Presenters: Dr. Joseph Fitzgerald (Science)

Scientific research/writing projects like term papers are a time-tested component of undergraduate science education. However, students typically write several such papers throughout their undergraduate careers, which can lead to the perception that the assignments are “dry” and reduce student enthusiasm for scientific exploration. Term papers are also onerous to grade and are increasingly fraught as an assessment tool due to generative AI such as ChatGPT.

In this talk, Dr. Fitzgerald will discuss “TikTok projects”, which he has used in his introductory physical oceanography class (PHYS/OCSC 2300) for the past few years. In these projects, students are asked to delve into the primary literature and, rather than write a 5-page paper, instead develop a two-minute “TikTok”-style popular science video presentation in which they explain their research topic and its significance.

Students have had a lot of fun with this project and tend to combine their scientific interests with personal expression. Student feedback on the assignment is very positive, and assessment is relatively AI-resistant compared with traditional papers. In this talk, Dr. Fitzgerald will describe the assignment, including feedback and grading, and show some fun examples of successful projects.

This is a hybrid session (offered online and in-person) and will be recorded. 

Registration is required for this event.

This event is part of CITL's Instructor Series. For additional CITL events, please visit our full calendar.

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Location: Hybrid (TLX ED-1001 or online)

Date and Time: Tuesday, Nov. 4 at 02:00 PM - 03:00 PM (NST)

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