Achievement

We developed and taught a new interdisciplinary course “Wind Energy and Society.” This class created a learning community, in which students were encouraged to share knowledge they had previously developed in their disciplines with the other students and learn from their peers, the instructor and guest lecturers in the same way. The objectives were two-fold, including gaining and applying knowledge about offshore wind energy and developing professional skills. Students worked on teams on a case study site, Block Island in Rhode Island, and put together research projects on topics including the financial incentives for offshore wind energy, marine spatial planning frameworks, and post-plan public participation. In terms of skills development, students learned and applied the case study approach to research, introduced qualitative methods and software, and discussed the professional protocols of publishing.