The following table depicts the integrated curriculum that is common to all Beam Reach undergraduate programs -- no matter their geographic extent. Major student efforts head each column, while each row represents a week of instruction and contains a general description of the types of learning activities scheduled for that week. While the student efforts are actually integrated to form a unified learning experience, the curriculum can also be viewed as a set of distinct courses for accreditation purposes. Background or text colors in this table correspond to 5 key learning activities (which underlie the Beam Reach courses) that have been optimized to ease key processes: achieving the desired learning outcomes; accrediting the program; and transferring credits to each student's home institution in a form that satisfies as many distribution and major requirements as possible.
Learning activity color coding:
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Week |
Short projects |
Main research |
Sustainability synthesis |
Service project |
Personal growth |
1 |
1-day ecology exercise; observational field trips; guest seminars begin | Introduce group research theme from stakeholders' 5-year science plan; develop questions; begin library research | Establish regional context for group research theme; begin reading and discussing sustainability; initiate "biodiesel from algae" thread | Begin correspondence with affiliates in destination port | Initial advisory meeting; begin daily journal entries |
2 |
Instrumentation orientation; guest seminars continue; initiate Saturday self-guided group experiments | Refine questions; draft proposal | Discuss readings related to context and sustainability; focus on human ecology and technology in island ecosystems (Easter vs San Juan islands) | Initiate correspondence with partner group(s) | Set personal goals |
3 |
Short project focus: environment (physical, geological, chemical); Saturday self-guided field experiment | Proposal revision 1 | Tour San Juan Island sustainable technologies (e.g. desalination and rainwater catchment systems) | Draft service project plan with partner group(s) | Learn to sail |
4 |
Short project focus: primary production (phytoplankton) | Draft paper introduction; proposal review by peers | Technology tours in Seattle; free city weekend | Finalize service project plan with partner group(s) | Rowing, kayaking, sailing challenges |
5 |
Short project focus: energy in the ecosystem (zooplankton and other predators); Saturday self-guided field experiment | Revise proposals; collaborative synthesis group science plan | Prepare materials and other resources for service project | Reflection period; summative evaluation of land component | |
6 |
On-board instrumentation orientation; deployment and recovery training | Vessel orientation; Intensive field work begins | Learn to sail research vessel; orientation to vessel systems (energy, water, etc) | Daily watch meetings begin; first weekly meeting with watch leader | |
7 |
On-board data archiving and analysis | Intensive field work; initial analysis | Daily reports on environments, technologies, and human impacts (energy, water, etc) | Students rotate as shadow of watch leader | |
8 |
Analysis and paper draft | Daily reports continue; initial results of on-board technology improvement experiments | Island solo | ||
9 |
Paper revision and further analysis | Daily reports continue; completion of on-board technology improvement experiments | Students rotate as watch leader | ||
10 |
Paper finalization and presentation; | Group service and/or educational project | Reflection period; summative evaluation of sea component | ||