This presentation will describe the process and outcome of developing and teaching a new interdisciplinary graduate course on qualitative research methods for environmental decision making at a major U.S. southeastern university. The goals of this sixteen-week course taught by a professor with a social science background were to overview qualitative research (e.g., philosophical perspectives, researcher role, major methods, best practices, potential ethical issues, evaluative criteria) and its various applications to help address environmental issues (e.g., reducing environmental health risks, promoting environmentally-responsible behaviors) and to provide direct collaborative experience in designing and conducting a qualitative study.

The study was a community-based semester-long class project for a NOAA-associated extension agency to evaluate the accessibility, communicative effectiveness, and utility of a homeowners’ handbook produced by several partnering organizations on how to prepare for and reduce impacts of natural hazards (tornados, hurricanes, floods) and ultimately enhance coastal resiliency. Qualitative research was needed to gain an in-depth, contextual understanding of targeted homeowners’ perspectives on the handbook to inform decisions about content, format, and distribution revisions for future outreach planning. With instructor supervision and direction, the project involved student-client interaction; research question formulation; IRB human subjects research protection training; participant recruitment; in-depth interviewing and focus group instrument development, pretesting, data collection, transcription, and analysis; report writing; and a formal client presentation.

The outcome was pedagogical success based on multiple indicators including student learning and performance (class participation, reflection exercises, peer evaluations, journal article critique, mid-term exam, final project), course evaluations, informal feedback, and client feedback. The course, offered initially as a special topics, is being proposed for permanent inclusion in this program’s holistic curriculum with consideration of cross-listings with other departments on campus. The presentation will conclude with pedagogical literature connections, recommendations, and resources to guide others interested in designing similar courses.