PROBLEM-BASED SERVICE-LEARNING IN AN INTRODUCTORY OCEANOGRAPHY COURSE

Problem-based service-learning is the basis for an introductory oceanography course primarily populated with non-majors meeting the Inquiry in Natural Science Requirement at Bowdoin College. The goal of this course is to use real problems in the local community to engage students in serious scientific inquiry. We deliver a part of the traditional content of this course by having teams of students work on projects in support of a community partner, a local environmental group. Projects focus on water quality issues in local coastal embayments. Students are posed with problems by the community partner and they design and carry out research projects to address these problems. They write proposals and struggle with limitations of ship time, tides, and weather. Project work is instrument focused. Students work with ADCPs, drifters, CTDs, weather stations, and water sampling equipment. They share instrument-based results among the various groups. Writing a report for the partner is treated as a structured writing exercise with peer, instructor, and partner feedback and several revisions. Students construct high quality posters and present their results in public to their community partner and the campus at a semester end service learning symposium. In addition to building the capacity of students to carryout their science and inquire about the local environment, we spend significant time building a safe, supportive learning environment in the classroom, insuring that every student has the opportunity to participate actively in all parts of the course.