An open web‐based module developed to advance data‐driven hydrologic process learning

Abstract

The era of 'big data' promises to provide new hydrologic insights, and open webbased platforms are being developed and adopted by the hydrologic science community to harness these datasets and data services. This shift accompanies advances in hydrology education and the growth of web-based hydrology learning modules, but their capacity to utilize emerging open platforms and data services to enhance student learning through data-driven activities remains largely untapped. Given that generic equations may not easily translate into local or regional solutions, teaching students to explore how well models or equations work in particular settings or to answer specific problems using real data is essential. This article introduces an open web-based module developed to advance data-driven hydrologic process learning,

Advancing Hydroinformatics and Water Data Science Instruction: Community Perspectives and Online Learning Resources

“…Without training in data intensive approaches with modern technological tools, students will be unprepared to solve emerging water problems (Lane et al, 2021;Merwade and Ruddell, 2012).…”

“…Many have recommended educational pedagogies for hydrology that are "student-centered" or "problem-based", which describe applications that deepen learning by connecting to real-world contexts (Habib et al, 2019;Maggioni et al, 2020;Ruddell and Wagener, 2015;Wagener and McIntyre, 2007). Students need to learn using real-world datasets, actual tools, and open-ended problems, also referred to as "ill-defined", "authentic", or "experiential" (Burian et al, 2013;Lane et al, 2021;Maggioni et al, 2020;Ngambeki et al, 2012).…”

“…In 2012, Merwade and Ruddell noted that an appropriate system was not yet in place, and there remains no single clearinghouse of educational resources in the field. More recently, Lane et al (2021) and Maggioni et al (2020) developed and published course content via HydroLearn (https://www.hydrolearn.org/). Lane et al ( 2021) made the case that online educational materials should be supported by active learning, basic templates, adaptation, multiple content types, and pedagogical tools, which make HydroLearn an effective platform.…”

“…However, getting students up to speed consumes precious time, and instructors would prefer programming/scripting at earlier levels (i.e., undergraduate). Participants reported difficulty in approaching advanced topics when students are learning to program for the first time, similar to Lane et al (2021). Although computational skills are critical to water science and hydrology fields (Merwade and Ruddell, 2012), students are often expected to figure them out without explicit instruction (i.e., the "hidden curriculum").…”

“…To meet this need, hydroinformatics and water data science have been growing as specific topics of instruction, both in university programs and in community education settings (e.g., Consortium of Universities for the Advancement of Hydrologic Science, Inc. (CUAHSI) Virtual University and University of Washington WaterHackWeek) (Burian et al, 2013;Popescu et al, 2012;Wagener et al, 2021). In parallel, incorporation of technical tools in traditional water science courses is growing, though uptake has been uneven and lags behind what many see as needed (Habib et al, 2019;Lane et al, 2021). Hydroinformatics and water data science both combine computational tools and water-related data to achieve actionable knowledge.…”