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Educational Benefits

Educational Benefits

Apart from the most obvious values of going on an expedition such as contributing towards conservation, the physical challenge and adventurous travel, the experience can also benefit a student by increasing their chances of gaining entry to university or being successful in a job application. This can be achieved in many different ways but it will often depend upon which country and educational system a learner is from.

This section of the website details how an expedition experience can enhance this and there are also links to other educational resources which could prove to be extremely valuable before, during and after taking part in an expedition (e.g. in completing a research qualification such as an Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) or completing a school specific project). More details on qualification opportunities can be found by going to the specific qualifications or country pages. Advice on how particular exam syllabuses, course work requirements or additional external qualifications can be linked to different expeditions can be obtained by contacting your nearest Opwall office.

The experience will

  • Enhance students understanding of course syllabuses
  • Allow learners to gain specific qualifications
  • Enhance university applications and interviews for university or jobs
  • Aid towards future career development
  • Give an insight into practical field experience

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  • ENHANCED UNDERSTANDING OF COURSE SYLLABUSES

    The lecture courses and practical experience gained in the field provide examples that can help to understand and illustrate many of the principles inherent in most Biology, Environmental Science and Geography courses. For many courses (often country specific) we have looked at how the experience of participating in an expedition might ‘match’ with specific specifications and many of these matching tables can be located in the booklet for each county, found at the top of each country page. Although this ‘matching’ will be greater for some countries than others, e.g. PCR is only experienced in Honduras, it will also depend mainly on the course a particular student follows although much will be relevant to all scientists and it will certainly increase their awareness of ‘how science works’ in a research and conservation context.

    Opwall have produced 19 Wallace Resource Library (WRL) datasets and a further 45 mini – Biodiversity Data Tasks. Both are based around actual Opwall research projects and are resources available for use by teachers. Links between the WRL tasks and specific specifications can be found in the information for each task. The WRL datasets are extensive and complex tasks whilst the biodiversity data tasks are much shorter, adopting the style of examination questions worth 10+ marks or short 40 minute homework tasks. These mini-tasks are standalone, and where possible, have explanatory notes to help with the answers.

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  • GAIN SPECIFIC QUALIFICATIONS

    Students from all over the world now take part in Operation Wallacea expeditions and there are many and varied opportunities for students to help gain specific qualifications which can be helped by taking part in an expedition e.g. an International School learner may be able to complete part of their EE (Extended Essay) based on their experiences in the field. Other specific qualifications which can be helped by taking part in an expedition include EPQ, Independent Research Projects or Mini Research Projects. For more information please don’t hesitate to contact schoolresearchprojects@opwall.com

     

  • UNIVERSITY/JOB APPLICATIONS & INTERVIEWS

    When applying to university, college or a job, students have the opportunity to stand out from the crowd beyond their personal statement (CV), test or exam results and extracurricular activities. Through entrance essays or interviews, students may choose to reference their time on an expedition to demonstrate independence and global efficacy, while the unique opportunity to meet academics from universities around the world will also set them apart from other applicants.

  • FURTHERING CAREER DEVELOPMENT

    Opwall’s research expeditions provide an ideal opportunity for students to meet university academics, ecologists and scientists. Also, depending on the expedition, to work alongside university students doing degree courses of potential interest to them. These expeditions provide an excellent way of making contacts and many of the students that have joined previous Opwall expeditions have then completed degrees in relevant subjects, go on to careers in wildlife conservation or field research or return to Opwall to complete their final year dissertations.

  • PRACTICAL FIELD EXPERIENCE

    Often many classroom aspects of science can be considered ‘dry’. Operation Wallacea provides a hands on approach to research and ecological survey techniques. Students work with dedicated and passionate scientists on site. This gives them an insight and understanding of how exciting a future in science and geography could be.

COUNTRY SPECIFIC BENEFITS

Educational systems across the world have many shared features although content is often specific to a particular country or system.  This section highlights content common to many countries but also attempts to pick out specific benefits for different areas of the world.

  • FREE CLASSROOM EXERCISES

    Operation Wallacea has been running research expeditions since 1995 and started taking high school/sixth form students in 2004. With the help of funding from the Weston Foundation we have created a new science resource known as The Wallace Resource Library or WRL .

    This resource provides novel data sets for the classroom and uniquely, these data sets have all been processed and produced by the actual scientists involved in the research. These data sets all originate directly from Operation Wallacea research sites around the world and there is now a full set containing 19 WRL datasets and 45 Biodiversity Data Tasks. The WRL datasets are extensive and complex tasks and the Biodiversity Data Tasks are much shorter, adopting the style of examination questions worth 10+ marks or short 40 minute homework tasks. These are standalone, and where possible, have explanatory notes to help with the answers.

    View the WRL here
  • OPPORTUNITY TO CARRY OUT IRPs

    Many educational systems encourage students to carry out their own independent research projects (IRPs) which often involves producing a written report on a specific research question.  To find out more, go the section on IRPs although mores specific qualifications such as EPQs and EEs are covered in the following country specific sections. There is also the opportunity to carry out group projects such as the IB Group 4 project. For more information visit the International Schools or United Kingdom links below.

    View our section on IRPs here
  • ACCESS TO RESEARCH DATA

    One of the commonest requirements for many educational systems is for students to be able to witness and have access to up-to-date research material. This is easily achieved by having access to the Wallace Research Library, the Opwall Research Library and the chance to witness and be involved in research projects first-hand whilst on their expedition.

  • PERSONAL & INTERPERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

    Many countries require their students to acquire experience in vocational aspects of their education such as Active Citizenship, Enrichment Activities, Career Planning and Global Awareness. A number of schools involved in Opwall Expeditions have successfully used their expedition experience to help in this area such as the UK ASDAN Universities Award and the CAS (Creativity, activity, Service) requirement for the IB Diploma course.

Asia

Course work essays and field investigations

The majority of Senior Science courses, especially Biology, require students to investigate a research topic (group or individual) and submit a report for assessment e.g. Extended Response Tasks, Extended Essays, Field Reports etc. Many of these could be based around the research being carried out in the field and in which they will become involved.

As an example, for those schools in China that offer the International Baccalaureate (IB), the Extended Essay (EE) and Creativity, Action and Service components objectives (CAS) are key aspects of this award. We put together an informational document about how CAS works in line with an expedition, which you can find here. Experience with other schools has shown that a student can contribute confidently towards these important components whilst taking part in an expedition.

Whilst we cannot usually support independent research projects (IRP) involving primary data collection by students, we can provide past data sets and, in most cases, ensure that a student will be involved in relevant data collection but observing existing strict scientific protocols, here is an example of an independent research project, in this case an IB Extended Essay to provide an idea of how this would work.

Other examples are the practical scheme of work (PSOW), which is the practical course planned by the science teacher and acts as a summary of all the investigations carried out by the candidate. Students whilst on expedition will take part in practical work and these could contribute significantly towards their IB Internal Assessment for IB Biology. There is also the opportunity to incorporate the independent assessment during the expedition as well. The appropriate expedition booklet outlines the practicals they they will be involved with and could consider as part of these aspects of their course.

For more information on any of the above points please contact schoolresearchprojects@opwall.com

Australia

Course work essays and field investigations

The majority of Senior Science courses, especially Biology, require students to investigate a research topic (group or individual) and submit a report for assessment e.g. Extended Response Tasks, Extended Essays, Field Reports etc. Many of these could be based around the research being carried out in the field and in which they will become involved.

For more information please contact schoolresearchprojects@opwall.com or the Australian office at australia@opwall.com.

Whilst we cannot usually support independent research projects (IRP) involving primary data collection by students, we can provide past data sets and, in most cases, ensure that a student will be involved in relevant data collection but observing existing strict scientific protocols.

Personal and Interpersonal Development.

There is an opportunity to contribute towards schemes such as the Vocational Education and Training (VET). To find out more go to the section on P&I Development.

Duke of Edinburgh Award

Whilst Operation Wallacea is not an accredited provider for the Duke of Edinburgh Award, we are however strong supporters of all levels and do all we can to help assist students with components of their awards across our expedition sites.

Some suggestions for adding value to your Opwall expedition with DofE.

Residential stay

As Operation Wallacea expeditions run for 1 and 2 weeks, you can use a part of the expedition to fulfil the 3 day residential requirement. If you’d like to check if your expedition can apply for residential, you can view Duke of Edinburgh’s checklist here.

Skill

If diving is part of your expedition you can work towards the skill component by preparing and working towards you open water qualification throughout your expedition run up time. Using theory training, confined dives and also the exam.

Contact us

As we are not experts on the Duke of Edinburgh award please contact us if you feel some other parts of the expedition could be used, we are happy to work with yourselves and schools to ensure you gain as much from your trip as possible.

Canada

Additional research related qualifications

Many schools in Canada offer the International Baccalaureate (IB) and within this award are the Extended Essay (EE) and Creativity, Action and Service components (CAS). We put together an informational document about how CAS works in line with an expedition, which you can find here. Experience with other schools has shown that a student can contribute confidently towards  these important components whilst taking part in an expedition.

The practical scheme of work (PSOW) is the practical course planned by the science teacher and acts as a summary of all the investigations carried out by the candidate.  Students whilst on expedition will take part in practical work and these could contribute significantly towards their IB Internal Assessment for IB Biology.  The appropriate expedition booklet outlines the practicals they they will be involved with.

International Schools

Many International schools offer the International Baccalaureate (IB) and within this award are the Extended Essay (EE) and Creativity, Action and Service components (CAS). We put together an informational document about how CAS works in line with an expedition, which you can find here. Experience with other schools has shown that a student can contribute confidently towards  these important components whilst taking part in an expedition.

The practical scheme of work (PSOW) is the practical course planned by the science teacher and acts as a summary of all the investigations carried out by the candidate.  Students whilst on expedition will take part in practical work and these could contribute significantly towards their IB Internal Assessment for IB Biology.  The appropriate expedition booklet outlines the practicals they they will be involved with.

IB Science students must complete a Group 4 project as part of their required IB Group 4 (Science) practical program. The Group 4 project involves a team of 6-8 students, is multidisciplinary with a strong emphasis on team work, sharing ideas and cooperation. The project requires about 10 hours of involvement time.

Some recent enquires from IB teachers going on an Opwall Expedition believe that it would be an ideal opportunity to carry out their Group 4 project. It could for instance work particularly well during their dive week where students get into groups to discuss key topics based around their lectures such as marine plastics, shark finning and threats to coral reefs: they read any appropriate literature and then present on it at the end of their week. Each site will have a different ‘suite’ of lectures and please refer to the appropriate school booklet.

Contact schoolresearchprojects@opwall.com for further information.

Republic of Ireland

Enhanced understanding of the syllabus and opportunities in the Transition Year experience

Biology is one of the most popular Science Leaving Certificate subject and studied by over 50% of Senior Cycle (Timthriall Sinsearach) candidates. Geography is also very popular and a significant amount of what is being learnt for both subjects can be experienced first-hand whilst on an expedition and the Opwall office can show you which topics are covered in an OpWall expedition. Students will experience these topics when they become involved in collecting data, observing scientists at work and following a series of activity lectures and an appropriate course specific to each country.

Opportunities in the Transition (Idirbhliain) Year

Most schools in the Republic of Ireland follow a ‘transition’ year and the main objective is – ‘to promote the personal, social, educational and vocational development of pupils and to prepare them for their role as autonomous, participative and responsible members of society’. Participating in an Opwall expedition would provide a wonderful opportunity to fulfill many of these objectives. The experience can also be combined with learning fundraising techniques, team building, long term planning, extended writing projects and contributing personally towards international conservation management.

Opwall staff would be pleased to discuss how you could integrate an expedition into your transition year.

University applications and interviews

One of the best uses of the expeditions is to enhance your application for university entry. In Ireland every potential university student has to complete their CAO entry form and within this ‘explain the relevance of their life/educational experience to their application and state their educational goals and objectives’ and this is quite often followed up by a university entrance interview. Many students will be able to relate their experiences gained on their expedition and this will be something that makes them stand out from other similarly qualified students.

South Africa

Enhanced understanding of the syllabus

The majority of Independent Institutions follow the NSC (National Senior Certificate) as part of their further education years although a number also take the International Baccalaureate and Cambridge examinations (A-levels) from the United Kingdom. Life Science (N12LISC) is required for entry to a University Science based degree and taken by many students: a significant amount of what is being learnt can be experienced first-hand whilst on an expedition and the Opwall office can show you which topics are covered in an OpWall expedition. Students will experience these topics when they become involved in collecting data, observing scientists at work and following a series of activity lectures and an appropriate course specific to each country.

As part of the Life Science course students are required to undertake a Research task and the Research task for NSC (National Senior Certificate) – non-investigative Practical would be appropriate.

The following (edited for conciseness) is taken from NSC handbook (Jan 2011):

Research task/ Non-investigative Practical (20 marks out of 100)
‘This component of the portfolio is designed to replace the Investigation from the previous portfolio requirements. Many teachers struggled with this component previously as the requirements were particularly narrow and prescriptive. This item is now a similar task to the Research Project used in History and Geography. The emphasis must be on giving the candidates an opportunity to get involved in research of some kind and then to write a comprehensive report on their research findings. This task may involve a number of different research methodologies. It may simply involve Library (books) and Internet based literature review in order to solve a problem/ research question set by the teacher or it may involve an initial library/ internet based review followed by an actual data collection (investigation) which is performed at home, in the school laboratory or in the field. The final outcome of this activity is a written report detailing the results of the research findings. It is assessed using memoranda, checklists or rubrics or a combination of the three. The research should relate to a question, problem or case study/ scenario.’

United States

Additional research related qualifications

National Honor Society

All schools are strongly encouraged to fundraise for their expeditions and each school group must have a fundraising Chairperson. This role provides an opportunity for the elected student to gain leadership experience to be used in their National Honor Society application.

Science Research in the High School – SRHS

In the northeast of the US, a significant number of schools are associated with the Science Research in the High School program (SRHS). This is an advanced research program for school students who are expected to publish the results of their field research in a peer reviewed journal before entering university. In addition, students are expected to give presentations at high school science seminars. The whole emphasis is on developing research skills in students with them completing a research placement at the end of their sophomore year in a lab or at a field research station to gain initial research experience. During their junior year, the students are then expected to choose a research topic, complete background reading and, in consultation with academics, develop a research proposal with a clearly defined question. This independent research project is then implemented over the summer before entering their senior year. During their senior year, the students write up the research and submit the manuscript for publication as well as making a presentation at a high school science seminar. This scheme fits perfectly with the Opwall field programs with the standard General Surveyor expeditions fitting the research experience requirement at the end of their sophomore year. The published research project in their Junior and Senior years fits much better with the Dissertation/Senior Thesis approach, so these students sign up alongside the university students and go through the research planning and implementation phase with academic mentors.

University applications and interviews

In the US, the college entry essay and college interviews are the main opportunities for students to express themselves beyond their high school transcript, test scores, and extracurricular activities. You may choose to reference your time on expedition to demonstrate your independence and global efficacy, while the unique opportunity to meet academics from universities around the world will also set you apart from other applicants.

United Kingdom

Enhanced understanding of syllabus

Many students going on an Operation Wallacea expedition are likely to be studying Biology or Geography at A level or the equivalent. A significant amount of what is being learnt at A level can be experienced first-hand whilst on an expedition and the Opwall office can show you which topics in each of the main examining boards for England and Wales (AQA, EdExcel Salters, OCR, WJEC), Northern Ireland (CCEA) and Scottish Highers (SQA) for Biology and Geography are covered in an Opwall expedition. Students will experience these topics when they become involved in collecting data, observing scientists at work and following a series of ‘activity’ lectures and an appropriate ecological course specific to each country.

One section of many courses requires the student to experience field sampling techniques such as those using transecting methods and quadrats. All of the research sites employ such methods and it is an ideal opportunity to experience these methods first-hand and really appreciate the importance of gathering such important data: it is genuinely an example of ‘How Science Works’.

Experience has shown that those studying other subjects also benefit greatly from the experience and you do not necessarily have to be a ‘scientist’ to go on an expedition. At many of the sites the students have the chance to practice foreign languages (e.g. Spanish, Portuguese, French).

Research qualifications and additional qualifications

Many schools are now offering their students the chance to submit further research qualifications such as the Extended Essay Qualification (EPQ) which is now available from an increasing number examining boards (AQA, OCR, Pre-U, WJEC etc).  These qualifications are worth up to 70 extra UCAS points and are designed to support students with their transition to higher education or into the world of work.

The are many similarities between the examination boards although and there are many options available to teachers and students but all involve an in-depth study by the student in which they will develop and apply skills creatively and result (for a Science student) in a dissertation or an Investigation.  Student must work independently and largely self-directed although most schools should provide 120 Guided Learning hours (edexcel).  The EPQ is assessed by producing a research report of 5,000 words and/or a presentation.

Going on an Opwall Expedition can be a great place to undertake such a venture although the dissertation style EPQ is better suited than an in depth personal investigation (see more about how this might work in the EPQ section)

An increasing number of schools are adopting the IB (International Baccalaureate) course and within this award are the Extended Essay (EE) and Creativity, Action and Service components (CAS).  We put together an informational document about how CAS works in line with an expedition, which you can find here. Experience with other schools has shown that a student can contribute confidently towards these important components whilst taking part in an expedition.

Also within the IB Award is the practical scheme of work (PSOW) which is the practical course planned by the science teacher and acts as a summary of all the investigations carried out by the candidate.  Students whilst on expedition will take part in practical work and these could contribute significantly towards their IB Internal Assessment for IB Biology.  The appropriate expedition booklet outlines the practicals that they will be involved with.

IB Science students must complete a Group 4 project as part of their required IB Group 4 (Science) practical program. The Group 4 project involves a team of 6-8 students, is multidisciplinary with a strong emphasis on team work, sharing ideas and cooperation. The project requires about 10 hours of involvement time.

Some recent enquires from IB teachers going on an Opwall Expedition believe that it would be an ideal opportunity to carry out their Group 4 project. It could for instance work particularly well during their dive week where students get into groups to discuss key topics based around their lectures such as marine plastics, shark finning and threats to coral reefs: they read any appropriate literature and then present on it at the end of their week. Each site will have a different ‘suite’ of lectures and please refer to the appropriate school booklet.

Contact schoolresearchprojects@opwall.com for further information.

Duke of Edinburgh Award

Whilst Operation Wallacea is not an accredited provider for the Duke of Edinburgh Award, we are however strong supporters of all levels and do all we can to help assist students with components of their awards across our expedition sites.

Some suggestions for adding value to your Opwall expedition with DofE.

Residential stay

As Operation Wallacea expeditions run for 1 and 2 weeks, you can use a part of the expedition to fulfil the 3 day residential requirement. If you’d like to check if your expedition can apply for residential, you can view Duke of Edinburgh’s checklist here.

Skill

If diving is part of your expedition you can work towards the skill component by preparing and working towards you open water qualification throughout your expedition run up time. Using theory training, confined dives and also the exam.

Contact us

As we are not experts on the Duke of Edinburgh award please contact us if you feel some other parts of the expedition could be used, we are happy to work with yourselves and schools to ensure you gain as much from your trip as possible.

Additional qualifications

There are additional research related qualifications that can be obtained partly or wholly by participating in an Opwall expedition and a few examples are given below. If you would like to do any of these additional qualifications then your school needs to organise a visit by an Opwall representative to go through the requirements of the various schemes before making a final decision.

University applications and interviews

One of the best uses of the expeditions is to enhance a student’s application for university entry. In the UK, every potential university student has to write a UCAS Personal Statement as part of the UCAS process and this is quite often followed up by a university entrance interview. Many students will be able to relate their experiences gained on the field research programme and working alongside academics and this will be something that makes them stand out from other similarly qualified students.

Elise Damstra, who came out with us in 2011 as part of a Sevenoaks school expedition to Madagascar, is a great proof of this. She won the Norwegian Young Scientist essay competition for her extended essay about the work that was done during her time there – the prize included £1000, an all expenses paid trip to Bratislava for the European Union Contest for Young Scientists, and a place at the Stockholm Youth Science Seminar that includes a seat at the Nobel Prize ceremony.

Scotland

The majority of Schools in Scotland will take the Scottish Higher and Advanced Higher examination which are the equivalent to the A levels taken in many parts of the UK.  These specifications have recently undergone a full revision and are now being implemented in Scottish schools. You can see how WRL links to the SQA Highers and Advanced Highers Biology course specification here.

Recent UK Opwall Educational Survey:

The main conclusions from our survey are that Opwall expeditions match really well with the new specifications (certainly better than the old ones) although teaching using ‘case studies’ is a dominant and novel feature of these new revised exams.  The ‘Case Study’ idea is a great opportunity for us especially when introducing the Wallace Resource Library (WRL) to teachers.  One of their case studies looks at the role of PCR and our Chytrid Fungus WRL dataset from Honduras would be perfect as I am certain many others will also be – going on an expedition would be even better!

Duke of Edinburgh Award

Whilst Operation Wallacea is not an accredited provider for the Duke of Edinburgh Award, we are however strong supporters of all levels and do all we can to help assist students with components of their awards across our expedition sites.

Some suggestions for adding value to your Opwall expedition with DofE.

Residential stay

As Operation Wallacea expeditions run for 1 and 2 weeks, you can use a part of the expedition to fulfil the 3 day residential requirement. If you’d like to check if your expedition can apply for residential, you can view Duke of Edinburgh’s checklist here.

Skill

If diving is part of your expedition you can work towards the skill component by preparing and working towards you open water qualification throughout your expedition run up time. Using theory training, confined dives and also the exam.

Contact us

As we are not experts on the Duke of Edinburgh award please contact us if you feel some other parts of the expedition could be used, we are happy to work with yourselves and schools to ensure you gain as much from your trip as possible.

New Zealand

Many students joining an expedition with Operation Wallacea from New Zealand will study either senior Biology or Geography. The content of our expeditions matches well with the curriculum for these subjects for NCEA, Cambridge International Examinations and the International Baccalaureate, providing enhanced understanding and the opportunity to immerse themselves in real research.

For more information please contact the New Zealand office at newzealand@opwall.com.

Duke of Edinburgh Award

Whilst Operation Wallacea is not an accredited provider for the Duke of Edinburgh Award, we are however strong supporters of all levels and do all we can to help assist students with components of their awards across our expedition sites.

Some suggestions for adding value to your Opwall expedition with DofE.

Residential stay

As Operation Wallacea expeditions run for 1 and 2 weeks, you can use a part of the expedition to fulfil the 3 day residential requirement. If you’d like to check if your expedition can apply for residential, you can view Duke of Edinburgh’s checklist here.

Skill

If diving is part of your expedition you can work towards the skill component by preparing and working towards you open water qualification throughout your expedition run up time. Using theory training, confined dives and also the exam.

Contact us

As we are not experts on the Duke of Edinburgh award please contact us if you feel some other parts of the expedition could be used, we are happy to work with yourselves and schools to ensure you gain as much from your trip as possible.

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