Credit: National Centers for Environmental Prediction [Public domain]
METEO 410: Advanced Topics in Weather Forecasting is the final course in Penn State’s Undergraduate Certificate in Weather Forecasting. One way this course piques the interest of students and provides activity relevant to their career goals is with required participation in the national collegiate weather forecasting competition called WxChallenge. This 10-week challenge has students making and assessing real-life forecasts utilizing real-time data. The goal is for students to beat the computer and outperform their peers from across the nation. Students are encouraged to discuss their observations and thought processes with each other and the instructor in online discussion forums.
Students in METEO 410 consistently outperform the computer models and often rank among the top 5-10% of students nationwide. Course reviews and Student Ratings of Teacher Effectiveness (SRTEs) for this course are exceptional, in large part because students see the value and relevance of the work they are doing, and have done in previous courses, to the real world. Below is one example of a student comment:
“...I provided the highest ratings to the instructors and course materials [for METEO 101, 241, and 361 ] ...However [METEO] 410 was even a cut above each of those previous three courses in terms of sheer hands-on learning and student/instructor engagement."
Considerations
While this example is based on a pre-established competition, something similar could be created easily for use in a single class or in multiple sections of the same class.