The Challenges and Opportunities of Using Data in Teaching From the Perspective of Undergraduate Oceanography Professors

A community survey of undergraduate professors was conducted along with subsequent interviews of community college professors to gather information on the practices and teaching needs of members of the oceanographic community. Our objective was to capture how undergraduate professors are currently using oceanographic data in their teaching, to what degree they are using inquiry in their undergraduate teaching, and information on what effective practices exist for teaching with data. The majority of those surveyed (73%) indicated that they have used data in their teaching within the last year. Professors reported they found it useful to integrate data in their teaching to help students draw conclusions from evidence. Professors reported they are using online archived data, journal publications, and data that the professors had collected themselves. The lowest percentage of professors indicated that they use online real-time data. Results indicate that professors were very likely to use a lecture (no inquiry) teaching strategy when using data in their classes. When asked where they could use the most help in improving their practice with teaching with data, responses varied by career stage. There is a need for more exploration of effective practices for the integration of data into teaching and the need for data visualization tools that help undergraduate professors meet the demands of teaching 21st century science skills and practices.