The presenter for this session is Dr. Joseph Fitzgerald, Assistant Professor, Physics and Physical Oceanography, Faculty of Science.

Scientific research/writing projects such as 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 it will be recorded. 

If attending online, it is recommended that you attend this session using one of the following internet browsers:  Chrome, Microsoft Edge (Chromium) or Firefox. You can join the session 10 minutes before the start time.  

If attending in-person, the session will be held in the TLX (ED 1001).  

Registration is required for this event. *CLICK HERE TO REGISTER*