Taking the pulse of hydrology education

摘要

Progress in the hydrologic sciences has been hampered by a lack of synthesis across the diverse yet narrow disciplinary backgrounds within which most hydrologists are educated. As part of an effort to analyse, synthesise, and unite hydrologic education across a large number of institutions, our group commenced an online survey with contributions from 158 university hydrology educators. This survey provides a first step towards better understanding how hydrology is currently taught and indicates how teaching materials and instructor preparation could be improved. The survey has shown that there is little commonality in hydrology education resources and that many instructors are using customized, original materials. Participants spent considerable time preparing their lectures using multiple resources, and noted a wide variety of textbook choice, without any dominant selection. Respondents taught relatively small classes (10-15 students), mainly at the graduate level. Survey participants were predominantly from the USA, with about one-third teaching in engineering departments and one-quarter teaching in earth science departments.