Grand Challenges for Hydrology Education in the 21st Century
Publication: Journal of Hydrologic Engineering
Volume 20, Issue 1
Abstract
A thorough understanding of the hydrosphere is crucial for the sustainable evolution of human society and the ecosystem in a rapidly changing world. This understanding can only come from well-trained professionals in the field of hydrology working in research and practice. In civil and environmental engineering, this knowledge is the basis for the design of infrastructure and its management. This paper briefly reviews the historical development of engineering hydrology education from the middle of the twentieth century. The twentieth century was characterized by the establishment in the 1950s and 1960s of a clear, modern, and durable vision for hydrology education as a distinct formal program of study, and the consolidation in the 1990s of the original vision. In recent years, a series of publications has expanded the traditional vision of hydrology education. This recent literature emphasizes formalized approaches to hydrology education, including community-developed curricular resources, data-based and modeling-based curricula, formally assessed pedagogies, and formalization of nontraditional pedagogies. Based on these findings, the authors present several challenges for hydrology education in the 21st century. Central themes of the challenges for hydrology education are the development of international hydrology education communities and networks, shared learning technologies—partially driven by the need for a more mechanistic approach to engineering hydrology, formalized and validated pedagogies, and adaptations of international best educational practices to regionally specific hydrology and socioeconomic context.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
Acknowledgments
TW was supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation through the CCLI Program under grant DUE-06335. BR was supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation through the TUES Program under grant DUE-1035985. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this paper are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. National Science Foundation.
References
Aghakouchak, A., and Habib, E. (2010). “Application of a conceptual hydrologic model in teaching hydrologic processes.” Int. J. Eng. Educ., 26(4), 1–11.
ASCE. (1990). “Perspective on water resources education and training.” J. Water Resour. Plann. Manage., 99–133.
Blöschl, G., et al. (2011). “Promoting interdisciplinary education–The Vienna doctoral programme on water resource systems.” Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. Discuss., 8, 9843–9887.
Blöschl, G., Sivapalan, M., Wagener, T., Viglioni, A., and Savenije, H. (2013). Predictions in Ungauged Basins (PUB)—A Synthesis Rep. across Processes, Places and Scales, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, U.K.
Bol, Z., Weil, W., Ying, L., Yongzhen, L., and Jun, X. (2011). “Study on educational reform of hydrology and water resources engineering course.” Environ. Sci. Manage., 6.
Boyer, E. L. (1990). Scholarship reconsidered: Priorities of the professoriate, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Learning, Princeton, NJ.
Bransford, J., Brown, A. L., and Cocking, R. R. (2000). How people learn: Brain, mind, experience, and school, National Academy, Washington, DC.
Camkin, J., and Neto, S. (2013). “New learning foundations for building water knowledge bridges.” J. Contemp. Water Res. Educ., 150(1), 72–79.
Cap-Net. (2008). “Economics in sustainable water management training manual and facilitators’ guide.” 〈http://www.cap-net.org/sites/cap-net.org/files/Economics%20and%20sust%20WRM%20Manual.pdf〉 (May 22, 2013).
Chamberlain, G. (2008). Troubled waters: Religion, ethics, and the global water crisis, Rowman & Littlefield, Lanham, MD.
Dennison, W., and Oliver, P. (2013). “Studying nature in situ: Immersive education for better integrated water management.” J. Contemp. Water Res. Educ., 150(1), 26–33.
Dolliver, H. A. S., and Bell, J. C. (2006). “Using scientific visualization to represent soil hydrology dynamics.” J. Nat. Res. Life Sci. Commun., 35(1), 5–11.
Dyck, S. (1990). Integrated planning and management of water resources (guidance material for courses for engineers, planners, and decision-makers), UNESCO-IHP, Paris, France.
Eagleson, P. S., et al. (1991). Opportunities in the hydrologic sciences, National Academy, Washington, DC.
Elshorbagy, A. (2005). “Learner-centered approach to teaching watershed hydrology using system dynamics.” Int. J. Eng. Educ., 21(6), 1203–1213.
Felder, R. M. (2012). “Engineering education: A tale of two paradigms.” 〈http://www4.ncsu.edu/unity/lockers/users/f/felder/public/Papers/TwoParadigms.pdf〉 (May 22, 2013).
Felder, R. M., and Brent, R. (2000). “Is technology a friend or foe of learning?” Chem. Eng. Educ., 34(4), 326–327.
Gilbrich, W. H. (1991). 25 years of UNESCO’s programme in hydrological education under IHD/IHP, UNESCO, Paris.
Gray, D. M. (1969). Hydrologic education in Canada, Univ. of Saskatchewan Centre for Hydrology, Saskatoon, SK, Canada.
Grimmond, J. (2010). “Special Report on Water.” The Economist.
Habib, E., Ma, Y., Williams, D., Sharif, H. O., and Hossain, F. (2012). “HydroViz: Design and evaluation of a web-based tool for improving hydrology education.” Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 16, 3767–3781.
Harshbarger, J. W., and Evans, D. D. (1967). “Educational progress in water resources present and future.” J. Am. Water Resour. Assoc., 3(1), 29–44.
Hawkins, R. H., Ward, T. J., Woodward, D. E., and Van Mullem, J. A. (2008). Curve number hydrology: State of the practice, ASCE, Reston, VA.
Hoekstra, A. Y. (2012). “Computer-supported games and role plays in teaching water management.” Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 16, 2985–2994.
Hornberger, G., et al. (2012). Challenges and opportunities in the hydrologic sciences, National Academies, Washington, DC.
James, L. D. (1993). “An historical perspective on water resources education.” Water Resour. Update Univ. Counc. Water Resour., 91(1), 19–21.
Jones, D. E. (1971). “Where is urban hydrology practice today?” J. Hydraul. Div., 97(2), 257–264.
Jonker, L., Van Der Zaag, P., Gumbo, B., Rockstrom, J., Love, D., and Savenije, H. H. G. (2012). “Why a regional approach to postgraduate water education makes sense—The WaterNet experience in Southern Africa.” Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 9(3), 3581–3606.
Jun, X., and Chen, Y. D. (2001). “Water problems and opportunities in the hydrological sciences in China.” Hydrol. Sci. J., 46(6), 907–921.
King, E. G., O’Donnell, F. C., and Caylor, K. K. (2012). “Reframing hydrology education to solve coupled human and environmental problems.” Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 16, 4023–4031.
Kingston, D. G., Eastwood, W. J., Jones, P. I., Johnson, R., Marshall, S., and Hannah, D. M. (2012). “Experiences of using mobile technologies and virtual field tours in physical geography: Implications for hydrology education.” Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 16, 1281–1286.
Kovar, P., and Gilbrich, W. H. (1995). Postgraduate education in hydrology, UNESCO-IHP, Paris.
Kreamer, D. K. (2010). “Hydrophilanthropy and education.” J. Contemp. Water Res. Educ., 145(1), 1–4.
Kumar, P. (2007). “Variability, feedback, and cooperative process dynamics: Elements of a unifying hydrologic theory.” Geogr. Compass, 1(6), 1338–1360.
Langbein, W. B. (1958). “Hydrologic education.” Int. Assoc. Sci. Hydrol. Bull., 3(3), 27–30.
Lee, J. (1992). “The education of hydrologists.” Hydrol. Sci. J., 37(3), 285–289.
Leff, L. G., Bade, D. L., Scaffid, J., Williamson, C. E., and Woolverton, C. (2013). “Environmental aquatic resource sensing: Basic sciences, business education, and outreach.” J. Contemp. Water Res. Educ., 150(1), 63–71.
Lyon, S. W., and Teutschbein, C. (2011). “Problem-based learning and assessment in hydrology courses: Can non-traditional assessment better reflect intended learning outcomes?” J. Nat. Resour. Life Sci. Educ., 40(1), 199–205.
Lyon, S. W., Walter, M. T., Jantze, E. J., and Archibald, J. A. (2013). “Training hydrologists to be ecohydrologists: A ‘how-you-can-do-it’ example leveraging an active learning environment for studying plant–water interaction.” Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 17(1), 269–279.
Lyu, X., Hirsch, P., Kimkong, H., Manorom, K., and Tubtim, T. (2013). “Cross-boundary peer learning in the Mekong: A case of field-based education in natural resources management.” J. Contemp. Water Res. Educ., 150(1), 41–52.
MacDonald, L. H. (1993). “Developing a field component in hydrologic education.” J. Am. Water Resour. Assoc., 29(3), 357–368.
Majdi, R. A. N., Mohtar, R. H., Cherkauer, K. A., and French, B. F. (2012). “Effect of integrating hydrologic scaling concepts on students learning and decision making experiences.” Adv. Eng. Educ., 2(1), 1–20.
Maniak, U. (1993). Curricula and syllabi for hydrology in university education, UNESCO, Paris.
Marshall, J. A., Castillo, A. J., and Cardenas, M. B. (2013). “Assessing student understanding of physical hydrology.” Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 17, 829–836.
McCrea, M. E., and Niemi, E. (2007). “Technical Rep. on Market-Based Reallocation of Water Resources Alternative: A Component of the Yakima River Basin Storage Feasibility Study.”, Washington State Dept. of Ecology.
McIntosh, B. S., and Taylor, A. (2013). “Developing T-shaped water professionals: Building capacity in collaboration, learning, and leadership to drive innovation.” J. Contemp. Water Res. Educ., 150(1), 6–17.
Merwade, V., and Ruddell, B. L. (2012). “Moving university hydrology education forward with community-based geoinformatics, data and modeling resources.” Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 16, 2393–2404.
Miller, C., and Gray, W. (2008). “Hydrogeological research, education, and practice: A path to future contributions.” J. Hydrol. Eng., 7–12.
Milly, P. C. D., et al. (2008). “Stationarity is dead: Whither water management?” Science, 319(5863), 573–574.
Missingham, B. (2013). “Participatory learning and popular education strategies for water education.” J. Contemp. Water Res. Educ., 150(1), 34–40.
Missingham, B., and McIntosh, B. S. (2013). “Water education for sustainability in higher education.” J. Contemp. Water Res. Educ., 150(1), 1–5.
Mohtar, R. H., and Engel, B. E. (2000). “www-based water quality modeling systems to enhance student learning.” J. Eng. Edu., 89(1), 89–94.
Nash, J. E., Eagleson, P. S., Philip, J. R., Van der Molen, W. H., and Klemeše, V. (1990). “The education of hydrologists.” Hydrol. Sci. J., 35(6), 597–607.
Ngambeki, I., Thompson, S. E., Troch, P. A., Sivapalan, M., and Evangelou, D. (2012). “Engaging the students of today and preparing the catchment hydrologists of tomorrow: Student-centered approaches in hydrology education.” Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. Discuss., 9(1), 707–740.
Pathirana, A., Koster, J. H., de Jong, E., and Uhlenbrook, S. (2012). “On teaching styles of water educators and the impact of didactic training.” Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 16, 3677–3688.
Pinter, N., Baer, S., Chevalier, L., Kowalchuk, R., Lant, C., and Whiles, M. (2013). “An ‘IGERT’ model for interdisciplinary doctoral education in water-related science and policy.” J. Contemp. Water Res. Educ., 150(1), 53–62.
Popescu, I., Jonoski, A., and Bhattacharya, B. (2012). “Experiences from online and classroom education in hydroinformatics.” Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 16, 3935–3944.
Price, W. E., Jr., and Heindl, L. A. (1968). “What is hydrology?” Trans. Am. Geophys. Union, 49(2), 529–533.
Prince, M. (2004). “Does active learning work? A review of the research.” J. Eng. Edu., 93(3), 223–231.
Prince, M. J., and Felder, R. M. (2006). “Inductive teaching and learning methods: Definitions, comparisons, and research bases.” J. Eng. Edu., 95(2), 123–138.
Rongchao, L., Van Beek, E., and Gijsbers, P. (2004). “Integrated water resources management for the Yellow River in China: A discussion of scientific and ethical approaches.” The basis of civilization—Water science?, International Association of Hydrological Sciences Publication 286, IAHS Press, Wallingford, Oxfordshire, U.K., 150–159.
Rusca, M., Heun, J., and Schwartz, K. (2012). “Water management simulation games and the construction of knowledge.” Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 16, 2749–2757.
Salz, H. (1996). “Past, present, and future of postgraduate education in hydrology.” Proc., Prague Workshop, UNESCO-IHP, Paris.
Seibert, J., Uhlenbrook, S., and Wagener, T. (2013). “Hydrology education in a changing world.” Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. Discuss., 17, 1393–1399.
Seibert, J., and Vis, M. J. P. (2012). “Teaching hydrological modeling with a user-friendly catchment-runoff-model software package.” Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 16, 3315–3325.
Shaw, S. B., and Walter, M. T. (2012). “Using comparative analysis to teach about the nature of nonstationarity in future flood predictions.” Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 16, 1269–1279.
Sheppard, S. D., Macatangay, K., Colby, A., and Sullivan, W. M. (2008). Educating engineers: Designing for the future of the field, Wiley, New York.
Showstack, R. (2010). “Future of hydrology education explored during EGU town hall meeting.” Eos, 91(20), 182–183.
Shulman, L. S. (2005). “If not now, when? The timelines of scholarship of the education of engineers.” J. Eng. Edu., 94(1), 11–12.
Sivakumar, B. (2012). “Socio-hydrology: Not a new science, but a recycled and re-worded hydrosociology.” Hydrol. Process., 26(24), 3788–3790.
Sivapalan, M., Savenije, H. H. G., and Blöschl, G. (2012). “Socio-hydrology: A new science of people and water.” Hydrol. Process., 26(8), 1270–1276.
Sunding, D. (2000). “The price of water: Market-based strategies are needed to cope with scarcity.” California Agric., 54(2), 56–63.
Uhlenbrook, S., and de Jong, E. (2012). “T-shaped competency profile for water professionals of the future.” Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. Discuss., 9(3), 2935–2957.
UNESCO. (1974). The teaching of hydrology, UNESCO, Paris.
United States National Committee for the International Hydrological Decade (USNC-IHD). (1976). “Education in hydrology and water resources in the United States-1965–1974—An overview with recommendations.” United States National Committee for the International Hydrological Decade, ed., National Research Council, National Academy of Sciences, Washington, DC.
Universities Council on Water Resources (UCOWR). (1971). Rep. of Special Task Force on Federal Government-University Programs and Policies Concerned with Manpower Production in Water Resources and Related Environmental Activities, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR.
Wagener, T., et al. (2004). “A hydroarchive for the free exchange of hydrological software.” Hydrol. Process., 18(2), 389–391.
Wagener, T., et al. (2007). “Taking the pulse of hydrology education.” Hydrol. Process., 21(13), 1789–1792.
Wagener, T., et al. (2010a). “The future of hydrology–An evolving science for a changing world.” Water Resour. Res., 46(5), W05301.
Wagener, T., et al. (2012). “It takes a community to raise a hydrologist: The modular curriculum for hydrologic advancement (MOCHA).” Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 16, 3405–3418.
Wagener, T., Reed, P., and Zappe, S. (2010b). “Using real-world case studies to advance hydrology education in a changing world.” Geophys. Res. Abstr., 12, 5382.
Wilm, H. G. (1957). “The training of men in forest hydrology and watershed management.” J. Forest., 55(4), 268–272.
Zetland, D. (2011). The end of abundance: Economic solutions to water scarcity, Aguanomics, Amsterdam.
Zojer, H. (1996). “Trends in hydrological education.” Proc., Prague Workshop, UNESCO-IHP, Paris.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Hydrologic Engineering
Volume 20 • Issue 1 • January 2015
Copyright
© 2014 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: May 24, 2013
Accepted: Dec 7, 2013
Published online: Dec 10, 2013
Discussion open until: Oct 22, 2014
Published in print: Jan 1, 2015
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.