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About the Lab Manual

  • Page ID
    46454
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    This Meteorology Laboratory Manual is part of the De Anza College Zero Textbook Cost (ZTC) Pathways initiative, supporting both students and instructors with free, adaptable Open Educational Resources (OER).

    Welcome to the wonderful world of weather! This lab manual provides a brief introduction to some of the applications of material typically covered in an introductory weather and climate course. The authors of this textbook realized during their college days that learning is easier and more fun when it is hands-on rather than just in a classroom. Thus, this manual was designed to provide students with hands-on experience with meteorological diagrams, datasets, and weather maps. This lab manual, along with all the included activities, is designed to be completely stand-alone and can be completed remotely, even outside of a traditional classroom setting. In this manual, you will examine a variety of weather data sources, both provided for you and retrieved independently. The goal is to provide you with an overview of the various tools available to investigate the weather around you. 

    How to Use This Book

    Each Investigation should take about 2-3 hours to complete, which is common for a traditional one-unit introductory Meteorology laboratory course. While we attempt to explain every concept and procedure in depth, we strongly recommend supplementing this material with small demonstrations and mini-lectures. Questions are presented in multiple-choice and short-answer formats to allow maximum flexibility in modality.

    Each investigation consists of a combination of multiple-choice and brief problem-solving/plotting/analysis questions. We’ve designed each component to equate to 25 points, but please feel free to adjust the scale to meet the needs of your course. 

    Acknowledgments

    The authors would like to thank their respective spouses for their infinite patience and support during the writing of this manual. A special thanks also to the ZTC coordinators and the OER team at De Anza College for their guidance during the publication process.

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