Summer 1988 University of Hawaii Sea Grant College Program Volume 10, Number 2

Experiential Education inSmall-Scale Aquaculture

James P. Szyper and Sherwood D. Maynard

James P. Slypcr is an assistant researcher at the Hawaii Instituteof Marine Biology, University ol' l-lawaii, I DOD Pope Road, Hon-olulu, Hl 96822, and an instructor at Windward Community Col-lege, Kaneohe, Hl 96744.

Sherwood Maynard is the director of the Marine Option Pro-gram, University of Hawaii, 1000 Pope Road, Honolulu, Hl 96822.

TIIE IIBAP FACILITYThc HBAP pond I'acility Figure 1! and its

stock of plants and animals provide diverse oppor-tunities for students to devise, plan, and conduct

INTRODUCTIONExperiential education can be broadly defined

as the use of planned, practical activities to com-plement traditional classroom instruction. It iscomplementary because information and competen-cies acquired in the classroom arc tested andmodified by experience in the real world. Theconcept of experiential education extends wellbeyond laboratory sessions. It is .exemplified byinternships and cooperative-education arrange-ments, independent research projects, and fieldtrips requiring active participation by students.Students return to the classroom more motivatedand with a clearer understanding of what theyneed to know and why they must master the sub-ject matter.

Experiential education is ancient in philosophi-cal terms and dccadcs old as a force in American

education. John Dewey is credited with introduc-ing the concept to the American educationalsystem �938!. The past dccadc has scen a prolil-cral.ion of research and professional exchange onthe theory and practice of cxpcricntial education

e.g., Dulcy and Gordon 1978, Knapp and Jacobs1981; Mulcahy 1984!.

The purpose of this article is to provide anovcrvicw of thc Hawaiian Backyard AquacultureProgram HBAP! at Windward Community Col-lege as an example of experiential education.HBAP's major goals are to provide students withopportunilics for practical education in aquaculture,to serve as a community resource by maintaininga demonstration facility and a basic informationresource, and to increase the public's knowledgeabout the possibilities and benefits of backyardaquaculture.

The program has shared ideals, goals, and fund-ing with the University of Hawaii UH! MarineOption Program MOP! since 1980. For 17 years,MOP has been a major, obvious, and successfulpurveyor of experiential ocean-related opportuniliesto UH students. As the locus l'or undergradualcmarine education in lhc Ul-I system, MOP offersa certificate to students who complctc an intcm-ship, or rcscarch projecl, and nine to 15 credits ofmarine-rclatcd courses. MOP is currently availablcto students majoring in any field of study on fourUH campuses UH Manoa, UH Hilo, Maui Com-munity College, and Windward Community Col-lege [Maynard 1984; Maynard and Saint 1985]!.

Figure I. The backyard aquaculture pond facility at Windward Community College

aquaculture-related projects. The facility was con-structed entirely by students, under thc supervisionof HBAP founder, Jeff Hunt. It consists of 12earthen ponds, nine above-ground tanks, thrccstorage sheds, and plumbing I'or drainage and sup-ply of air and frcshwatcr. Thc earthen ponds

Volume 10, Number 2 ISSN 0199-137x!

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Candle Iwashlta. layout and dcslttn, typcscttlntt

include ten small ponds � m x 4 m x 1 m! andtwo larger ones the largest measuring 6 m x15m x 1 m!. The tanks are 3.7 m in diameterand 1.2 m high, consisting of walls made fromfive shccts of plywood and lined with swimmingpool liners.

At the pond facility, st.udcnts may apply infor-malion and methods leamcd in lectures, laborato-ries, and homework assignmcnts Figure 2!. Oftenstudents must integrate knowledge from a varietyol' courses as well as l'rom prior cxpcricncc. Byconduciing projects at thc facility, studcnls acquireknowlcdgc and skills in math, water chemistry,biology, nutrition ol' aquatic organisms, and ele-mentary economics. For example, a project mayinvolve the mathematics of fish growth and nutri-lion or the biology of lish discase.

The pond lacility also is used lor laboratorysessions in AQUA 106, Small-Scale Aquaculture,an introductory science course which prcscntsbasic science concepts and leads students throughplanning and inl'ormation-gathering steps nccdcd to

Figure 2. Student can receive hands on aquaculture experience at the HBAP facility

begin a small-scale aquaculture project on privateproperty. The facility's ponds and tanks also scrvcas demonstrations of possible systems for pur-poses such as recreation or food production! forpeople outside the university who may bc intcr-estcd in starting an aquaculture project.

INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGY: SKILL DE-VELOPMENT

Mathematics is a classical example of a subjectin need of rationalization for many students. Morethan half of Windward Community College's mathcourses are on the remedial or developmentallcvcl, addressing mathematical concepts whichshould have been mastered during high school.

HBAP does not teach mathematics, but it docsprovide opportunitics for practical use of thcscconcepts. For cxamplc, students participating inthc construction of walls for the above-groundtanks Figurc 3! perform tasks ranging fromsimple multiplication and circumfercncc problems

to the leveling of a circular gravel or earthen bcd.Students maintaining a tank or pond for a projectdevelop an understanding of water flow rates andtheir relationship to dilution and turnover in abody of water. The growth of aquatic animalsillustrates exponential increase in weight ofyoung individuals with time! and efficiency offood conversion into body mass. Occasionally,students will encounter more complex situations,such as the one that involved a related-rates prob-lem with an automatic feeder. The problem, whichusually requires. calculus to solve, was treated suc-cessfully by a student using trial-and-error itera-tions.

HBAP students' efforts to devise and complctcskill-dcvclopmcnt projects oflen move the studentstoward rapid progress in communication skills. Forcxamplc, MOP olTcrs a ccrtificatc of achicvcmcntto students who complete both a core of occan-rclatcd courses and a practical skill. Tlus marineskill is acquired by means of activities dcscribcd

Figure 3. P/ywood walh and footing for above-ground tanks at the backyard aquaculture pond facility

initially in a written proposal and finally in acompletion report both of which are reviewedand evaluated by the student's project advisor andthe campus MOP coordinator!. Students are alsogiven the opportunity to make public presentationsof their work at MOP's annual Student Symposi-ums. An HBAP student won the top prize fororal presentation at one of the symposia. Thisaward spurred the progress of another nonHBAP!student in his oral presentation skills, which heimproved dramatically between 2 successiveyear's presentations.

Choosing, planning, and accomplishing tasksincrease the self confidence of most HBAP stu-dents. Even small successes are important becausethey have a cumulative effect on students' self-confidence. The pond facility's solar food dryer Figure 4! was built by a student who had someskill with tools and building materials but no for-mally drawn plans. Starting with only a magazinepicture, she used reason and trial and error todesign and eventually construct the food dryer. In

another example, two students without plumbingexperience repaired a broken section of PVCwater pipe by looking through spare parts and fol-lowing directions on a cement container.

For many students participation in HBAP pro-vides a safe "career test" for a future in aquacul-ture. After a time of successful and productivework as an assistant on a research project, anHBAP student, eliminated research science fromher career plans because of the rigorous attentionresearchers give to the quality of measurementnumbers and other details. She is presently pursu-ing certification as a high school science teacherwith her enthusiam for science and quality workundiminished.

HBAP students are exposed to activities usuallyconducted during graduate programs, such as proj-ect planning, proposal preparation with budgetsand timetables!, and preparation of formal researchreports and presentations Buckley 1984!. Thus,the student experiences the type of scientific workrequired for science majors and graduate students.

Figure 4. Solar food dryer at the backyard aquaculture pond facility

In addition, students acquire several transferableskills, including organization, teamwork, timemanagement, meeting deadlines, computer literacy,and application of scientific mehods to problemsolving.

General skills of professionalism are oftenlearned and practiced in the course of HBAPactivities. Students learn to operate within the uni-versity campus and the community by askingassistance of office staff and maintenance person-nel, buying supplies, and obtaining cost estimates.Some have extended themselves into dealing withgovernment agencies for information and permits,which led one student to co-author a publicationon regulations, permits, and approvals needed fora backyard aquaculture operation in Hawaii Huntand Pang 1982!.

CONCLUSIONSmall-scale aquaculture is a particularly apt

experiential education opportunity for the commu-nity college situation. The successful practice of

aquaculture, even apart from commercial consid-erations, requires �! that water be contained, andrenewed or replaced periodically; and �! that ani-mals or plants be selected, obtained, and caredfor. Thus an extremely wide range of knowledgeand skills may be brought to bear, including someof those exhibited by handymen, farmers, engi-neers, and scientists. Students of any level andcommunity colleges serve many levels! may par-ticipate in and benefit from the parts of an opera-tion they are interested in or are prepared toapproach. At the same time, more complex actvi-ties are obviously at hand to challenge them toadvancement. An intergrated grasp of aquaculturecannot, in fact, be gained from book learningalone. It inherenly requires an intergration ofinterdisciplinary knowledge and skills not to befound in traditional curricula, as well as anempirical testing of integrated conclusions that astudent may draw.

HBAP has provided these and other benefits tomost of the 77 students who have participated

Department of . Land and Natural Resources contract number 21121!, and in-kind matchingcontributions from Windward Community College.

The views expressed in this nawslaaar do not necessarily reflect those of the University of llawaii or the University of llawaii Sea Grant CollegeProgram. Any commercial product or tradename mentioned herein is not to be construed as an endorsement.

This newsleuar was published by the Uni versity ofllawaii Sea Grant College Program "Tha Communications Program" project, MIC I ! underInstitutional Grant No. NA85AA-D-SG082 porn NOAA OJI ice of Sea Grant, Department of Commerce. The U5. Government is authorized to produceand distribute reprints for governmental purposes notwithstanding any copyright notation that may appear hereon.

The National Sea Graru College Program is a network of institutions working together to promote the wise use, development, and conservationof the nation's coastal, marine, and Great Lakes resources. Provisions of the National Saa Grant Collage and Program Act of J966 called for thecreation of Sea Grant Colleges, and in October 1972, the Uni versi ty of la waii was designated one of the first jive Sea Grant Colleges in the nation.Locally, Sea Grant is a unique partnership of university, government, and industry focusing on marine research, education, and advisorylexlensionservice.

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duling the program's 7-year history. Because ourmajor educational goal is to "provide opportuni-tics" as dcscribcd here, we have rclativcly littlequantitative information with which to cvalualcour degree of success. Marine Option ProgramCertificates of Completion have been awarded to10 students who have participated in HBAP, 8 ofthese having completed skill-development projectsin aquaculture. At least three former HBAP stu-dents arc now employed fulltime in aquacult.ureon Oahu, two with research organizations, one ata producing aquafarm. Several others held suchpositions, cilhcr full or parltimc, after participalingin HBAP. This parallels in a modest way thcwidcsprcad tenure of former MOP students inmarine-related carccrs in Hawaii Klcmm 1988!.Thc modcsl. achicvcmcnts of HBAP as an oppor-tunily for experiential education are but a fractionof il.s polcntial.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTSFunding for this work was provided by the

University of Hawaii Sea Grant College Program " Hawaiian Backyard Aquaculture Program," [ET/E-1A] and "Experiential Marine Education forUndcrgraduatcs" [E/ET-12] NA85AA-D-SGO82!,thc Hawaii Aquaculture Development Program,

REFERENCESBuckley, L M. 1984. Education in small scale aquaculture. In Pro-

ceedings of the Pacific Congress on Marine Technology PACON! MRM 7:7-12. UNIHI-SEAGRANT-CP-8648. Univer-sity of Hawaii Sea Grant College Program, Honolulu.

Dewey, J. 1938. Experience and Education. New York: CollierBooks.

Duley, J., and S. Gordon. 1978. College-sponsored experientiallearning � A handbook. Coopcrativc Assessmcnt of ExperientialLearning. Ncw Jersey: Princeton. 60 p.

Hunt, J. W., and B. M. Pang. 1982. Regtdations, permits, andapprovals for backyard aquaculture operations in llawaii.UNIIII-SEAGRANT-MB-82-01. University of Hawaii Sca GrantCollege Program, I lonolulu.

Klcmm, R. 1988. Survey shows MOP alumni making it in real life.Makai IOl3!:2-3. University of llawaii Sea Grant Collcgc Pro-gram, llonolulu.

Knapp, J. L., and P. I. Jacobs. 1981. Scuing Standards for AssessingExperiential Learning. Council for the Advancement of Experien-tial Learning, Columbia, Maryland. 25 p.

Maynard, S, D. 1984. An undergraduate marine intcmship andactivities program for thc University of Hawaii system. In Pro-ceedings of Oceans 84:820-824. UNII-II-SEAGRANT-CP-85417.University of I-lawaii Sea Grant College Pmgram, l-lonolulu.

Maynard, S. D., and G. Saint. 1985. Underwater transect training bythe University of klawau Marine Option Porgram. In Proceedingsof the Joint International Diving Symposium, pp. 281-294.UNII-II-SEAGRAM-CP-86416. University of Hawaii Sea GrantCollege Program, Honolulu.

Mulcahy, K. F. 1984. Experiential lcaming philosophy and theory:Considerations for current practice. Manuscript of paper presentedto the National Experiential Education Conference, Anaheim,California, February 24, 1984. p. 34.