Course of Study

We developed an integrated four-year curriculum (below). Each of three cohorts of students will begin their IGERT program in the summer semester and finish in the spring of their fourth year. Core courses and disciplinary classes will be completed in the first two years. Each summer, our IGERT team will have a two-week field experience in the Everglades and then travel to one of the international sites for the summer field program. After their first year, IGERT students will participate in the field research exercises with the next cohort of students. During the final two years of their education and training, students will focus on their research, writing, and teaching. As part of their IGERT training, students will teach in their home discipline departments during their third and fourth years. The following table provides an idea of how a student might organize their academic coursework:

	Year 1				Year 2				Year 3				Year 4				Year 5
Course	Fall	Spr	Sum		Fall	Spr	Sum		Fall	Spr	Sum		Fall	Spr	Sum		Fall	Spr
Core 1a: Ecosystems of Florida			3
Core 1b: AM Field & Research Methods			6
Core 2: Ecol. and General Systems					3
Core 3: Adaptive Management: Watersheds						3
Core 4: People & Politics: W3									3
Ethics & AM seminar
Discipline Courses
Summer AM Program
Field Research
Teaching Experience
Summer Core Credits			9				9
Core Credits					3	3			3	3
Disciplinary Credit Hours					6	6			6	6
Research Credit Hours					2	2			2	2	6		5	5	6		4	4
Seminar Credit Hours					1	1			1	1			1	1			1	1
Supervised teaching													3	3			4	4
Total Credit Hours = 114			9		12	12	9		12	12	6		9	9	6		9	9
Core 1a: SWS 5235 - Ecosystems of S. Florida (3 credits)
Core 1b: CWR 6932 - AM Field and Research Methods (6 credits)
Core 2: EES 5307 - Ecological and General Systems
Core 3: SWR 5XXX - Adaptive Management: Watersheds
Core 4: CWR 5XXX - People & Politics: Water, Wetlands, and Watersheds

Educational Objectives

We have six objectives for the education and training of our IGERT graduate students. We expect that students will:

1. Develop a solid foundation in scientific training and critical thinking,
2. Foster international relationships and cultural sensitivities to international science agendas and methods early in their graduate careers,
3. Develop collaborative, instructional, and communication skills to enhance leadership,
4. Become skilled at integrating concepts of Adaptive Management into their lexicon of tools for orienting, organizing, monitoring, evaluating, and reorienting problem definition and management of complex systems,
5. Acquire an understanding of the complex issues related to watershed/wetland management, through training across disciplinary boundaries (physical, chemical, biological, social, legal, ethical) in the context of an Adaptive Management framework, and
6. Develop a sense of camaraderie and respect for fellow students from different disciplines that will be leaders in their respective fields and likely collaborators in the future.

Learning Outcomes

While students in our IGERT will have the "disciplinary home" of their major professor, the following learning outcomes will drive the core program in Adaptive Management. We expect our graduates to be able to:

• Appreciate and understand methods used in other disciplines,
• Understand and value other disciplines as they relate to their focus discipline,
• Possess an international perspective and sensitivity to other cultures,
• Apply Adaptive Management,
• Identify and address environmental issues in watersheds and extrapolate that awareness and knowledge to other environmental systems,
• Appreciate the complexity of environmental issues,
• Recognize the value of working on interdisciplinary teams,
• Communicate to a variety of audiences using a range of media,
• Identify leadership opportunities and develop heightened leadership skills,
• Communicate across disciplines and with the public,
• Understand methodological limitations within their own as well as other disciplines,
• Possess a multi-scalar perspective
• Teach and work with undergraduate students.

Core Curriculum

We have developed a core curriculum for students during their first two years of the IGERT program (below) comprised largely of new interdisciplinary team-taught courses. Beginning in the summer of the first year, each student will take the 12 credit hour summer field course which will involve experiential, multidisciplinary team learning taught by four faculty members. For each summer course, participating faculty will be from the biophysical sciences, social sciences, and engineering. The summer course will involve field experiences, academic coursework, and issue forums. Experiential learning will continue through the remaining years of each student's academic program as he/she works together in a studio-like environment, participates in continuous dialog at mandatory bi-weekly seminars, and mentors undergraduate students. In addition to the summer academic field course, other team-taught courses will be developed and will be required.

Outline of First 2 years of Academic Coursework under the IGERT in Adaptive Management

Year 1
Summer Semester	Fall Semester	Spring Semester
Field Program in Adaptive Management*	Adaptive Management Seminar	Adaptive Management Seminar
	Water and Watershed Systems*	WWW Research Methods*
	Discipline related courses	Discipline related courses
Year 2
Summer Semester	Fall Semester	Spring Semester
Field Program and Research Experience*	Adaptive Management Seminar	Adaptive Management Seminar
	Wetland Systems*	Environmental Politics & Policy*
	Discipline related courses	Discipline related courses
*Core courses, newly created for IGERT

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Adaptive Management: Wise Use of Water, Wetlands & Watersheds
is an NSF-funded IGERT program at the University of Florida

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