NEREUS: the Virtual Underwater Classroom
the NEREUS classroom in Second Life
Finally, the notion of “interdisciplinary” learning has taken on new meaning in light of the capabilities for rapid, virtual collaboration among faculty. In a pilot, undergraduate students enrolled in a design course taught by Riley Triggs on the UT-Austin campus have designed and built NEREUS, Nautical Environment for Research, Exploration, and Understanding of the Sea (a virtual oceanography research simulation). NEREUS is a virtual underwater “classroom” space representing the Gulf of Mexico for both classroom and online students who will be enrolled in a future semester at UT’s Marine Science Institute (MSI) in Port Aransas. The MSI students will learn about oceanography and how to conduct research and collect and analyze data. These kinds of completely new and enriched learning experiences, at dramatically reduced costs, are possible only because of the instructors’ bold and imaginative foray into virtual worlds.
NEREUS Course instructor, Tracy Villareal
UT Instructor Tracy Villareal says “UT sold the Longhorn due to high maintenance costs & an inability to support the ship’s daily operating costs. We have no ability to provide actual field experiences for many of our marine related courses. The potential to simulate oceanographic sampling in SL has opened up many new possibilities & has permitted me to consider whole new horizons for what I can do in my courses. SL allows me to create (with collaborators) a universe to sample.”
Brian Li and Crystal Lin training Villareal's students in Second Life
Villareal is now teaching the first NEREUS class, OCEANOGRAPHY: HUMAN EXPLORATION/EXPLOITATION OF THE SEA (MNS 367K , Fall 2009): “Review of the history of ocean exploration including major oceanographic expeditions. Discussion of current topics in ocean exploration and exploitation of marine resources, the impact of resource exploitation on biological systems, and the development of marine policy. Student presentation is required.”
Students presenting their projects in NEREUS
The goals of Villareal’s class:
Review of the history of oceanography, including both exploration and the development of current oceanographic concepts and technologies. Present the current hot topics in oceanography. Learn how oceanographic data is collected and use virtually collected data to map unknown waters for their gradients in physical and chemical gradients. Examine how oceanography has been used for oceanic exploitation by examining specific case-studies in terms of economic & social importance, effects on the ocean environment, and management methods & effectiveness. Place current events into a larger context of initial exploration & development of ideas leading towards the ability to exploit the oceans. Explore the cost and consequences of current marine management strategies.
Villareal and students
The following are Learning Objectives for the class:
1. Students will be able to plot oceanographic data in standard professional software
2. Students will be able to identify major oceanographic features in the data
3. Students will be able to list the major oceanographic expeditions and provide historical context for their findings
4. Students will be able to list the major means of extracting power from the ocean and describe the principles behind them
5. Students will be able to describe harmful algal blooms and list the major types of seafood poisoning that result from them.
6. Students will be able to list the major fisheries of the world and describe the types of regulatory environments that are used to manage them.
7. Students will be able to describe the historical trends in overfishing and discuss the differences between derby and IFQ managed fisheries.
8. Students will be able to research a topic relevant to the course, organize the material and present it in a coherent fashion (either directly or virtually) to their peers.
Students inside NEREUS