Electric learning

Resource, Aug 2001 by Carroll, Natalie

Great Lakes Adventure CD-ROM a hit with teachers and students

Agricultural engineers at Purdue University joined forces with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) more than 20 years ago to begin creating electronic learning tools. One of their latest achievements is the Great Lakes Adventure, a CD-ROM that provides information about potential contaminants in the Great Lakes. -- The CD also describes how the EPA is using its Lake Guardian research ship to monitor and help solve environmental problems. The Lake Guardian is a non-polluting vessel that travels the Great Lakes collecting air, water, soil, fish, bird and mammal samples to analyze in on-board laboratories.

The CD features more than 20 interactive panorama views of the ship and its laboratories. Users can control their view of the ship by clicking on parts of the images. The CD is targeted to high school students, but it can be used by anyone interested in environmental issues.

Purdue, EPA partnership

ASAE members Don Jones, Bernard Engel and R. Mack Strickland, Purdue professors, began working with the EPA in the early 1980s. They put their engineering and scientific knowledge and information into electronic formats such as floppy disks, CD-ROMs and the Internet. This collaboration has benefitted Purdue and the EPA, resulting in more than 70 programs. Mike Bland of EPA's Region 5 Software Development Section coordinates the efforts. In 1992, the partnership led to establishing the Center for Technology Transfer and Pollution Prevention (CTTPP) at Purdue.

Purdue professor and ASAE member Natalie Carroll joined the CTTPP effort in 1995 bringing with her experience as a high school math and science teacher plus advanced degrees in agricultural engineering from Michigan State University. At that time, the EPA wanted to fund the development of an educational CD-ROM to introduce students to the Lake Guardian.

Besides producing electronic media, the biggest CTTPP benefit has been the experience that more than 100 student employees, mainly undergraduates, have gained while working on these projects. They learn how to work on multi-disciplinary teams and how to communicate with diverse audiences. They also become familiar with a subject matter area and the technology they are presenting it with, and must either have or develop a strong work ethic.

The students stay abreast of new developments in graphic technology and use this media more than would be possible in regular coursework. They learn to present technical information and contemporary issues in an electronic format. The students also develop expertise in how to set goals and schedules, and how to work with a team including faculty, agency professionals and reviewers. They bring a fresh look to the development because they are generally unfamiliar with assigned topics. As new learners, students often present their topic with more clarity than someone with a deeper understanding of the subject. The skills the CTTPP students learn enhance their preparation for professional lives.

Planning and development

An extensive planning phase determined the scope and sequence of the Great Lakes Adventure CD. The planning team involved Purdue faculty with engineering, science and education expertise, and EPA administrative, technical, and scientific personnel. Carroll worked with the team to select topics, flow and presentation style before programming began.

Two CTTPP students instrumental in the effort's success focused on the programming and developed the technical content and graphics, and edited the material.

The team used Director(TM) software to create the program. They chose this software because of its support for graphics and video, and easy creation of both PC and Mac program versions. Throughout development, Carroll reviewed the program for content, flow, appropriateness of graphics, color combinations and thoroughness. EPA personnet reviewed program sections for content and program flow. When major sections had been completed and linked, all team members reviewed an entire draft CD.

An early version of the Great Lakes Adventure program was reviewed and evaluated by high school teachers in a focus group setting. This input helped determine the final program's overall look and presentation. The teachers suggested adding a student worksheet so they could determine if students accessed all the major program parts. The final version includes a worksheet and answer key on the CD's teacher edition.

The program's main sections are:

The Great Lakes Region - Includes one subsection titled "5 Lakes" includes general information about the lakes in the Great Lakes basin. Another subsection titled "Natural Processes of the Great Lakes" includes plants and wildlife in the lakes, the hydrologic cycle and stratification and turnover. Two other subsections are "What are the Great Lakes Used For?" and "Who Manages the Great Lakes?"

* R/V Lake Guardian Tour - Contains photographs and interactive panoramas that allow users to control their view of the ship by clicking on parts of the images.