Course Overview
Communicating Ocean Sciences to Informal Audiences (COSIA) is an NSF-funded Informal Science Education project, which is working closely with five pairs of marine informal science education institutions and nearby colleges or universities to create strategic, long-term three-way partnerships to improve ocean science education nationwide. One of the major initiatives of the project is the COSIA course which involves colleges/universities working with their local aquariums/marine science centers to deploy undergraduates/graduate students to teach the public about current discoveries in ocean sciences.
Project Goals include:
- Provide a model for establishing substantive, long-term partnerships between scientists and informal science education institutions to meet their respective educational outreach needs.
- Provide future scientists (college students) with experiences delivering outreach that acquaint them with the role informal institutions play in providing memorable experiences for the public and promoting the broader impact of research.
- Provide diverse role models and inquiry-based ocean sciences for children and families visiting informal science institutions.
- Create a series of handbooks including: an Instructors' Guide for the COSIA course, and an Informal Science Educators' Handbook.
- Create a project web site to disseminate resources, results, and a bank of informal marine education activities.
COSIA Partners
These partners exemplify a diverse array of universities and informal learning environments.
Hampton University - Virginia Aquarium
Oregon State University - Hatfield Marine Science Visitor’s Center
Rutgers University - Liberty Science Center
University of California, Berkeley - Lawrence Hall of Science
University of Southern California - Aquarium of the Pacific
UCSD/Scripps Institution of Oceanography - Birch Aquarium
COSIA Course
This course provides undergraduate and graduate students the opportunity to explore and apply current learning theory and instructional strategies geared toward informal learning environments, and engages them in communicating ocean sciences. Students, working with university professors and educators at the informal science education institutions, have the opportunity to design an activity to be implemented at an aquarium or science center. A teaching manual and resource guide providing in-depth instructions, session write-ups and materials lists for teaching the course at your university as well as on-line resources is available. More information about the Communicating Ocean Sciences courses can be found on our frequently asked questions page.
The students say they are learning to refine complex scientific concepts and communicate the important points to the broader public. The benefit they speak of mostly is the confidence building experience of being introduced to the theory and then applying it in a safe environment. The course is like no other course they take in their career. -COSIA Instructor
This was a great course that I would recommend all graduate students take at some point during their education. This was a very positive experience and the most applicable and useful class that I have taken to date. -COSIA Student
Personally, I felt like I was learning along with the students. Professionally, I am a better teacher in my other classes because of COSIA. Institutionally, our students are much better prepared for their future job search. -COSIA Instructor
Interested in teaching COSIA at your university? Then contact us.
|
