Interdisciplinary Teaching Using Satellite Images as a Way to Introduce Remote Sensing in Secondary School

How to Boost Close-Range Remote Sensing Courses Using a Serious Game: Uncover in a Fun Way the Complexity and Transversality of Multi-Domain Field Acquisitions

Close-range remote sensing, and more particularly, its acquisition part that is linked to field robotics, is at the crossroads of many scientific and engineering fields. Thus, it takes time for students to acquire the solid foundations needed before practicing on real systems. Therefore, we are interested in a means that allow students without prerequisites to quickly appropriate the fundamentals of this interdisciplinary field. For this, we adapted a haggle game to the close-range remote sensing theme. In this article, we explain the mechanics that serve our educational purposes. We have used it, so far, for four academic years with hundreds of students. The experience was assessed through quality surveys and quizzes to calculate success indicators. The results show that the serious game is well appreciated by the students. It allows them to better structure information and acquire a good global vision of multi-domain acquisition and data processing in close-range remote sensing. The students are also more involved in the rest of the lessons; all of this helps to facilitate their learning of the theoretical parts. Thus, we were able to shorten the time before moving on to real practice by replacing three lesson sessions with one serious game session, with an increase in mastering fundamental skills. The designed serious game can be useful for close-range remote sensing teachers looking for an effective starting lesson. In addition, teachers from other technical fields can draw inspiration from the creation mechanisms described in this article to create their own adapted version. Such a serious game is also a good asset for selecting promising students in a recruitment context.

Development of an App and Teaching Concept for Implementation of Hyperspectral Remote Sensing Data into School Lessons Using Augmented Reality

For the purpose of expanding STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) education with remote sensing (RS) data and methods, an augmented reality (AR) app was developed in combination with a worksheet and lesson plan. Data from the Hyperspectral Imager for the Coastal Ocean (HICO) was searched for topics applicable to STEM curricula, which was found in the example of a harmful algal bloom in Lake Erie, USA, in 2011. Spectral shape algorithms were applied to differentiate between less harmful green and more harmful blue algae in the lake. The data was pre-processed to reduce its size significantly without losing too much information and then integrated into an app that was developed in Unity with the Vuforia extension. It was designed to let students browse and understand the raw data in RGB and a tangible hyperspectral cube, as well as to analyze algae maps derived from it. The app runs on Android smartphones with minimized data usage to make it less dependent on school funding and the socioeconomic background of students. Using educational concepts, such as active and collaborative learning, moderate constructivism, and scientific inquiry, the data was integrated into a lesson about environmental problems that was enhanced by the AR app. The app and worksheet were evaluated in two advanced geography courses (n = 36) and found to be complex, but doable and understandable, for the target group of German high school students in their final two school years. Thus, hyperspectral data can be used for STEM lessons using AR technology on students’ smartphones with several limitations both in the technology used and gainable knowledge.

Earth Observation as a Facilitator of Climate Change Education in Schools: The Teachers’ Perspectives

Climate change education (CCE) fosters the skills and behavioral patterns of students in regards to climate-related challenges and risks. Despite its importance, the integration of CCE in schools is challenging due to the interdisciplinary nature of climate science and the obstacles and demands of everyday school reality. Here, we examine the case of satellite Remote Sensing (RS) for Earth Observation (EO) as an innovative tool for facilitating CCE. We focus on Greece, a country that, despite being a hot spot for climate change, shows a low level of CCE integration in schools and awareness for EO-based educational resources. Based on interviews with in-service teachers, our research reveals the following: (a) there is a high interest in how satellites depict environmental phenomena; (b) EO is considered an efficient vehicle for promoting CCE in schools because it illustrates climate change impacts most effectively; (c) local natural disasters, such as intense forest fires and floods, are more familiar to students and, thus, preferable for teaching when compared to global issues, such as the greenhouse effect and sea level rise; and (d) educators are in favor of short, hands-on, EO-based activities (also known as “activity-shots”), as the most useful material format for integrating climate change topics in their everyday teaching practice.