Document Type
Other
Publication Date
3-2026
Abstract
The Strong Coasts Strong Classrooms workshop training was a five-day, classroom- and field-based event designed to equip Belizean Natural Resources students with skills in interdisciplinary methodologies for field data collection. The workshop took place on the Placencia Peninsula, with classroom sessions hosted at the Seine Bight Multipurpose Center and fieldwork conducted in the villages of Riversdale, Seine Bight, and Placencia.
In total, there were 22 participants, including 16 students—6 from the University of Belize (UB), 9 from Independence Junior College (IJC), and 1 from Georgetown Technical High School. 3 teachers participated in the training (two from UB and one from IJC), as well as 3 Strong Coasts Community Fellows. The workshop was held March 23–26, 2026.
Interdisciplinary methods are valuable because they combine strengths from multiple disciplines to create a more holistic dataset than any single discipline could provide alone. While interdisciplinary work is often most effective when carried out by a fully interdisciplinary team, it is also valuable for team members themselves to be cross trained in each other’s methods. This helps ensure that the reasoning, rigor, and value behind different approaches are better understood and respected, and it improves communication across disciplinary divides.
This training taught Natural Resource Scientists—who are typically more familiar with quantitative methods—about social science qualitative methodologies, and how to integrate the two. Specifically, students were trained in the GeoData Go-Along (GDGA) methodology, which combines interviewing techniques with field sampling. An added benefit of this method is that it was developed on the Placencia Peninsula through local fieldwork, allowing students to engage with research directly from their home country.
The workshop was structured around foundational, theoretical, technical, and data analysis and communication skills. Lessons were intentionally scaffolded over the five days to provide both practical skills and a strong theoretical understanding of the method’s purpose and value.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.5038/RNGI1655
Scholar Commons Citation
McKenna, R.; Cheek, L.; Cano, A.; Zarger, R.; Longworth, L.; Barrientos, E.; Baron, C.; and Trotz, M., "Strong Classrooms: Geodata Go-Along Training: A Challenge Grant Workshop" (2026). Strong Coasts Collection. 28.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/strong_coasts_pubs/28
Was this content written or created while at USF?
Yes
