Integrating Community-Based Research Experience in Environmental Science Courses

Course-based research experiences and community service projects are two forms of experiential learning. Previous research suggests that both can independently serve as eGective forms of experiential learning. However, little research has explored the dual eGectiveness of incorporating research projects that are also service oriented in the classroom.

In this poster, I describe a service-based research experience in an environmental science course in which students conducted a semester-long, community- based project at the Tennessee Aquarium. In 2023, the Tennessee Aquarium unveiled Ridges to Rivers, an exhibit that recreates mountain streams that flow in the Tennessee River. The aquarists aimed to provide an enriched environment through the inclusion of varying microhabitats, which included a Plunge Pool, a RiGle, and a Run. My Environmental Statistics students conducted a semester-long project to explore whether the inclusion of these microhabitats function as a form of animal enrichment. Their research suggests that the inclusion of microhabitats does serve as a form of animal enrichment. These findings will be used to improve animal welfare at the TN Aquarium.

Quantitative assessments revealed that students’ course grades and their ability to synthesize literature, develop hypotheses, and interpret research findings-- all key learning objectives of the class-- improved after completion of the semester-long community-based research project. This project suggests that community-based research experiences can be an eGective form of experiential learning.