Abstract:

Ocean, Atmosphere, and Coastal Dynamics is a subject taught during the second year of the Civil Engineering Master’s Degree at the University of Granada (Spain). It focuses on the fundamentals of atmosphere–ocean interactions that drive key processes for coastal systems, including atmospheric circulation and stability, geostrophic currents and Ekman transport, wave generation, propagation and its influence on coastal dynamics.

The subject has been taught since the 2015/16 academic year. The maximum number of students enrolled was 80 in the course 2018/19, although it has decreased until reaching a minimum of 30 students in 2024/25. This decrease is linked to fewer new enrollments in the master’s program.

The teaching methodology has evolved since 2015/16, although the main structure remains based on a balance between theory and student practical work supported by lectures. The syllabus progresses sequentially from atmosphere to ocean and then to coastal dynamics.

In the first year, it was divided into two sections (Atmosphere and Ocean–Coast) without tests. Assessment was based just on student work, which was divided in two blocks. The first one is class assignments, including problem sets, short group presentations (~5 min/group), attendance and participation tracking, etc. The second one is a group project that includes a short presentation (~10 min/group). During the project, each group of 4 students analyzes case studies based on real environments under the supervision of the lectures. Due to this practical approach, all students who took the subject passed it.

From 2016/17 to 2018/19, Continuous Assessment Tests (CATs) were introduced in both sections, to strengthen the students’ knowledge. It represented 50% of the final score, with the remaining 50% corresponding to student work. This change increased the proportion of students who did not attend the CATs to around 20%, while the failure rate remained very low (~2%). Pass rates in the CATs were similar for both the Atmosphere and the Ocean–Coast sections, at approximately 80%.

Between 2019/20 and 2021/22, the methodology’s structure does not change, but a minimum mark of 4 in each CAT was required to continue with continuous assessment. This led to a strong increase in failure rates, while CATs pass rates decreased to around 50% in the Atmosphere section and 70% in the Ocean–Coast section. It should be noted that this period coincided with the COVID-19 confinement.

Finally, since 2022/23, the subject has been reorganized into three sections (Atmosphere, Ocean, and Coast). CATs no longer require a minimum passing mark, although their weighting increases progressively, the syllabus is continuous across tests, and earlier sections cannot be retaken. This change was introduced due to the decrease in the number of students, aiming to make the subject more attractive by highlighting practical work and continuous learning rather than tests. As a result, failure rates have decreased considerably, while the number of non-attending students remains similar.

Overall, the methodological changes introduced over the years have contributed to improve the performance and engagement of students. The progressive shift toward a more practice-oriented approach and continuous assessment from 2022/23 course has reduced failure rates, although with slight changes of non-attending students. These adjustments also reflect an effort to adapt the subject to evolving academic contexts and student needs.

Keywords:

Teaching methodology, Engineering, Education, Continuous assessment.