Beam Reach curriculum

Overarching outcomes and long-term assessment
Key questions
Specific outcomes

The curriculum describes a learning environment that is constrained by a suite of logistical factors. The Beam Reach business plan articulates how the curriculum and its learning outcomes are affected by diverse constraints: seasonal availability of the land campus (Friday Harbor Labs); vessel capabilities and acquisition strategies; weather patterns and scientific opportunities in the Pacific; academic calendars; the undergraduate market and program marketability; and faculty lifestyles.

Overarching outcomes and long-term assessment

The Beam Reach undergraduate curriculum is designed to achieve 2 overarching outcomes:

students, faculty, and alumni advancing marine science through research and education, and
students, faculty, and alumni enhancing and promulgating sustainable technologies and practices in the marine environment.

Advancement of marine research by students is assessed in the short-term by audience ratings of final presentations and faculty assessment of final papers. Longer-term success will be defined by the number and quality of student theses and alumni publications that grow from their Beam Reach research projects. Research progress by faculty is measured by successful publication of results in peer-reviewed journals and/or dissemination in the popular media.

Progress in science education is assessed by students and teachers who rate each other both during and at the end of the land and sea components. Over longer periods, successful advancement of marine science education by Beam Reach will be quantified by a growing number of applicants and participants, as well as the percentage of our alumni who describe Beam Reach as a formative, valuable experience.

Enhancement of sustainable technologies by Beam Reach is measured by increases in efficiency and decreases in environmental impacts of school activities. Successful promulgation is defined by an exchange of technologies and practices with affiliate organizations that is rated positively by service project participants from both the Beam Reach and the destination port communities. An additional metric for assessing effective promulgation is the percentage of alumni who report that Beam Reach led to more sustainable practices in their personal lives.

Key questions

What "essential" and "unit" questions will focus the curriculum and its component courses?

Essential questions elicit the core learning opportunities and outcomes of Beam Reach. Unit questions are specific to individual voyages and their geographic, ecological, and cultural contexts.

Essential questions:

What is science? How does it differ from other ways of knowing?
What is sustainability? What parameters and trends can quantify the sustainability of an activity?
How can sustainability scientists not only identify environmental problems, but also help develop solutions?
What marvels and resources do the oceans hold and how should humans interact with them?

Exemplary unit questions:

Puget Sound (pilot program): Are the resident orcas an endangered species? What scientific results, sustainable technologies, or international policies could help conserve this orca population?
Pacific NW-Baja: Should humans hunt gray whales?
Hawaii-Pacific NW: Could humans benefit from farming the open oceans? Could we do so sustainably?
General: What are the best non-polluting sources of energy for movement and mobility (Paul MacCready)?

Specific outcomes and assessments

Outcomes What will students understand and be able to do upon successful completion of this curriculum?	Assessments What will evidence student achievement of the desired learning outcomes?
search, read, and analyze scientific literature	faculty and peer rating of retrieval, analysis, and presentation of an article at the weekly journal club; successful generation of a bibliography (using bibtex format) in the final paper
acquire and retain new information from readings, oral presentations, and/or discussions	automatic (extra credit) grading of on-line quizzes designed by faculty and students to test comprehension of reading, oral presentations, and/or discussions
ask scientific questions (related to Beam Reach research themes, ship tracks, the concerns of educational or scientific affiliates, available equipment, etc.)	faculty assessment of questions posed during short projects and in final research proposal based on questions rubric; faculty assessment of inquisitiveness during mentoring meetings, field trips, group activities, discussions, and sea component
develop a scientific procedure to answer a particular question	faculty assessment of procedure during short projects and in final research proposal based on methods rubric; faculty assessment of scientific methodology in mentoring meetings, proposal, and final paper
write and present a research proposal (as an individual and as a group)	faculty and peer grading of final research proposal and its presentation based on proposal rubric
critique proposals constructively and create a group science plan through cooperation and collaboration	faculty and peer grading of performance during proposal review and generation of an integrated (group) science plan
use journaling, structured reflection, and interaction with a mentor to accelerate personal growth, adapt to group dynamics, and thoughtfully observe the marine environment	daily web-log entry (blog including at least comments on current day and plans for next); constructive participation in group reflective activities; faculty assessment of progress toward personal goals between mentoring meetings; peer assessment of individual contributions to realizing the group science plan
sail, navigate, solve problems, and make observations aboard a research vessel (that demonstrates sustainable technologies)	pass performance tasks related to small boats during land component; captain and watch leader assessment of vessel management skill acquisition during sea component
analyze data using basic statistical and computational methods/tools	faculty observation of statistical and computational learning on land during short projects; faculty and peer judgments based on data analysis and presentation rubrics applied during daily reports (science and/or sustainable technology), peer-review of manuscripts, and final presentations; public assessment of educational service project based on rubrics
distill published literature and new results into written/oral presentations	faculty assessment of short projects (based on short project rubric); faculty and peer assessment of the final paper (and its drafts); results of submittal to a peer-reviewed journal for publication
publicize results/products through an educational or service project (that involves sharing/exchanging sci/enviro/sust_tech ideas)	faculty, peer, and public assessment of educational or service project (based on relevant rubrics).