The goal of this project is to research if shifting the emphasis of assessment to mastery of skills concerning scientific inquiry would help increasing students’ internal motivation to learning, and ultimately improve learning outcome. The goal will be achieved by:

• Modifying and further developing a set of problem sets that are data-driven and inquired-based on core concepts of ocean sciences
• Engaging students in an online virtual lab as a final project
• Adopting a scientific approach and quantify the effectiveness of these intervention through the use of concept inventories, attitude surveys and focus groups.