WATER QUALITY RESEARCH THROUGH THE LENS OF ENVIRONMENTAL JOURNALISM – THE ROLE OF IMMERSIVE LEARNING

In August 2013, the authors launched an immersive-learning course at Ball State University. This course focused upon a central theme, public understanding of science, and comprised a nexus of students from a range of backgrounds and interests from multimedia production and the natural sciences. The goals were to: 1) synthesize scientific findings and report results; 2) create visual representations of scientific results & 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. Interested students were vetted through an in-person interview to articulate objectives, establish rapport, and outline perceived skills and deficiencies. 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, media collection, laboratory analysis, and deliverable production.

This hybrid model of classroom and research immersion is currently being used within the Buck Creek watershed of east-central Indiana with a particular interest in nutrient and sediment flux and health of the riparian zone. Students were assessed via five metrics: 1) a field notebook, 2) the professionalism of deliverables, 3) a priority ranking of field sites for the community partner, 4) a peer evaluation rubric, and 5) a five-page synthesis report connecting their experiences to environmental research and multimedia production. Professionally, the students created a website (http://www.waterqualityin.com) housing a range of scientific and media deliverables, including graphs of water chemistry, charts of sediment flux, interactive graphics, and stakeholder interviews. Academically, pre-and-post assessments reveal that the students increased their content knowledge and confidence in scientific and media-related concepts.