Beach Erosion Case Based Learning Lessons

1. Beach Erosion Case Based Learning Lessons Seton Hall University-TLTC Faculty Innovation Grant for the Summer of 2005 Martha Schoene Renee M. Cicchino Alisdair Mac Rae

2. Case Based Learning • Used in Educating future Doctors, Nurse and Lawyers • Usually introduced in upper level classes or during Intern or Residency phases of training • Useful in any field where there are questions to be answered • Involves student in a realistic decision making situation-”puts you in the game”

3. Case Based Learning continued • Students can be presented with scenarios • Access through Blackboard • Related to topics in the Textbook, class presentations and current events December 1992

4. Winter Storm

5. Case3: The Case of the 100 Year Storm You are the owner of a small Pizzeria, on the Boardwalk in a town that depends on summer tourists coming to the beach. During the winter there have been a series of storms that have eroded all the sand and have damaged an existing seawall and allowed ocean water to flood your business and the town. What should you do? Make a preliminary plan of action (click on word document)

6. Case Based Learning continued • Students can create their own case based learning activities • Select an area of interest • Work in groups to • State the topic • Write the scenario • Assign roles-Different perspectives • Gather information… • Guide the responses • Present their findings to other students or their class

7. What do you need? • Topic of Interest or Objective • Question • Hypothesis • Problem/Solution • Cause /Effect - Effect/Cause • Current Event • Imagine yourself as an assigned participant rather than gathering facts for a report • Astronaut VS Astronomer

8. Select from a variety of Participants

9. Traditional Story Board for each slide of a PowerPoint • Looks like a comic book Yesterday the beach at Ocean Lane in Beach Town, NJ was closed to the public, when a deck from a beach house was seen by the morning beach cleaning crew floating in the ocean. The deck had fallen into the ocean at high tide and posed a danger to swimmers. http://gannet.stockton.edu/njbpn/1998/1998_Njbpn_Report.pdf Beach reporthttp://www.cep.unc.edu/outreach/moreheadcity/HTML/MCFSBeachNourishmentCapstone.pdf beach erosion and renourishment along the North Carolina Coastline

10. Set up a Story Board

11. Other Formats Pyramid

12. Case Based Learning continued • Students and Teachers can collaborate to create this sort of interactive experience • It is on going process • Students may add links and information • Teachers can guide the learning experience • Together they can adapt the lesson to the specific needs of each learner • “The Road Goes On Forever”

13. ERTH 1019 In the past • Students were introduced to basic concepts of erosion in class through lecture, demonstration and two different hands on lab activities.

14. Case Based Learning Provides the Opportunity for • Students • Assume a role • reviewed three scenarios one on Rip Currents, one on Extreme Local Beach Erosion and one on Winter Storms and Beach Erosion along the Jersey Shore. • Case Based Learning Information and Planhttp://myweb.shu.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab=courses&url=/bin/common/course.pl?course_id=_168833_1

15. Rip Current Erosion Scenario • You are standing by the shoreline knee deep in the surf. You are looking at the waves. You are thinking about going for a swim. When all of a sudden a wave knocks two children playing near by off their feet and pulls one of them rapidly out to sea. What should you do? • Make a preliminary plan of action (click for word document) • Based on your background information

16. General Information • www.njbeaches.org Beach Cameras. Scan down to view the beach at Point Pleasant or Belmar during daylight hours • http://www.cleanoceanaction.orgBeach Sweeps and pollution action information • www.ndbc.noaa.gov. storm information • www.ndbc.noaa.gov. water levels, tides and currents • www.nws.noaa.govstorm tracking • www.nhc.noaa.govNational Hurricane center • http://www.weathermatrix.net/past/historic storm data • www.weather.comThe Weather Channel • http://co-ops.nos.noaa.gov/restles4.htmlastronomical tides can affect rough water Background Information Glossary Glossary Background Information

17. Deadly rip currents along the Jersey ShoreInformation from noaa- go to www.ripcurrents.noaa.gov and the State Department of Ecology Rip currents can form when erosion creates a low point or a break in a near shore sand bar. This break makes a channel for water to rush back into the sea. These rip currents are also commonly formed along the side of a jetty, pier or groin, where the long shore current may be diverted out to sea. Swimmers should stay at least 100 feet away from these structures. The seaward pull of rip currents varies: sometimes the rip current ends just beyond the line of breaking waves, but other rip currents continue to push hundreds of yards offshore.

18. Rip Tide or Rip Current -NOAA, National Weather ServiceOffice of Climate, Water, and Weather Services • “In some regions rip currents are referred to by other, incorrect terms such as rip tides and undertow. We encourage exclusive use of the correct term – rip currents. Use of other terms may confuse people and negatively impact public education efforts. • As waves travel from deep to shallow water, they will break near the shoreline. When waves break strongly in some locations and weakly in others, this can cause circulation cells which form rip currents: narrow, fast-moving belts of water and sediments traveling offshore.  • Rip current speeds are typically 1-2 feet per second. However, speeds as high as 8 feet per second have been measured--this is faster than an Olympic swimmer can sprint! Thus, rip currents can sweep even the strongest swimmer out to sea.  • Rip currents can occur at any surf beach with breaking waves, including the Great Lakes. The strength and speed of a rip current will likely increase as wave height and wave period increase. • They are most likely to be dangerous during high surf conditions as the wave height and wave period increase.”

19. Rip Current Options • Jump in and try to save the children • Call for help from a professional like a lifeguard • Call 911 • Look for a floating device to throw to the children • Yell instructions to the children

20. Initial to Final Plan Word Document • Winter Storms Preliminary Plan • During the winter there have been a series of storms that have eroded all the sand and have damaged an existing seawall that allowed ocean water to flood your business and the town. • . What should you do? • Type your answer here. • Initial Plan • What initial plan of action would you choose from the list on the Nor’easter Choices slide? Give a reason for your choice based on any general information you have gathered form the links provided.Type your answer here.Gather more General and Specific Table of Contents information from the links provided to respond to the consequence(s) of your initial plan • . • Student Opinion • How would you answer the questions concerning FEMA and Flood Insurance issues on The Rebuilding in the same location Consequence slide that relate to your chosen plan of action? • What is your opinion for the questions on the Grandfather Present Businesses • Slide? Support your opinion with information you have gathered. • New Businesses Student Opinion • What is your opinion of the information on the Student Opinion slide about building new business close to the ocean in the future? Support your opinion with information you have gathered. • Compile your Data • Copy and paste any facts you would like to include in your final plan of action • Final Plan of action • What would be the best plan of action in this case? Support you answer with at least three different pieces of information. • How is beach erosion related to coastal winter storms? Support your answer with at least one fact or diagram or picture. • Submit your Answers

21. Specific Sources of information • Articles • Videos • Rip Current Formation • Photo Gallery • Library Databases • Interviews • Glossary

22. Provide Resources • Guided Learning • Students gather factually based information using diagrams, maps, photos home labs, new paper articles, video clips, taped interviews and external links to propose a solution to their beach erosion problem. • Series of questions Reputable / Scientifically based sources

23. Video Clips • http://media.shu.edu:8080/ramgen/tltc/renee/martha_fig/chris_formation.rm Chris on rip current dangers and safety • http://media.shu.edu:8080/ramgen/tltc/renee/martha_fig/reaction_and_rules.rm Life Guard Eric’s advice

24. Interviews • http://media.shu.edu:8080/ramgen/tltc/renee/martha_fig/children.rm Eric’s explanation of rip current formation • http://media.shu.edu:8080/ramgen/tltc/renee/martha_fig/chris_formation.rm Chris on rip current dangers and safety • http://media.shu.edu:8080/ramgen/tltc/renee/martha_fig/equipment1.rm Eric’s showing the rescue equipment http://media.shu.edu:8080/ramgen/tltc/renee/martha_fig/flags_go_with_set_up.rm Kristen’s tips on how to survive a rip current http://media.shu.edu:8080/ramgen/tltc/renee/martha_fig/dont_depend_on_lg.rm Kristin on rip current Safety

25. ArticlesTo Tell the Ongoing Story Homeowners Sue the Town • Six homeowners along Ocean Lane in Beach Town, NJ have filed intent to sue the town hoping for a solution to the beach erosion problem that threatens their homes existence. • Over the past few weeks the tide has advanced along the beach front and has removed the deck and stairway leading onto the beach of one of the homes. If there were a severe storm like a Hurricane these homes would be in danger of being swept into the ocean.

26. Photo Gallery-House in Danger November 1,1991

27. Comparisons • Before and after soft methods of beach Management 2005 1991

28. Same House Fall 2005 After the Nor’easter October 30, 2005

29. What can Case Based Learning Provide • Critical Thinking • A Mystery of Problem to Solve / clues • Guided Learning • Strategies for Learning • Consequences for every action • Realistic decision making situations • Related Issues • Reputable sources of Information

30. Critical Thinking • Each choice or proposed solution leads the students to consequences that require further investigation and thought to be included in their final plan of action. • Replenishment is expensive -Estimated the cost • Need to find a source of sand that will match the sand on this beach • Will cover and destroy existing plants and animals in and under the sand -May affect commercial and recreational fishing • Can change breaking waves affecting surfing • Beach not useable by swimmers and sunbathers during the replenishment project

31. Related Issues • Students gather facts to support their opinions on a series of related issues like federal flood Insurance and zoning issues. • Does FEMA or flood insurance cover any of the repairs?Should you be allowed to repurchase flood insurance for property that has been flooded or damaged more than once? Should the owner have to make changes to reduce the risk of future flood damage?

32. Looking for Clues • Students are placed into a realistic decision making situation. • Go beyond the obvious answer South wind Broken Groin

33. Follow up comment • One of the homeowners in the actual case sold their custom built dream house at a lower price than they paid and have not returned to the Jersey Shore. • The sand has returned for now and the new owner supports the reconstruction of the breached groin. They are working on building a small natural dune behind an existing sea wall using storm fencing and American Dune Grass. • They refuse to have their first floor view of the ocean blocked by the dune and plants. • Do you agree with the new ownersplan of action?Support your answer and submitted it for evaluation

34. Follow up Information for the Winter Storm Scenario In the actual case Sea Bright decided to work with the Army Corps of engineers and to replenish their beaches, The Sea Wall and any other hard structures have been covered with artificial sand dunes. Sea Bright has needed sand added twice since the initial renourishment in 2000

35. Outcomes • Blackboard Survey • “The case based learning lesson was easy to complete.  All of the information was presented in a clear and concise format.  This activity could be improved by placing it earlier in the semester”. • ” Students could also use their judgments to access other links by their own research and development.” • “I thought that the project was something completely different from anything we have ever done in this class.”

36. Petersheim Exposition for Academic Excellence • Two students are presenting their Beach Erosion/Beach Dynamics information • The 10th Annual Petersheim Academic Exposition 2006 "Bringing Knowledge to Life”Sunday, 2 April - Tuesday, 4 April 2006   An Exposition that demonstrates and celebrates students academic achievements ! Student contributions may include, but are not limited to, the following: poster sessions, presentations, research symposia, theatrical performances, art exhibits, debates, and concerts.Information can be found online at the following web site:http://artsci.shu.edu/acadexpo/or visit www.shu.edu  (click on “Academics" and the Exposition is listed under "Special Programs")  

37. Assessment • Students grades improved on the objective part of the final examination • 80% of the class earned a grade of B+ or above as their final grade in the Introduction to Geology • Essay answers • Showed more detail regarding erosion and beach management techniques • Students supported their answers with factual information • Many expanded their research to include information from FEMA, the DEP and other groups involved in beach management.

38. Plans for the future • Introduce the scenarios in the second week of classes • Add a beach replenishment scenario • Find funding to provide a more sophisticated method of information delivery • Provide information to shore communities • Provide interactive lessons to students grade 9-12 and undergraduate students