{"id":21,"date":"2014-07-10T16:48:52","date_gmt":"2014-07-10T16:48:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.spcollege.edu\/science\/?p=21"},"modified":"2024-01-30T15:55:03","modified_gmt":"2024-01-30T20:55:03","slug":"spc-environmental-science-students-embrace-outdoor-learning-for-science","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.spcollege.edu\/science-mathematics-educational-information\/spc-environmental-science-students-embrace-outdoor-learning-for-science\/","title":{"rendered":"SPC environmental science students embrace outdoor learning for science"},"content":{"rendered":"

For students enrolled in Jennifer Fernandes\u2019 field biology class, their classroom is everywhere and class activities involve everything from snorkeling reefs in Key Largo to collecting scorpions in the woods.<\/p>\n

In SPC\u2019s Field Biology of Florida class (BSC 2250C), hands-on learning is the instructional method of choice. Students spend only the first day in an actual classroom \u2013 the rest of their semester is spent in\u00a0idyllic outdoor environments across the state.<\/p>\n

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Students study the relative abundance of plant species using different transect methods.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cField Biology is taught in a different format than most courses in that all of our lectures are done in the field all over Florida,\u201d said Fernandes, Assistant Professor of Biology who has been teaching the class at the Tarpon Springs Campus since Fall 2010.<\/p>\n

While looking for a way to engage her students in active student learning and success, she recognized that students learn best when they get their hands dirty. So she opted to take her instruction out of the classroom and into the environments they would be studying.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been helpful to really get a hands-on experience way of learning,\u201d said Andrew Hamblin, 28, a public safety administration student who transferred from Hillsborough Community College in time for the Spring 2014 term. He thinks learning from direct experience is more effective than traditional learning because Fernandes is able to point out specifics in terminology and processes rather than just having students read from a book.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can see what is written on paper but you can\u2019t really understand how it works in the same way,\u201d Hamblin said.<\/p>\n

Class field trips vary in content and location depending on the time of year and weather. The spring term often includes weekend camping trips while summer offers snorkeling and winter brings manatees to study.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn this type of setting, every single student is engaged and they\u2019re all interested in learning because of the different modality,\u201d said Fernandes, who wanted to create a course that would make science interesting for majors and non-majors alike.<\/p>\n

Since taking learning outside the classroom, students have journeyed to:<\/p>\n