COSEE-NOW proposes to use information generated by ocean observing systems (OOS) as a powerful platform to enhance public literacy about the ocean and stimulate public support for ocean research. The mission of COSEE-NOW is to enable use of transformative ocean research and effective education practices to inspire students and the general public in ocean exploration, discovery, and stewardship. COSEE-NOW has identified three key areas of investment that combine the resources and experiences of the project PIs to promote high-quality OOS education and public outreach (EPO) and contribute to the COSEE network. The goals include:
[1] Assess the knowledge and needs of target OOS audiences: The PIs propose to survey target audiences including the K-16 students/teachers, policy/decision makers, and the science literate public to understand their awareness, knowledge, and attitudes related to OOS. The results of these needs assessments will enable COSEE-NOW and OOS EPO providers to develop useful products while increasing awareness of OOS and its relevance to these audiences. [2] Improve collaboration and coordination among scientists and educators in the OOS community. This proposed effort will support EPO programs within existing OOS networks while helping to develop planned OOS initiatives. Our work will increase the effective translation and dissemination of scientific data and knowledge to broader audiences and improve use of effective education practices among scientists in the OOS community. [3] Increase public awareness of Ocean Observing Systems. COSEE-NOW is externally focused on building public awareness of OOS through innovative media products, K-12 classroom applications, and free-choice learning environments. Through this goal, we expect to increase awareness of OOS and ocean literacy concepts among a variety of target audiences.
COSEE-NOW is composed of an accomplished team uniquely qualified to conduct the proposed tasks. COSEE-NOW includes core partners in formal education (Rutgers University), informal education (Liberty Science Center), and research (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution). Project partners including Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS), Stevens Institute of Technology- Center for Innovation in Engineering & Science Education (CIESE), Monterey Peninsula College- Marine Advanced Technology Center (MATE), and Word Craft also contribute to the COSEE-NOW team.
The primary goal of the Center for Ocean Science Education Excellence Networked Ocean World (COSEE NOW) was to enable the use of transformative ocean research and effective education practices to inspire students and the general public in ocean exploration, discovery, and stewardship. Our accomplishments are: 1) COSEE NOW established a mechanism for scientists to relate to and achieve broader impact. The COSEE NOW Broader Impact Wizard helps to support and operationalize the lessons learned from our COSEE NOW team on what makes a good broader impact education project, as well as important elements for writing a good statement. We also developed in collaboration with other COSEE centers and ASLO to develop a professional development training program called the Gears to Scientific Success: Workshops for Early Career Scientists. 2) COSEE NOW learned how to pull together different communities around real-time data. We learned how to talk to one another about how we teach with data. We discussed philosophies, semantics, and definition of terms around teaching with all kinds of ocean data sources of data and information. We worked in three communities including formal, informal educators, learning scientists, and ocean scientists to bridge together ideas and incorporate viewpoints. 3) We are effective collaborators. COSEE NOW was a highly active and effective collaborator with other COSEE Center efforts. COSEE NOW not only collaborated with more centers then the average Center, but also worked on a wide variety of products resulting in a more diverse set of interactions than any other Center. COSEE NOW collaborations included: COSIA/COS COSEE NOW has adapted the COSEE California Communicating Ocean Sciences Course, which exposes participants to learning theory and the nature of science, to reach 4H and other informal audiences. (www.coseeca.net/programs/communicatingoceansciences/) Concept Mapping The COSEE Ocean Systems Concept Mapping Workshop for scientists and educators has three phases: a collaboration phase; a peer to peer phase, where scientists present science and receive feedback on how they can improve their presentations; and a reconnection phase, where the scientists revisit their original concept, and apply them to a new situation. (http://cosee.umaine.edu/tools/cmb/) Ocean Literacy An effort initiated by COSEE California, resulted in the the development of the Ocean Literacy Essential Principles and Fundamental Concepts Guide and the Scope and Sequence Conceptual Flow Diagrams (http://oceanliteracy.wp2.coexploration.org/). Gears Workshops COSEE NOW collaborated with COSEE Ocean Systems, COSEE OCEAN, and COSEE California to produce a series of workshops to assist early career scientists with more effective communication of their research to non-expert audiences. The COSEE NOW team demonstrated that university scientists and administrators, outreach and engagement specialists, engineers, social scientists, teachers, and the staff of informal learning centers could work well together to accomplish our project objectives. We list below what we believe to be our most important COSEE NOW accomplishments. Development of a network of scientists and educators: the COSEE NOW Network, www.coseenow.net, consists of 600+ users, including a variety of informal and formal educators, scientists, technicians/programmers, evaluators, students, and directors/administrators. Development of a Broader Impact Wizard, which is a web-based software tool designed to assist early career scientists in creating a broader impact statement for their NSF Criterion II. Engagement of scientists and others with a Storytelling Initiative, and creation of more than 50 podcasts and video slide shows with ocean scientists (www.oceangazing.net) and companion lesson plans for K-12 educators to use in teaching (led by Dr. Ari Daniel). Implementation of the GEARS to Scientific Success program: a partnership with COSEE OS, OCEAN, and CA. The GEARS program, directed at early career scientists and graduate students, included training on deconstructing science, understanding how people learn, building effective communication techniques, and broadening the reach of ocean science. Increased use of ocean observing data in formal and informal learning environments: Liberty Science Center developed six lessons focused on ocean science data from Ocean Observatories. In addition, Virginia Institute of Marine Science developed a series of nine real-time Data Tips for the National Marine Educators Bridge Website. Increased use of real-time data in K-12 formal and informal programming: Liberty Science Center developed an Ocean Science Extended Laboratory for middle and high school students; and developed floor activities that engaged the public in glider data from the Coastal Ocean Observation Laboratory at Rutgers University. The MATE program at Monterey Peninsula Community College designed and implemented the Ocean Drifter Project that trains and supports community college faculty in designing simple ocean drifters and having their students track and analyze data from the drifters. Rutgers University implemented teacher-training programs designed to increase the use of data in teaching. COSEE NOW’s Educating with Data document of effective practices in using real time data in teaching. This guide is directed to informal and formal educators striving to improve their practice in using data in their classroom and informal teaching.
