TRAVEL STUDY PROGRAM PROPOSAL
COSTA RICA
Course Title:
Destination:
Number of Credit Hours:
Lead Faculty Members:
Costa Rica Travel Study
Costa Rica
Six credit hours
Eve Caudill (MKTG), Toby Dogwiler (GEOS), Roger Riley
(PER), Cathy Summa (GEOS)
Brief program description: (Aside from a general description of the program and its learning
goals, please include in this section a brief description of the type of physical activities that will
be part of the program, and any special requirements you will ask of participants).
The travel study program in Costa Rica focuses on student-based field research that is
designed to assist the town of Playa Dominical to further develop its natural resources, tourism
products and associated services. Students will engage in the inventorying of natural resources,
the mapping of the town, the gathering of tourism supply and demand data, and the construction
of a database to help local officials make better tourism-related decisions. Prior to the research
study and the trip, students will be exposed to basic tourism, natural resource and marketing
concepts that have application to the Playa Dominical situation. After the data has been collected,
work will focus on report development and the assessment of other tourism products and services
around Costa Rica.
Goals:
1. To observe, gather data on, be exposed to, and understand the various impacts of tourism
on a region or local tourist destination. This will be achieved by conducting:
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attractions analyses
infrastructure analyses
historic development profiles
geographic profiles using GPS & GIS mapping
water quality testing
branding and image studies
visitor profiles
pricing studies
social impact surveys
transportation studies
connecting the disciplinary knowledge through twice daily reflective sessions and journaling
2. To identify the stockholders and stakeholders of tourism within Playa Dominical and to
understand the prevailing issues related to tourism development. This will be achieved by:
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Interviewing and analyzing the opinions of local business owners
Interviewing and analyzing the opinions of expatriate business owners
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Interviewing and analyzing the opinions of non-business locals and expatriates
Interviewing and analyzing the opinions of governmental officials
Surveying and analyzing the opinions and attitudes of tourists
Connecting the interdisciplinary knowledge through twice daily reflective sessions and journaling
3. To identify and document the status of the man-made and natural resource elements that
provide the foundation of tourism in the Playa Dominical region. This will be achieved
by:
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Conducting water quality studies as a proxy for environmental impacts
Using GPS and GIS mapping every year to note the physical changes of the community as tourism
expands within the area
Undertaking the above tasks in the neighboring community of Uvita to use for comparison purposes
with Dominical
Comparing with other tourist destinations in Costa Rica
Connecting the disciplinary knowledge through twice daily reflective sessions and journaling
4. To inventory tourism attractions, tourism infrastructure and tourism superstructure
resources to understand the “raw materials” necessary for a tourism enterprise:
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attractions analyses
infrastructure analyses
geographic profiles using GPS & GIS mapping
transportation studies
comparing with other tourist destinations in Costa Rica
Connecting the disciplinary knowledge through twice daily reflective session and journaling
Physical Requirements
The physical requirements of the trip are many. During the Costa Rica trip a typical day
starts at 6.00am with work starting sometime after 8am. There is a one hour break for lunch, two
hours for dinner and then work continues until 9pm. A day-off is scheduled for the first week and
another for the second week. Co-curricular activities are interspersed throughout the two week
trip but the work schedule is demanding and sometimes stressful for students. Much of the work
is conducted on foot, in 90 degree heat, with high humidity. At other times, students might be
working in the rain.
Many of the co-curricular activities are critical to the learning experience because
students then understand the “attractions and services” sector of the tourism industry in Costa
Rica – the national tourism pitch line is “Costa Rica, 100% Pure.” Some of these activities are:
Mangrove Tour (white face monkeys, exotic plants, ant hills, many exotic mangrove based birds;
Volcano hike (Arenal National Park walking on recent lava flows and studying volcano action);
Canopy Tour (a zipline tour through the jungle canopy where monkeys, sloths, chocolate trees
and many plant species are identified)
Other physically demanding activities also occur on the students’ days off when they can
choose to go river rafting, surfing and snorkeling. Finally, mosquitoes, chiggers and other bugs
are always a challenge.
Course Reading List:
Conservation International (2003). Rural and Ecotourism Based Tourism Development: A Rapid
Assessment Tool. Produced by Conservation International and The George Washington
University.
Ewing, Jack (2005). Monkey’s are Made of Chocolate: Exotic and Unseen Costa Rica.
Dominical, Costa Rica: the Chocolate Monkey. S. A.
Inman, C; Mesa, N; Flores, K; Prado, A (2002). Tourism in Costa Rica: The Challenge of
Competitiveness. Latin American Center for Competitiveness and Sustainable
Development.
Smith, R; Erlandson, A; Fischer, M; Mrozek, J & Reining, T (2005). Segmentation of Travelers
in Costa Rica: A Comparison of Two Approaches. A paper presented at a Marketing
Conference in Las Vegas, NV, by Costa Rica Travel Study Students.
Course prerequisites (if any): Consent of instructors
Enrollment Minimum: 20 students
Enrollment Maximum: 22 students
Travel Dates: May 10 – May 26, 2007
Pre-departure course meeting dates:
The pre-departure meetings consist of four, two hour sessions with the dates that are
determined after the students have been selected. Faculty members determine the most
convenient dates for all students so that attendance is maximized at these meetings. In 2006, all
four dates occurred in April, from 7-9pm on a Tuesday night. The agenda for the four meetings
is listed below:
Apr ??
Apr ??
Apr ??
Apr ??
Meeting One
Meeting Two
Meeting Three
Meeting Four
Jack Ewing Readings - Initial Logistics - Tourism concepts pertaining to CR (Roger)
Jack Ewing readings - Geoscience concepts pertaining to CR (Toby)
Jack Ewing readings - Marketing concepts pertaining to CR (Eve)
Jack Ewing readings - Final Logistics - Reflection assignments (All or Cathy)
Post-trip course meeting dates:
There are no post-trip meeting dates. Since the students are returning to the United States
in late May or early June, they are obligated to summer employment situations or Summer
Session One academic requirements. Based on prior trips, it was very difficult to meet with
students before their other commitment took over. Therefore post-trip processing is built into the
structure of the trip with several days in San Jose for final presentation work. After returning to
the U.S., students are given a set amount of time (usually one to two weeks) to submit their
written reflection documents, and, in some cases, the finalized copy of their research reports.
If this is an interdisciplinary course, please list the other faculty members involved and the
specific tasks for which they will take on the leadership role (e.g. assessment, recordkeeping):
Faculty Member
Task (s)
1. Roger Riley
Logistic Responsibilities – budgeting, transportation arrangements, accommodation
arrangements, food arrangements, airfare support
Academics Responsibilities – attractions analyses, infrastructure analyses,
historical perspectives, morning and evening reflections, pre-trip
concepts, post-trip grading
2. Toby Dogwiler
Logistic Responsibilities – arranging supplementary activities, arranging
supportive academic activities, national parks liaison, air travel
coordination
Academic Responsibilities – GPS & GIS data gathering & mapping, water
quality testing and analysis, morning and evening reflections, pre-trip
concepts, post-trip grading
3. Eve Caudill
Logistic Responsibilities – pre-trip promotion, inventorying of
applications, student course registration, student documentation
completion
Academics Responsibilities – Image studies, visitor profiles, morning and evening
reflections, pre-trip concepts, post-trip grading
4. Cathy Summa
Logistic Responsibilities – transportation instead of Riley, financial disbursements during
trip
Academic Responsibilities – morning and evening reflections, “questions-of-the-day” ,
pre-trip concepts, metacognition and learning through reflection,
interdisciplinary connections, pricing studies, transportation studies,
landforms and volcanoes, final reflections.
Who is/are the intended audience?
(Some things to consider: Is this open only to WSU students for credit? Is it limited only to
majors in your department? Will community members be allowed to register for the course)
The intended audience is WSU students from any major on campus, although, in a points
oriented selection system, students from GEOS, MKTG, or RTTR get slightly greater preference
than other students. Costa Rica trip has always received more applicants than the slots available,
therefore a points system was developed to determine the students who travel. The criteria for
points system are listed below:
 Major - RTTR, MKT, GEOS receive a few more points because it is easier to substitute
the credits into these students major or minor requirements;
 GPA – Students with a higher GPA receives more points than students with a lower GPA;
 Seniority – Seniors or juniors receive more points than sophomores or freshman because
they have less opportunity to go on a travel study experience in the future;
 Spanish Speaking Ability – Students who can speak and read Spanish receive a few more
points than other students because they can more easily interact with Costa Rican people
when conducting their research;
 Student Essay – Students write a brief essay explaining the benefits they seek from the
Costa Rica travel study trip. The essays are used as a tie-breaker when choosing between
students with similar points totals;
 Testimonial – students nominate a faculty member as their personal referee. In tiebreaker situations, the referees are called to offer a testimonial on behalf of the applicants.
At the present time, community members and students from other universities cannot partake
of the Costa Rica trip. In the future, it is hoped that an adult trip will begin immediately after the
student trip is finished, with the faculty members staying behind to lead the adult trip. Students
from other universities will not be able to apply for the Costa Rica trip until the partitioning of
two credits per contributing department (for a total of six, one credit courses) can be rationalized
into two, three credit courses.
How does the proposed study site/s help to achieve the course learning objective(s) and how
does it complement the course focus?
The Costa Rica travel study experience is divided into halves with the first half located in
Playa Dominical (also Uvita, a neighboring town) and the second half located in various Costa
Rican tourist destinations. Playa Dominical (and Uvita) is an emerging tourist destination that
attracts surfers from all over the world. Dominical also attracts more adventurous tourists who
are prepared to travel on the gravel roads required to get there. With plans in the offing to pave
the last 30 miles of the road, it is predicted that Dominical will become a tourism “boom-town.”
Students on earlier trips have gathered baseline data about the town so that subsequent students
can determine the impacts of mass tourism when “hoards” arrive. It is hoped that the baseline
data and the impact findings will be used by local people to make better decisions about tourism
development in Dominical.
The second half of the trip makes stops at three of the top five tourist destinations in
Costa Rica. The beach resort town of Manuel Antonio, the ecotourism cloud forest of
Monteverde and the volcano town of La Fortuna (all developed destinations) are then compared
to the emerging destination of Dominical.
How does this proposed program differ from other WSU travel study programs?
While we are not familiar with the nuances of other travel study programs, it is suspected
that other programs do not conduct ongoing research to track changes within the communities
visited. This on-going research project has the intention of providing data that will help
Dominical community members make good decisions about their tourism development process.
This data gathering and analysis process requires daily contact with the local community.
As far as the Costa Rica faculty members are aware, no other program uses academic
input from three departments and requires that all students gain learning experiences in all three
disciplinary areas. Thus, a nursing student is required to gather and analyze data for the
marketing, geoscience, and, the recreation and tourism aspects of the trip. Furthermore, the Costa
Rica faculty members suspect that they are the only ones that meld those experiences into a
cohesive whole, creating a realization that each discipline’s knowledge is necessary to the
understanding and success of the other two disciplines.
How does this proposed program support WSU’s mission and vision for Learning in the
21st Century?
Adherence to WSU’s Mission
The Costa Rica experience creates a community of student learners through the
interdisciplinary requirements of the trip. In addition, daily interaction with local people creates
other learning communities as they assist students when gathering their data. The results and
dissemination of the research are then intended to be used by the local people to “improve their
world.”
Adherence to the Vision for L21
…“requires adaptive skills - the ability to apply knowledge in new settings and in new ways - to
unexpected and unpredictable questions”… “ability to find creative solutions to complex and
ever-changing problems.” WSU L21 Webpage.
WSU students are placed in a foreign country and culture, conducting research they may
never have done before, in subjects that are probably not part of their academic major. Under
these circumstances, students are required to employ adaptive skills in both the academic and
daily living components of the trip. Additional adaptation is required when the findings need to
be applied to a community that is constantly changing in the face of tourism development.
The Costa Rica faculty “front load” the students with discussions about flexible
intelligence and adaptive expertise. With so many parts of the experience being different than
“home” it would be easy for students to become judgmental; always using their “home”
environment as the default for “normal.”
What experience, if any, do you have in leading travel study programs?
All four faculty members have served on the Costa Rica travel study trip prior to 2007. In
addition, Dr. Riley has taught on one other travel study trip, while Drs. Summa and Dogwiler
have provided learning experiences “in the field” for the duration of their academic lives.
BUDGET:
Provided below is the budget for the 2006 Costa Rica travel study experience, as
finalized by Marie Bush. The 2007 trip cost students $2750.00, including tuition, two meals per
day, ground transportation and accommodation, but not airfares. The cost to students has been
reduced for each of the past three years but further reductions may be difficult because most of
the efficiencies have been exploited. The trip will cost slightly more in 2007 (regular inflation,
increasing demand for travel to Costa Rica, and airfares) but may be about be about the same as
2006, if Dr Summa decides to pursue another travel study opportunity.
Revenue Generation Form
Program name:
Revenue generation:
Differential
Rate
FINAL REPORT AS OF 8/18/06
Costa Rica Travel Studies
(5/22-6/5/04) #257502
Total
Revenue
# credit hours per student
# of Students
Generated
$250
6
22
$26,400.00
$1,250
Travel cost per student
22
$27,500.00
**NOTE**all must take 6 credits
*NOTE* Non-refundable deposit:
$300.00
X22
Students
$6,600.00
Total
Revenue:
$60,500.00
Expenses from Total Revenue Generated:
For Student
$
2,288.88
Student Fees x $17.34/credit x 22 credits x 6
Total student fees
expense:
2,288.88
For Faculty
Salary
Eve Caudill
$3,837
Salary
Toby Dogwiler
$4,171
Salary
Roger Riley
$4,089
Salary
Catherine Summa
$3,974
Salary
Student Help
Fringe based on above salaries
est 16%
Fringe
Airfare
Lodging
$650 x 4 faculty
$15/day x 20 days x 3 faculty; $15/day x 17 days x 1
faculty
$50/day x20 days x 3 faculty; $50 x 17 days x 1
faculty
Phone/Internet
$5/day x 20 days x 3 faculty; $5 x 17 days x 1 faculty
Meals
$441
$2,270
$0
$0
2220 Travel
$0
2222 Registration
$0
2720 student travel
Faculty Travel
$7,532
Registration fees
$1,145
Supplies
$564
Bond & Insurance (1310)
$350
Other Purchase Service (1870)
$200
Departure Tax
$28 x 4 faculty
$0
Airport Parking
$30/week x 2 cars x 2 weeks
$0
Mileage to LSE
Private car
Travel Insurance
$100 x 4 faculty
Miscellaneous
(taxis, laundry, photocopies)
Printing (1411)
Travel Expense
(2220)
$53
$0
$0
$50
rental car 3 days x $100/day including gas plus
insurance
$0
Student Travel expense
$28,671
Total salary,fringe,travel expenses :
Total R&D (15%) expense:
(15% x $tuition)
Total Expenses:
Total current revenue generated above current expenses:
$57,347.16
$4,950.00
$64,586.04
($4,086.04)
Revenue from previous
trip
19,035.49
Total projected excess budget
$14,949.45
Cost for each Student
Air Fares
Students will provide own--flying
from homebase
$0.00
Student travel expense
1,250.00
$0.00
Total Travel Cost:
$1,250.00
**NOTE**
$1,462.57 made
up of:
Driver and
Buses
Two vans + Coaster bus + gas
$6,214
Travel Insurance
$100 x 22 students
$2,200
Departure Taxes
$28 x 22 students
Other Meals
$60 x 22 students
$600 x 22 students - always
includes breakfast
Accomodations
$616
$1,320
$13,200
Miscellaneous
Water
Supplies &
Materials
Equipment
Insurance
Educational
Activities
$500
40 cases of bottled water
$300
Paper and white board
$100
(Water Testing, GPS units, surveying equipment)
$300
$125/student x 22 students
$2,750
Total
Tuition paid to #257502
**includes $300 deposit
6 Credits x $250
$27,500
Total Tuition Cost:
$1,500.00
Student check to WSU
$2,750.00
APPROVALS
REQUIRED:
Vice President University Affairs
Date
Dean/Supervisor
Date
Budget Director
Date
Vice President Academic Affairs
Date
Costa Rica #257502
22 students x 6 credits = total credits of 132 Credits
Amounts to move from #257502
9130 FY07
Cost Ctr
#'s
Obj codes
Rates Used
Facility
$
455.40
332063
9157
3.45
50%
Athletic
$
224.40
334033
9172
1.7
50%
Health Service
$
217.80
335003
9163
1.65
50%
MSUSA
$
51.48
337918
9160
0.39
Tech
$
976.80
334011
9153
7.4
Student Life
$
363.00
334013
9156
2.75
Total to be moved
$
2,288.88
17.34
50%
PLANNED ITINERARY: Costa Rica 2007
DATE
Apr ??
Apr ??
Apr ??
Apr ??
DATE
9-May
10-May
11-May
Meeting One
Meeting Two
Meeting Three
Meeting Four
Faculty to San Jose
Faculty Arrive one day early
San Jose
Hampton Inn
MORNING: 1) Students fly to San Jose
AFTERNOON/EVENING: Dinner at own expense. Group discussion
To Dominical
Hotel Canto de Ballenas
MORNING: Need vans by 7am
AFTERNOON: To Dominical via San Isidro
EVENING: Mangrove ecological tour at locally owned and developed site
MORNING: Group discussion and Data gathering
AFTERNOON: Data gathering
(locally owned cooperative)
12-May
Dominical & Uvita
Hotel Canto de Ballenas
(locally owned cooperative)
13-May
Dominical & Uvita
Hotel Canto de Ballenas
(locally owned cooperative)
14-May
Dominical & Uvita
Hotel Canto de Ballenas
(locally owned cooperative)
15-May
Dominical & Uvita
Hotel Canto de Ballenas
(locally owned cooperative)
16-May
Dominical & Uvita
Hotel Canto de Ballenas
(locally owned cooperative)
17-May
Dominical & Uvita
Hotel Canto de Ballenas
(locally owned cooperative)
18-May
To Monteverde via
Manuel Antonio NP
Monteverde Lodge
19-May
Monteverde
Monteverde Lodge
20-May
To Arenal
Arenal Volcano Inn
21-May
Arenal
Arenal Volcano Inn
22-May
Arenal
23-May
To San Jose
Hampton Inn
24-May
San Jose
Hampton Inn
Hampton Inn
25-May
PRE TRIP MEETINGS
Jack Ewing Readings - Initial Logistics - Tourism concepts pertaining to CR (Roger)
Jack Ewing readings - Geoscience concepts pertaining to CR (Toby)
Jack Ewing readings - Marketing concepts pertaining to CR (Eve)
Jack Ewing readings - Final Logistics - Reflection assignments (All)
TENTATIVE SCHEDULE
EVENING: Dinner and processing data until 9.30pm
MORNING: Group discussion and Data gathering
AFTERNOON: Data gathering
EVENING: Processing information 7-9pm
Day Off - surfing/scuba/snorkeling/dolphins - your expense
All activities conducted with locally owned and operated, community cooperative in
recognition of supporting fledgling tourism industries
MORNING: Group discussion and Data gathering
AFTERNOON: Data gathering
EVENING OFF - Explore Dominical
MORNING: Group discussion and Data gathering
AFTERNOON: Data Gathering
EVENING: Butterfly Gardens - with locally owned and operated business
MORNING: Group discussion and Data gathering
AFTERNOON: Horseback to Bahia Ballena - with locally owned and operated business
EVENING: Processing information
MORNING: Travel Quepos/Manuel Antonio/Puntarenas
AFTERNOON: Move to Monteverde Lodge
EVENING: Discussions and data analysis
MORNING: Group Discussion and Visit Monteverde Cloud Forest National Park
AFTERNOON: Zipline
EVENING: Data Analysis
MORNING: Group Discussion and Service project planting trees and move to Arenal
AFTERNOON: Data Analysis
EVENING: Data analysis and discussions
MORNING: Group Discussion and Visit Arenal Volcano National Park
AFTERNOON: Data analysis
EVENING: Meal and geothermal activity at Baldi
MORNING: Group Discussion, Data analysis and presentation preparation
AFTERNOON: Data analysis and presentation preparation
EVENING: Data analysis and presentation preparation
MORNING: To San Jose
AFTERNOON: Saachi tourist crafts community
EVENING: Data analysis and presentation preparation
MORNING: Rafting or Poas Volcano/Coffee Plantation/National Museum
AFTERNOON: Rafting or Poas Volcano/Coffee Plantation/National Museum
ALL DAY: Information processing and group presentations
26-May
Depart for USA
1) Departure tax of $27 paid for in trip fee
Course Assignments: - every student gains experiences in every project undertaken in a
given year, but not all of the projects listed below are conducted every year. Note that the
first three projects listed are considered integral to the Costa Rica experience and do
indeed take place annually.
 Individual Journaling – journaling starts during the pre-trip sessions with reflections
about hopes, fears, and student expectations for learning on the trip. While the
journals are purely personal reflections, each student also writes about a front-loaded,
question-of-the-day that is pertinent to the research being conducted in
Dominical/Uvita. Students are required to read from their journals during processing
sessions, as these are their primary data source. Students improve their writing and
reflection skills by completing daily journal entries.
 Group Processing – processing occurs every morning after breakfast and most nights
after dinner. The students and the professors engage in discussions about the goal
defined learning experiences and also the incidental learning that happens as a result
of observing and thinking about Costa Rica.
 Reflective Writing – Students respond to daily questions, which focus part of the time
on observation and data collection, and part of the time on synthesis of learnings,
wherein students are asked to make connections, based on their prior knowledge,
between seemingly unconnected aspects of the trip. Upon return to the US, students
engage in a reflective writing assignment that serves to synthesize the Costa Rica
experience into a coherent paper. (See last year’s questions below)
 Attractions Analyses – inventorying all tourist attractions within a 30 mile radius to
determine the extent and type of attractive “pull” to the area. Research Question: Is
Dominical/Uvita an attraction itself or is it a service center for the attractions that
surround it?
 Infrastructure and Superstructural Analyses – inventorying the amount and quality of
the tourism infrastructure/superstructure that serves the local tourism industry and the
tourists themselves. Research Questions: Are roads, transportation, water, sewer,
communications, police and health services of sufficient quality and quantity to sustain
current and increased rates of tourism? Are the accommodations, restaurants, shops
and other tourism serving businesses of sufficient quality and quantity to sustain
current and increased rates of tourism?
 Historic development profiles – interviewing (video) long serving community members
to gather an historic perspective on tourism development in the Dominical area.
Research Questions: How have social, cultural, environmental and economic changes
impacted the current tourism delivery system in the Dominical area?
 Mapping - using GPS and GIS mapping every year to note the physical changes of the
community as tourism expands within the area. Research Question: What are the
physical changes in the Dominical area, wrought by tourism development?
 Water Quality Studies - conducting water quality studies as a proxy for environmental
impacts. Research Question: Is tourism development affecting the turbidity and
cleanliness of local streams and potable water supplies?


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Branding and image studies – surveying tourist to gather the prevalent image for
Dominical and Costa Rica. Research Questions: What is the prevailing image of
Dominical and Costa Rica for tourists? Given this knowledge, what is the appropriate
branding for the two?
Visitor profiles – surveys to find out who visits the Dominical area. Research Question:
what are the demographic and psychographic characteristics of visitors to Dominical?
Pricing studies – yearly studies of retail goods – staples and tourist goods. Research
Question: How does increasing tourism development change retail prices for Ticos and
tourists?
Social impact surveys – surveys and interviews to assess the impacts on locals,
associated with tourism development. Research Question: Is tourism development
positively or negatively impacting local residents?
Transportation studies – road count data collection. Research Question: How much is
the traffic increasing or decreasing and is this an indicator of increasing or decreasing
tourism?
Undertaking the above tasks in the neighboring community of Uvita to use for
comparison purposes with Dominical
Comparing with other tourist destinations in Costa Rica
Contact Time
Amount and Type of Contact – the faculty and the students are together for sixteen days.
Contact time starts at the 7.00am breakfast and continues until approximately 9pm when work
finishes for the day. A typical day is listed below:
7.00 am
Breakfast (faculty and students)
8.00 am
Group Processing (faculty and students engaged in discussion)
9.00 am
Small Group data gathering (faculty members working with small groups)
12 noon
Lunch (social groups)
1.00 pm
Small Group data gathering (faculty members working with small groups)
4.00 pm
Journaling, laundry, e-mails (alone or social groups)
5.30 pm
Dinner (faculty and students)
6.30 pm
Group Processing (faculty and students engaged in discussion)
7.30 pm
Big Group Data Analysis (each faculty member with a big group)
9.00 pm
Time off (alone or social groups)
It should be noted that the schedule above includes only the structured contact time. It is not
uncommon to find faculty interacting with students over a 5.30am coffee or an extended analysis
session that might last until 10.30 or 11pm.
Processing Time
Formal processing time occurs every morning for an hour and most evenings. Additional
processing time occurs in the small and big groups every day but it is less structured. In addition,
three days set aside in San Jose for final wrap-up/processing which are intentionally structured in
the Costa Rica experience. Furthermore, recognizing the value of “delayed processing” students
are asked to prepare their final reflection assignment a couple of weeks following their return to
the US.
Opportunities for Incidental Learning
The opportunities for incidental learning are too numerous to mention but they occur “by the
minute.” A few examples include:
 The most significant opportunities for incidental learning occur when students are
interacting with locals – native and non-native. –
o a native couple who dream about subversive plots to slow down tourism
developers,
o an American expatriate that buys a farm and lets it go back to jungle so that
animals can follow migratory patterns,
o to read the bus driver’s pay stub (offered to us) and find that he earns $400/month
before taxes.
 Stopping to see crocodiles from the main road bridge
 Opportunities to see poison dark frogs, sloths, cayman, toucans, macaws
 Using tree leaves to heal a scorpion bites
 Encountering gasoline strikes to distributors
 Seeing and tasting chocolate beans that are picked off trees
 Observing the activities and work difference of local people
 Eating local food
 Arenal – a continuously active volcano
 Coffee plantations and tasting raw beans
 Police road blocks
Contacts, Collaborators, Facilitators
Winona Contacts
* Tex and Amalfi Hawkins – Amalfi is Costa Rican
* Martha Sternburg – Martha is Nicaraguan – her Spanish helps when
booking accommodations, transportation and activities
DATE
9-May
10-May
11-May
TENTATIVE SCHEDULE
Faculty to San Jose
Randall Garita – Thrifty Car Rental
San Jose
Hampton Inn
Karla Sequiera – Grayline Buses; Harold Medrano Pavon – Bus Driver
Adriana Guevara and Mariela Zarate – Hampton Inn
To Dominical
Jack Ewing – Hacienda Baru; Barbara Kocak – Casi el Cielo; David Mora – Southern
Expeditions; Rodolofo Loria – Hotel Canot de Ballenas
Hotel Canto de Ballenas
12-May
Dominical & Uvita
Hotel Canto de Ballenas
Butterfly Colony S.A. ; Travis Bays – Economic Development Officer;
13-May
Dominical & Uvita
Hotel Canto de Ballenas
Cindy Coop – Plaza Pacifica; Chris – Villa Rio Mar;
14-May
Dominical & Uvita
Hotel Canto de Ballenas
Alvaro “Tito – Uvita Surf School
15-May
Dominical & Uvita
Enaid Savage – local
Hotel Canto de Ballenas
16-May
Dominical & Uvita
Hotel Canto de Ballenas
17-May
Dominical & Uvita
Hotel Canto de Ballenas
18-May
To Monteverde via
Manuel Antonio NP
Monteverde Lodge
19-May
Monteverde
Monteverde Lodge
20-May
To Arenal
Arenal Volcano Inn
21-May
Arenal
Arenal Volcano Inn
22-May
To San Jose
Hampton Inn
24-May
San Jose
Hampton Inn
Hampton Inn
26-May
Rebecca Zuniga and Marco Madrigal – Monteverde Lodge;
Monteverde Cloud Forest Guides
Cesar Rojas – Arenal Volcano Inn;
Arenal
23-May
25-May
Rosa – Coffee Shop
Depart for USA
Natalie Ewing – Costa Rica Expeditions
ASSESSMENT PLAN:
Overall Assessment Plan
Given the interdisciplinary nature of the Costa Rica trip, students are grouped into two
types of groups so they will have learning experiences in Geoscience, Marketing and
Recreation/Tourism. “Small Groups” are made up of four or five students that rotate through
every research experience conducted on the trip. The group rotates to a new project every
morning and afternoon. Small groups are purposely mixed by their major. “Big Groups” meet in
the evening and these are made up of students with similar academic majors. The “Small
Groups” are the data gathers and the “Big Groups” are the data analyzers. In part, this mixing of
groups is the catalyst for a three-part assessment process.
Assessment of students’ learning is divided into three main categories. The first category
is a daily self-assessment and ongoing all-group assessment of the learning that is occurring on
the trip. The second is an assessment of the work that students produce when the data is analyzed
(“Big Group”) and of their final projects and presentations at the end of the trip. The third is an
assessment conducted through individual reflective writing after the students return from Costa
Rica. The reflective writing submitted to the faculty 1 1/2 weeks after the trip has ended.
Daily Self-Assessment and Ongoing All-Group Assessment
Immediately after breakfast the travel study group becomes engaged in a discussion about:
a) what they learned in their research the day before,
b) what they learned about Costa Rica and its people through engagement with locals and
expatriates,
c) what they learned about living in a different type of environment, and,
d) what they learned about the way they best learn.
At the end of the breakfast session, students are “front-loaded” with a question-of-the-day.
As they gather their data during the course of the day they are asked to observe their
environment and reflect upon the front-loaded question. Between the end of data gathering and
dinner, students’ journal about anything they wish but they are specifically encouraged to write
about the question-of-the-day. A group discussion after dinner revolves around the question-ofthe- day and students are encouraged to read from their journal. The first of these questions is
given to the students before they leave U.S. soil and the discussion on the first evening centers
on their thoughts and observations while traveling to Costa Rica. The question last year had two
parts: as you traveled to Costa Rica, what were your predominant thoughts and fears, and, what
did you notice was most different when coming through Juan Santamaria airport or traveling too
the hotel. Journaling exercises are started during pre-trip sessions so that students become
familiar with self reflection and are at ease with reading excerpts from their journal.
The second category of assessment occurs in the evening as students meet with their
professor in “Big Groups” to analyze the data that was collected that day. While analysis occurs,
the “Big Groups” are challenged to find links with the other disciplines. As the “Big Group”
begins to develop a paper with their findings, their writing is critiqued for its ability to relay the
knowledge that has been revealed through data analyses. When the papers are developed into
presentations (the night before they leave Costa Rica), assessment of learning comes from the
other “Big Groups” who are their audience.
The final category is an individual assessment of the Costa Rica experience. You will
find below, the questions from the 2006 trip. Students are highly encouraged to answer the
following questions using excerpts from their journals.
Please answer the following questions and return them electronically to Cathy Summa by 3PM on Monday, June
12. Include appropriate excerpts from your journal as evidence of your learning. Please rename the document to
include your last name in the file name before returning.
1)
How did participating in additional tourist activities (Mangrove, Zipline, etc. in Dominical and others in
Monte Verde and Arenal) extend your understanding of your work in Dominical &/or Uvita?
2)
Reflect upon what you learned, and how your learning was extended, by preparing for the required final
presentation and paper.
Reflect upon how your learning was enhanced by:
a.
Learning in close company with other students
b.
Integrating multiple disciplines toward a common goal in the scope of this class
3)
Describe how learning on site was different than learning in a traditional classroom; include specific
examples that illustrate the quality or depth of the experience (we’re interested in the specifics of how your
learning was different, not about hearing, for example, that this experience differed because you worked with
the same people you lived with, or that you worked outside all day – however the impact these details had on
your learning might be important).
4)
Given what you’ve learned during your time in Costa Rica, consider what it might be like to learn in a
different setting, outside the traditional university structure and in a different culture:
a.
How will these learnings impact your interactions with students from different populations on the
WSU campus?
b.
How do you think this will impact your own approach to learning when you return to WSU?
5)
What is the most significant thing you learned during this class about your own learning style (strategies or
approaches to learning new stuff) that you will be able to use in the future?
6)
What’s the one thing that you learned during this trip that you will remember for the rest of your life? (This
isn’t necessarily content related; it might be about yourself as a learner, or some revelation about how you
learn. It’s your personal big “A-hah moment”.)
7)
Recall that prior to departing for Costa Rica, we asked you to outline (and share) your expectations, fears,
and commitment to making the trip a success. Reflect back upon your responses to those earlier questions
now, and describe how your expectations were or were not met, how you managed your fears, whether you
met your goals about making the trip a success for yourself, and what you’ve learned about your personal
ability to tackle and survive challenging situations through this experience.
8)
What suggestions do you have to improve the learning potential from this experience for future students?
(This might include things we should do, things we should stop doing, or things we should do differently.)
Travel Study Approval Form
Title: Costa Rica Travel Study
Faculty #1: Roger Riley
Department: PER
Chairperson’s Signature: _______________________________
Date: ________________
Dean’s Signature: _____________________________________
Date: ________________
Faculty #2: Toby Dogwiler
Department: Geoscience
Chairperson’s Signature: _______________________________
Date: ________________
Dean’s Signature: _____________________________________
Date: ________________
Faculty #3: Eve Caudill
Department: Marketing
Chairperson’s Signature: _______________________________
Date: ________________
Dean’s Signature: _____________________________________
Date: ________________
Faculty #4: Cathy Summa (possible)
Department: Geoscience
Chairperson’s Signature: _______________________________
Date: ________________
Dean’s Signature: _____________________________________
Date: ________________