Goals

 The goals of this project are to improve student engagement and learning in science majors and non-majors through faculty and student linkage into a learning community containing curricular and co-curricular elements focused on underwater science, technology and molecular evolution.     

Objectives:

1)  To foster engagement and enthusiasm for learning among major and non-majors students in a common scientific endeavor with faculty that promotes understanding of the interdisciplinary nature of Science through common curricular and co-curricular experiences that focus on experiential learning. 

2)  To promote understanding of biological evolution and the use of DNA sequence and bioinformatics technologies as the basis for measuring genetic differentiation and species divergence.

3)  To foster the development in students of critical thinking skills in science and an understanding of the difference between science and pseudoscience and the use and misuse of statistics.

4)  To develop an understanding of adaptation to life underwater and of human physiological response to depth and pressure.  In addition, students will develop an understanding of technologies, such as scuba, used by humans to visit and work in the underwater environment.

5)  To develop an understanding of the physical methods used to study underwater environments including the use of sonar mapping, global positioning and geo-referencing in biological and archaeological studies.

Outcomes:

1) Student engagement and enthusiasm with learning in science will increase.

2)  Students will understand the process of biological evolution and understand the technology behind generation of real scientific data, such as DNA sequence, and its bioinformatics analysis and use in testing evolutionary theory.  Students will be introduced to the coral molecular evolution project in the curriculum and have an opportunity to participate in the project as a research or co-curricular activity.

3)  Students will develop critical thinking skills and be better prepared to use the scientific method in their education and careers.  Students will understand the difference between science and pseudoscience and the role and proper use of statistics in science.    

4)  Students will understand biological adaptations to life underwater and be aware of the physiological response of humans to depth and pressure.   Students will understand the technologies used by humans to visit and work in the underwater environment.  Students will have an opportunity to gain practical experience with scuba diving through co-curricular and research activities.

5) Students will understand the physics of sonar and its use in underwater mapping of biological and archaeological sites.  Students will have an opportunity to participate in sonar mapping cruises through co-curricular and research activities.  

The Learning Community Model

 Figure 1.  The learning community project model.  Students in majors and non-majors courses share common curricular and co-curricular experiences and resources shown in the overlapped (commons) domain.  The goals of the project are to enhance learning and engagement outcomes.  Multiple methods of assessment of outcomes will be used to quantify progress towards the goals.  Course acronyms are as follows, Biology (BIOL), Marine Science (MARS), Biochemistry & Molecular Biology (BCMB) and General Natural Sciences and Math (GNM)

Learning Communities

     The Washington Center

     National Learning Communities Directory