We are very proud to introduce The Journal of Student Research in Environmental Science at Appalachian (http://environment.appstate.edu/JSRESA), a collection of non-peer-reviewed articles submitted by students of the Environmental Science Program at Appalachian State University. As part of their "capstone" experience, each Environmental Science major learns to professionally disseminate their active learning project – the required research, outreach/education, or internship experience - by presenting their work to peers and faculty at the completion of the ENV 4100 Environmental Science Seminar course. Instructors and faculty assess the student's presentation and provide feedback on content, organization, methods, analysis, and conclusions, as well as presentation delivery and elocution. After revision from the presentation feedback, their work is submitted for publication in this journal – manuscripts scoring a grade of 'B' or higher and that adhere to the provided template and submission process are published in this journal. The Journal of Student Research in Environmental Science at Appalachian therefore represents an artifact in support of learning and programmatic assessment and continuous improvement in several ways:
- students learn to synthesize their active learning projects toward professional dissemination that contributes to the scientific community,
- students are actively immersed in the dissemination process which is focused on presentation and writing skills as well as the manuscript submission, review, and revision process,
- faculty across several disciplines actively participate in supporting the active learning projects of the students,
- faculty across several disciplines actively participate in the assessment and refinement of instruction and program development,
- faculty, program administrators, and external advisory board members are able to readily map the student learning outcomes to the program's goals and strategic plan,
- alumni, family, friends, contributors, fellow researchers and educators, policy makers, and other interested stake holders are given immediate and transparent access to student and program artifacts.