A Virtual Learning System in Environmental Monitoring

This paper provides an overview of a Learning Enhanced Watershed Assessment System (LEWAS) and its public interface called the Online Watershed Learning System (OWLS). These systems provide access to environmental monitoring case studies that are developed based on high frequency water and weather data from a small urban watershed on the campus of Virginia Tech (VT) and represent applications of the innovation cycle of engineering education research and practice. The development of LEWAS was motivated by a programming learning unit in a first-year engineering class in 2008, and since then it has grown into a unique research and education lab on the VT campus. Several examples of learning activities based on the LEWAS/OWLS are provided and applications of these systems within and outside VT are discussed. Results of a pilot study to track the OWLS' users are provided and this work is expected to provide guidelines to develop personalized learning systems in environmental monitoring. Interdisciplinary collaboration facilitated by the LEWAS/OWLS work has resulted in a several new NSF awards, and examples are provided.