University snow science courses - an analysis of student learning outcomes

Abstract

The Department of Geosciences at UiT The Arctic University of Norway offers two snow and avalanche courses to its students. The bachelor course ‘Introduction to Snow and Avalanche Science’ (GEO2015) focuses on teaching the physical characteristics of the seasonal snowpack and learning appropriate techniques for snowpack observation. Its master-level counterpart, the course ‘Snow and Avalanche Science and Management’ (GEO-3139), concentrates on teaching concepts related to avalanche release and dynamics while providing students experience assessing and applying diverse avalanche risk mitigation strategies. These two courses have been taught for several years, prompting the question; do the student learning outcomes align with the lecturer’s intentions for the courses and, more broadly, how the employed learning activities in the courses differ or coincide with activities typically used in recreational or professional avalanche courses outside of the university setting. <p>

<p>Both courses utilize a variety of teaching methods to facilitate the optimal learning environment. This includes both classroom and online lectures in addition to an emphasis on fieldwork. Additionally, guest lectures by experts on different subtopics such as meteorology, organizational mitigation strategies, and governmental administration have been arranged. The aim of this research is to assess student learning outcomes in university-level snow avalanche courses and to identify the learning methods that best resonate with the students to thereby support their learning processes. <p>

<p>The data for this research is obtained through a survey. Students from both courses responded to questions regarding their learning outcomes rated on a Likert scale. Additionally, open-ended questions give insights into more nuanced individual learning goals and motivation. <p>

<p>This study will benefit this year’s participants and also future students. The valuable feedback gained from the evaluation will inform suggestions, and further improvements can be stated and implemented. It is a shared mission of the Department of Geosciences at UiT and the students alike to improve snow and avalanche education at the university level. Additionally, the survey results can help to clarify which learning activities university courses can focus on to augment existing non-academic avalanche education curricula more comprehensively.