Advancing Hydroinformatics and Water Data Science Instruction: Community Perspectives and Online Learning Resources

Abstract

Hydroinformatics and water data science topics are increasingly common in university graduate settings through dedicated courses and programs as well as incorporation into traditional water science courses. The technical tools and techniques emphasized by hydroinformatics and water data science involve distinctive instructional styles, which may be facilitated by online formats and materials. In the broader hydrologic sciences, there has been a simultaneous push for instructors to develop, share, and reuse content and instructional modules, particularly as the COVID-19 pandemic necessitated a wide scale pivot to online instruction. The experiences of hydroinformatics and water data science instructors in the effectiveness of content formats, instructional tools and techniques, and key topics can inform educational practice not only for those subjects, but for water science generally. This paper reports the results of surveys and interviews with hydroinformatics and water data science instructors. We address the effectiveness of instructional tools, impacts of the pandemic on education, important hydroinformatics topics, and challenges and gaps in hydroinformatics education. Guided by lessons learned from the surveys and interviews and a review of existing online learning platforms, we developed four educational modules designed to address shared topics of interest and to demonstrate the effectiveness of available tools to help overcome identified challenges. The modules are community resources that can be incorporated into courses and modified to address specific class and institutional needs or different geographic locations. Our experience with module implementation can inform development of online educational resources, which will advance and enhance instruction for hydroinformatics and broader hydrologic sciences for which students increasingly need informatics experience and technical skills.