DESIGNING UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH FOR NON-TRADITIONAL STUDENT LEARNING AT SEA

The primary goal of the experiential learning model that forms the basis of the environmental science curriculum at UWT is to enhance undergraduate education by involving students in ongoing relevant research projects that extend beyond the classroom into the broader scientific community. To do this it is imperative to minimize costs while providing student access and ensuring data quality so that this data may be used for scientific purposes. During the summers of 2001 and 2002, undergraduate students from the University of Washington, Tacoma, participated in two very different marine research courses designed by environmental science faculty. We compare these two educational models and discuss the pros and cons of each.