The Expedition and Leadership Training module serves as our leadership development and graduation event.  In this module the students combine the various skills and techniques they have learned into a complete research project.

The students are assigned to various functions and leadership roles such as Chief Scientist, Dive Safety Coordinator, Boat Captain(s) if appropriate, Equipment Manager, Archivist, Treasurer, Cook, etc.  They are sequestered at a research location and instructed to "Document the Reef" assigned to them.  They should be given only minimal information about the reef, such as a set of Loran C coordinates and approximate depth.

The newly trained divers should be able to work as a team, make decisions and collect data, as they deem appropriate to complete the assignment.  They should get experience summarizing data from each other's log sheets and be better able to prepare a clear and unambiguous log sheet on team dives.   Previously trained team divers may be utilized for additional manpower, but they should not make decisions for the trainees.  This is an excellent opportunity to interface the class with the rest of the team.

The instructional staff observes without comment, unless the team is about to do something unsafe or illegal.  The graduates prepare their report, and the staff gives a careful, detailed debriefing.

Classroom Objectives

At the completion of the Expedition and Leadership Training module, the students should be able to:

• Develop a plan to document a reef assigned to them
• State and prioritize their objectives for data collection
• Arrange and manage the support functions needed for a research project underwater
• Collect the data needed to document the reef in a safe manner
• Summarize and present the data in a manner that it can be found, understood, and used by other interested people
• Demonstrate an understanding of leadership roles and responsibilities, and develop an empathy and cooperative attitude towards those in leadership positions