• What is a Learning Community?

COSEE-OLC is trying to establish and study two learning communities, and we have completed our study of a third group. 

First is our own community.  We consist of a cobbled together group of individuals with little common background.  Initially we shared only a passion for bridging the gap between science and the general public.  Little did we know how difficult it would be to learn each others languages, come to understand each others pressures and needs, experience each others successes and pains.  Needless to say, it has been hard trying to establish a strong bond when also trying to study or own (presumed) success.   We sometimes feel as if we are on a reality TV show but the only audience watching is ourselves.

Our second ’study group’ is a collective of marine volunteer groups and non-profit environmental education groups in both formal an informal educational domains.  This group, perhaps not suprisingly, is much stronger and more engaged than our own OLC group.  Why?  We currently hypothesize that the local volunteer group shares a strong committment to environmental education and also has already shown the personal committment to the cause (by virtue of the voluntary nature of the programs).   The Puget Sound network fo marine-related volunteers is a strong and vibrant learnign community - they learn from each other and freely share.  COSEE-OLC is attempting to help enhance the success of the local volunteers by enabling them to leverage knowledge across the entire region, rather than acting as a loosely coordinated netork with little regular interaction.

Our first community study was that of scientists from universities and government engaged in ‘oceans and human health’ studies.  Our study of that group of individuals ended in 2007.