Using OOI Datasets to Expand Quantitative Skills in an Introductory Oceanography Course

Managing and analyzing large datasets can increase data literacy of students from a variety of majors. Incorporating data from the Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI) into an introductory science course can therefore address student learning outcomes of general education and STEM curricula alike. Lab exercises that highlight OOI data are being developed for an Introductory Oceanography course at Fitchburg State University, a primarily undergraduate institution with a student population that includes those traditionally underrepresented in higher education. Given that approximately half of our incoming students require remediation in mathematics, the inclusion of large datasets presents the opportunity to expand students’ quantitative skills but challenges in their engagement with those data. This presentation will describe successes and barriers that students encountered when working with OOI data. Student perceptions about working with large datasets, including their confidence and relevance, will also be evaluated.