Hands-On Learning Modules for Interdisciplinary Environments: An Example With a Focus on Weather Radar Applications

Learning modules provide an effective means of encouraging cognition and active learning. This paper discusses several such modules that have been developed within a course on weather radar applications intended for students from Electrical Engineering and Meteorology. The modules were designed both to promote interdisciplinary exchange between the students and to guide them from a theoretical to an applied understanding of weather radar and the interactions of radio waves with geophysical media. The learning modules introduce students to various means of acquiring weather radar data from real-time and archival sources and ways in which to query and visualize them. They are also tasked with analyzing data from several actual and significant meteorological events and asked to assess the strengths and limitations of current methods of retrieving rainfall rates. Data sources include both weather radars and complementary surface-based instrumentation. The modules may be used in a variety of locations and by a diversity of students. Although developed for weather radar applications, the concepts discussed are applicable to other interdisciplinary classroom environments.