DEVELOPMENT OF A CROSS-INSTITUTIONAL INTERDISCIPLINARY FRESHWATER SCIENCE FIELD COURSE

Faculty and staff from four University of Wisconsin institutions have developed an interdisciplinary Freshwater Science Field Course for university students based in western Wisconsin. The course has been designed and modified over three offerings, with the intention of providing hands-on field experience for students majoring in freshwater-related disciplines. Modules train students on common field and laboratory techniques used for investigating freshwater issues, and importantly provide a platform for learning to communicate across disciplines and exposing students to expertise outside their program’s curriculum. This presentation will describe the approaches taken to designing and operating the field experience, examples of the activities implemented, and lessons learned.

Primary Presenter: Sarah Vitale, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire (vitalesa@uwec.edu)

Authors:

Sarah Vitale, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire  (vitalesa@uwec.edu)

Nicole Hayes, University of Wisconsin-Stout  (hayesn@uwstout.edu)

Jill Coleman Wasik, University of Wisconsin-River Falls  (jill.colemanwasik@uwrf.edu)

Carmen Ebert, University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh  (ebertc@uwosh.edu)