DISL’s Discovery Hall Programs (DHP) provides professional learning opportunities for teachers and nonformal educators through virtual and onsite single-day and multi-day workshops.
Workshops include experiences outside in the field, science content, discussions with experts including Sea Lab faculty, and relevant lesson plans and hands-on activities to take back to the classroom or learning environment.
Workshops are developed with the Alabama Course of Study standards, Ocean Literacy Principles, and Climate Literacy Principles in mind, ensuring that they remain relevant to educators’ teaching needs.
As an AMSTI Affiliate, all DHP workshops provide professional development hours for maintaining teacher certification. Select workshops offer graduate credit through the University of West Alabama for educators pursuing advanced degrees.
DHP also offers a variety of educational resources for informal and formal educators. Visit our Educational Resources page to view these materials.
January 30, 31, and February 1, 2024
Are you interested in building a ROV but could use a bit of help? This 3 session virtual workshop will lead you through constructing a fully functional ROV. There is also an in-person optional day to fly your newly built ROV in the DISL campus pool.
June 23-27, 2024
Register
Alabama’s environments seem to be experiencing stress on a number of fronts, but efforts are being made to improve our collective resilience. Join us to investigate these stresses - hearing from scientists, visiting local areas experiencing change, exploring classroom activities that address weather, climate, biodiversity, and more in coastal areas and discussing solutions and adaptations to change you can share with your learners.
July 21-25, 2024
Register
Immerse yourself in ocean STEM in this free multi-day workshop. Experience using ocean technologies in the field, learn from scientists, and explore hands-on classroom activities.
March 16, 2024
The NOAA Ocean Exploration professional development for educators program is offered in partnership with the Dauphin Island Sea Lab and the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation.
Join us in person to explore bringing ROVs into your classroom or learning environment and learn about our new
ROV loaner classroom kit.
April 9, 10, and 11, 2024
Plankton are found in both marine and freshwater environments making the content and activities of this workshop applicable to aquatic environments everywhere. This virtual workshop includes the who, whats, and whys of plankton. Participants will receive a supply kit for use in their teaching environments.
Empty shells preserved in sand and mud on the seafloor offer a lens into past environments, allowing scientists to “time travel” to coastal environments long before the Industrial Revolution. Join us this year to explore the environmental history of Alabama’s coastal waters.