RESEARCH AND EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING IN AN INTRODUCTORY ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES COURSE

Developing and fostering scientific research and inquiry skills in an interdisciplinary curriculum poses several challenges, particularly in the first two years of a student's college experience. At Guilford College, the Environmental Studies major is explicitly interdisciplinary and does not focus as heavily on scientific content as many peer programs do; however, the development of research skills and an understanding of science is a goal of our curriculum. In order to encourage an interest in research, and to foster the understanding that promising environmental projects and progress are based upon data and investigation, a campus greening project has been incorporated into the first year Introduction to Environmental Studies course. The project includes aspects of research, experiential learning, and service based learning to promote changes in campus policy as well as operations and management. The model of the project will be presented, along with some preliminary data on student perceptions about the project as well as some specific examples of outcomes. Ideally, these campus greening projects are providing some of the basic skills needed to perform more in depth research and are a practical example of how research can be used to encourage adoption of environmentally sustainable practices on the campus.