OUTCOMES FROM AN OFF-CAMPUS, FIELD-BASED GEOSCIENCE SEMESTER FOR SECOND- AND THIRD-YEAR UNDERGRADUATES

The Environmental Science Semester (ESS) at Saint Joseph’s College of Maine is a semester-length, off-campus field program designed for mid-level undergraduate students (second and third-year). The ESS currently consists of four geoscience and environmental science courses:

• Climate Change & Glacial Geology was conducted primarily in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, in eastern Maine, and in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia;
• Marine Ecology utilized the estuaries and marshes of coastal Maine and the beaches of Cape Cod;
• for Oceanography, we sailed the coastal Gulf of Maine aboard a small schooner as our mobile classroom and lab;
• components of Field Methods were concurrent with each of the other three courses.

The ESS is intended to enhance aspects of academic and personal growth relative to campus-based courses. Specific academic benefits include:

• enhanced critical thinking skills;
• greater concept retention;
• more active, collaborative learning;
• field work in diverse environments; and
• greater synthesis of course topics.

Specific personal growth benefits include:

• greater confidence;
• elevated perseverance;
• stronger student connectedness;
• improved faculty-student interaction; and
• sharper focus and motivation.

Three cycles of the ESS have occurred (2014, ’16, and ’18). A few patterns are emerging:

• internal marketing via student-to-student communication has been excellent;
• student communication has led to more realistic expectations of academic, physical, and interpersonal challenges;
• approximately 60-80% of eligible students participate;
• program alumni are remarkably enthusiastic even two and four years beyond completion.