WATER QUALITY WITHIN THE UPPER MISSISSINEWA RIVER OF EAST-CENTRAL INDIANA: A CROSS-COLLEGE COLLABORATION ENHANCING PUBLIC UNDERSTANDING OF SCIENCE THROUGH IMMERSIVE LEARNING

In August 2014, the authors reprised an immersive-learning course at Ball State University. It 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.

This second iteration of this hybrid model of classroom and research immersion concentrated on the Mississinewa watershed of East-Central Indiana with a particular interest in nutrient flux and the impact of logjams in the river channel. Students were assessed via five metrics: 1) a field notebook, 2) the professionalism of their deliverables, 3) a draft for a Lake And River Enhancement Program 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 enhanced a 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.

Methods utilized for assessment of learning outcomes include pre-and post-test questionnaires, a ‘document the river’ exercise that blended scientific and media concepts, field notebook evaluation, and qualitative trends identified through focus group coding. Aggregate pre- and post-test data from the first iteration of this immersive-learning course (Fall 2013) revealed 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 reinforced the value of process-oriented learning. Assessment data from the second iteration of the course are currently under review and will be compared with earlier findings.