Record Details
Water Wits : The Development and Evaluation of a New Model for Integrated Marine Science, Safety, and Stewardship Education
ScholarsArchive at Oregon State University
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Title | Water Wits : The Development and Evaluation of a New Model for Integrated Marine Science, Safety, and Stewardship Education |
| Names |
Roberts, Sara Shaw
(creator) Hanshumaker, William C. (advisor) |
| Date Issued | 2016-08-11 (iso8601) |
| Note | Graduation date: 2017 |
| Abstract | There are many different organizations and agencies which share responsibility for educating the public about responsible use of aquatic and marine resources. However, organizations specifically focused on particular dimensions of water use, such as Oregon State Marine Board (OSMB), often face challenges when attempting to recruit teachers to implement educational materials in their classrooms, because the curriculum design and limited content may not meet a teacher’s needs. Teacher recruitment and retention in OSMB outreach efforts have been unsuccessful, largely because of a lack of understanding of educator needs and because many teachers view boating and water safety as marginalized topics not relatable to the subjects they teach. To address this, the author developed a new K-12 educational curriculum for OSMB entitled “Water Wits” which integrates boating and water safety concepts with STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) and stewardship principles. Partnerships were forged with other water-related organizations in the Oregon community to provide feedback, promote the program, and share recruiting and training resources. Formative research was conducted with a pilot group of participating educators, who completed a survey measuring their motivations for selecting a curriculum to use with their students. This helped to clarify the target audience’s wants and needs and informed the final design and content of the Water Wits curriculum. Summative research also provided insights into the outcomes, gaps, and successes of the pilot program. The results of this research may be used to determine future education efforts for OSMB, as well as potentially guide other organizations seeking to design or improve their own education programs. |
| Genre | Thesis/Dissertation |
| Access Condition | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/us/ |
| Topic | education |
| Identifier | http://hdl.handle.net/1957/59776 |
