on the course website. Q. If I offer this course as a distance education course over the web, how will I give exams and communicate with my students? A. Making this
course a totally online experience for students depends on local institutional
needs and technical capabilities. Most institutions have an Office of
Information Technology, Distance Education, or Continuing Education department,
which provides assistance with these kinds of issues. They may also assist you
in developing your own course management website for administering the course.
Modern technology allows a wide range of distance education implementations. In
most cases, though, the course will successfully be delivered via the
accompanying Course Website and the use of phone, fax, or e-mail for
communication with students. Course Management SystemsQ. Can AMS Weather Studies be administered using course management systems such as Blackboard and WebCT? A. Many colleges
offer the course using Blackboard, WebCT, or other course management systems.
These systems are used in traditional lecture/laboratory and distance learning
offerings. AMS recommends you check with your college administration to see if
this is a requirement. For colleges using course management
systems, we provide all textbook chapter, Investigations Manual, Current
Weather Studies, and test bank questions as files compatible with
Respondus, test generation software for
which your institution may have a license. Respondus opens formatted files and
converts them to various course management system files. Q. My college requires that I use a course management system and I have no experience with such a program. Where should I go for assistance? A. First, contact
your Office of Information Technology, Distance Education, or Continuing
Education. This office will typically help you set up your course management
system and website. Please contact AMS if you would like to speak with other
AMS Weather Studies faculty members using the same course management
system. Quality and Integrity IssuesQ. This is an innovative delivery method. How successful has it been? A. AMS Weather
Studies has been introduced at over 400 colleges and universities since its
national implementation in Fall Semester 1999. This course was rigorously
assessed by the Spring Semester 1999 pilot study colleges and assessed
again by licensed colleges in Fall Semester 2001. Course instructors have used
AMS Weather Studies in a variety of instructional settings (including
on-campus lecture/lab and fully online) with great success.
Q. Can we count on the quality and integrity of this course? A. The course
itself bears the seal of a distinguished professional scientific society which
has been in existence since 1919. The AMS Education Program has delivered
quality educational programs in meteorology and oceanography in partnerships
with the U.S. National Weather Service, SUNY College at Brockport, United
States Naval Academy, the Office of Naval Research, the Naval Meteorological
and Oceanographic Command, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration's National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information
Service and National Ocean Services. Major funding of many programs, including
the initial development of AMS Weather Studies and the
Geosciences Diversity Project, has been from the
National Science Foundation. Meteorological data is delivered via the U.S.
National Weather Service's National Centers for Environmental Prediction. In
addition, several national experts in education and meteorology have
contributed to the development of the course insuring its scientific
integrity. Textbook IssuesQ. How may I order an evaluation copy of the textbook (and Investigations Manual)? A. If you are interested in using the Weather Studies Textbook (or Textbook and Investigations Manual) in a current or future course offering, you may request an examination copy. If you would like to order the book for personal use, please visit the AMS Online Store and select "AMS Undergraduate Studies."
Q. How will textbooks and other course materials be handled? A. AMS Weather Studies course materials will be sold by college or local bookstores in the same way that college texts are usually sold. Institutions licensing the full course typically have their bookstores order the Weather Studies Textbook and Investigations Manual packaged together, but may also purchase these items separately. Institutions choosing the text-only option may purchase the Weather Studies textbook without a course license. Q. What specific information do I need to provide the bookstore? A. To order the Weather Studies Textbook and Investigations Manual for Academic Year 2012-13/Summer 2013 (for licensed users), please use the information below. Summer 2012 orders, click here.
To order the Weather Studies Textbook:
To order the Weather Studies Investigations Manual (for licensed users):
Q. How do bookstores place an order? A. Bookstores should send a purchase order to us by mail or fax. AMS Weather, Ocean & Climate Studies Bookstores are encouraged to call 202-737-1043 if there are any further
questions. Course Licensing Fee and CostsQ. How much does it cost to license AMS Weather Studies? A. The Course License is only $149 and extends from August 15th to August 14th the following year. This is a flat fee and allows the licensee to offer the course in an unlimited number of course sections throughout the year. Visit the License Procedure page for details. Q. I am a professor who would like to offer the course but I don’t know where I would get the licensing fee? Who pays for the course? A. The licensing
fee has been reduced to enable most departments to cover its cost as a petty
cash expenditure. Additionally, you might talk to your Office of Distance or
Continuing Education about their potential to offer assistance in providing
funding for this course. Also, check with your academic vice president, dean,
business or budget office to see if there is a budget category to cover these
types of costs. Inquire about how other courses your institution is offering
which have license fees manage these cost arrangements. Q. Can students be assessed a special fee to cover the costs of the course? A. Covering the cost of the license fees for the course is a local matter that has to be determined by your institution. Q. Can the course be licensed for use by schools using a quarter system or for an intersession or a summer session? A. AMS Weather
Studies can be offered at any time by using the Textbook and Investigations
Manual, which are designed to function together as a complete course. (Colleges
offering the course during fall and spring semesters are strongly encouraged to
incorporate Current Weather Studies investigations available on the
course website. If it is offered at times other than during the real-time
offering of the course in fall and spring, the online Daily Weather Summary
component will not be available in its complete version. However, the learner
will be directed to other real-time weather summaries. Q. Can one license be used on multiple campuses? A. Generally, the answer is no. One license covers the course being offered as many times during the licensed period as wanted on the campus that purchased the license. Offering the course through one instructor on one campus that has enrollment open to other campuses requires only one license. Offering the course on different campuses through different instructors requires additional licenses. For further clarification, please contact us. |
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