COMET’s Education and Training for the Worldwide Meteorological Satellite User Community: Meeting Evolving Needs with Innovative Instruction

Abstract

Since 1989, the COMET^® Program’s staff of instructional designers, scientists, graphic artists, and web developers has been creating targeted, effective, and scientifically sound instructional materials for the geosciences in multiple languages and formats. The majority of COMET training materials and services are available via COMET’s online training portal, MetEd. MetEd hosts over 500 self-paced English-language lessons, which are freely available to registered users. The lessons cover a broad array of topics, including satellite meteorology, numerical weather prediction, hydrometeorology, oceanography, aviation weather, climate science, and decision support. Nearly 300 lessons have been translated to other languages. NOAA NESDIS, EUMETSAT, the Meteorological Service of Canada, and the US National Weather Service all provide funding and subject matter expertise for satellite training efforts at COMET. The COMET team is focused on helping our sponsors refine their learning objectives and produce instructional material that is focused on learner engagement, knowledge retention, and measurable performance improvement. The COMET Program has continually transformed its instructional approach to better meet the shifting needs of learners. Our satellite remote sensing educational and training materials provide sound foundational knowledge for existing and new satellite products paired with increasing opportunities to apply that knowledge.