SUNY/WCC is a large community college outside New York City, serving a highly diverse suburban and urban population (enrollment 15,000; 40% ethnic minorities). Approximately 200 students a year take Introductory Oceanography, a 40-person lecture class. Last year the course was completely reorganized to introduce several non-traditional teaching techniques, including a long-term project based on a summer 2000 research experience as a Geologist-in-Park at Cape Cod National Seashore.

Class formats included weekly Image-of-the-Day discussions, Weekly Writings on current events related to Oceanography, small group discussions of topics in the lecture, think-pair-share, think-write-share, chapter team quizzes, pyramid testing, assigned study groups, an individual research paper on wetlands, and a related Town Meeting simulation to explore a hot issue facing coastal communities today: wetlands degradation and reclamation.

The Town Meeting simulation is a long-term group project in which students research different and often conflicting interests before advocating their position in the fate of an impacted Massachusetts wetland. Students study the changes that have taken place since a dike was installed near the mouth of an estuary a century ago, considering the opinions of professional scientists, anecdotal evidence from interviews with local townspeople and historians, public opinion, and the most current scientific evidence available. Students work in small groups to understand social and economic conditions in the town that will affect the stance they take as they represent different parties interested in whether or not the dike will be re-opened.

Approximately 100 students answered a voluntary survey assessing the strengths and weaknesses of the non-lecture techniques employed in the class, with emphasis on the long-term project. Their responses are enlightening and sometimes challenging, and will impact the future structure of the course.