10th International Aerosol Conference September 2 - September 7, 2018 America's Center Convention Complex St. Louis, Missouri, USA
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Combining Transferable Skills and Aerosol Science in Education
ANTTI LAURI, Taina Ruuskanen, Laura Riuttanen, Hanna Vehkamäki, University of Helsinki
Abstract Number: 1409 Working Group: Aerosol Education
Abstract We studied students’ learning of transferable skills during a two-week research-intensive course. Advanced analysis of atmospheric aerosol and aerosol-related data was the topical emphasis on the course. The students were working on real data, and the project work they carried out during the course was a real research problem.
The transferable skills whose learning we studied were data analysis skills, academic writing skills, oral presentation skills, learning and teaching skills, and project and time management skills. All of these skills were included in the expected learning outcomes of the course. We invited the 30 students on the course to answer on a survey in the beginning of the course in order to find out about their expectations about learning transferable skills on the course. In the end of the course they answered on a second survey. The aim of the second survey was to find out how much they learnt during the course, and whether their learning on the course fulfilled their expectations.
The students on the course represented a rather mixed audience. Their stages varied between undergraduate students and postdoctoral researchers. The majority of the course participants were doctoral students. They also represented different disciplines: physics, meteorology, atmospheric science, Earth science, and biology.
We found that overall, the students felt they did learn the transferable skills included in the expected learning outcomes. The students found mixed groups in terms of stage of studies and discipline appreciated rather than problematic. Even more importantly, working with real data and research problems was considered motivating and rewarding.