HUMAN IMPACT ON THE GREAT CATARQUI MARSH: INTEGRATING RESEARCH AND UNDERGRADUATE LEARNING

SWAMP (Special Wetlands Analysis and Management Project) is a phased, multi-disciplinary research and curriculum-development initiative at Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario, that uses a suburban wetland (the Great Cataraqui Marsh -GCM) as the setting for scientific discovery, educational research, and undergraduate learning. The GCM is ideal for this purpose as it has been affected by decades of agricultural, industrial, and recreational activity, much of which is ongoing and thus independently observable. SWAMP activities include on-site monitoring, remote monitoring, analysis, and public communication of science efforts involving undergraduate and graduate students, and faculty. Integrating research and undergraduate learning at all levels of curricula immerses students in the discovery process with all of the attendant difficulties and innovation. This process then fosters deeply engaged learning by providing an opportunity for the “Aha” experience, familiar to researchers and graduate students but rarely afforded undergraduate students. In SWAMP, skills development and research activities are introduced to students by way of modules in existing courses. This enables an evolution of research questions in time and allows activities to be more easily mounted or dismantled. Simultaneous educational research is conducted to test that learning objectives are met, how knowledge is acquired, and how effectively it is shared with other participants and with the public. Communication within the project and with public onlookers is via a digital library structured to showcase current projects, scholarly publications, and faculty development.