"Winter, Water, and Warming": A European - Canadian Mini-MOOC Cooperation to Respond to the Challenges of Online Radar Remote Sensing Education
Abstract
Earth observation (EO) activities are undergoing enormous paradigm shifts concerning broad-scale operational utilization and application. These are amplified by the Covid-19 pandemic. Science-based EO education efforts need to explore innovative ways of delivery and seek opportunities for online accessibility and web-based participation. Web-based education solutions have emerged as a significant eLearning component. The contribution presented here centers on recent European and Canadian cooperation to develop and deliver a Canadian SAR Mini-MOOC entitled "Winter, Water, and Warming" as part of a roster of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) on radar remote sensing. In Europe, the virtual EO College (www.eo-college.org), among other web-based initiatives, provides a central hosting platform for EO education materials and online teaching modules. Rooted in scientific research, the content enables users to openly access EO data sets and learning modules. One of the first MOOCs - Echoes in Space - Introduction to Radar Remote Sensing - was delivered in 2017 on behalf of the European Space Agency. In Canada, the Canadian Space Agency, Agriculture and Agri-Foods Canada, the Canadian Ice Service and Natural Resources Canada are contributing brief lessons to an hour-long Mini-MOOC on Canadian satellite radar application. They emphasize ongoing research, development and operational use by government departments and agencies. Recent application development is set against a historical background of radar development in Canada, leading to present day use under the RADARSAT program. This cooperative, interdepartmental project with the European partners is focused on agriculture, climate change impacts, as well as sea ice and lake and river ice related work. The Canadian SAR Mini-MOOC complements and expands on existing radar remote sensing eLearning tools in Canada and strengthens transatlantic EO education activities with a view of engaging a broader public online.
- Publication:
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AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2020
- Bibcode:
- 2020AGUFMSY009..04A
- Keywords:
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- 0815 Informal education;
- EDUCATION;
- 9399 General or miscellaneous;
- GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION;
- 1640 Remote sensing;
- GLOBAL CHANGE;
- 6630 Workforce;
- POLICY SCIENCES & PUBLIC ISSUES