WATER QUALITY RESEARCH THROUGH THE LENS OF ENVIRONMENTAL JOURNALISM – ASSESSMENT OF STUDENTS’ KNOWLEDGE AND PERCEIVED CONFIDENCE

We debuted an immersive-learning course at Ball State University in August 2013. This course focused upon a central theme, public understanding of science, and comprised a nexus of students from multimedia production and the natural sciences, representing six disciplines. Our goals were to: 1) synthesize scientific findings and report results; 2) create visual representations of scientific results and publicly share them; 3) identify linkages between seemingly disparate fields of study; and 4) articulate the role that non-profits have in helping the public understand water resources. One month of intense classroom orientation, discussion, and meetings with community partners preceded site visits and a weekend canoe trip and team-building exercises. The remainder of the semester was dedicated to site sampling and media collection along Buck Creek, a tributary of the White River, and included laboratory analysis and production of deliverables.

The second iteration of this hybrid model of classroom and research immersion is currently underway within the Mississinewa watershed of east-central Indiana with a particular interest in nutrient and sediment flux and health of the riparian zone. Students are assessed via five metrics: 1) a field notebook, 2) the professionalism of their deliverables, 3) a draft for an environmental restoration grant for the community partner and landowners, 4) a peer evaluation rubric, and 5) a five-page synthesis report connecting their experiences to environmental research and multimedia production. Students will enhance their website (http://www.waterqualityin.com) designed to house scientific and media deliverables, including graphs of water chemistry, charts of sediment flux, interactive graphics, and stakeholder interviews.

Comparing aggregate pre- and post-test data reveal interesting trends: Declarative knowledge of science and media concepts decreased (10/15 questions) and increased (14/15 questions), respectively. Notably, students’ overall perceived confidence increased from pre- to post-test, with a smaller range, in both fields, despite more wrong answers in science concepts. Student commentary, offered in this talk, reinforces the value of process-oriented learning.