| Title | Enhancing science impact in the coastal zone through adaptive learning |
| Publication Type | Journal Article |
| Year of Publication | 2009 |
| Authors | Smith T.F., Carter R.W., Thomsen D.C., Mayes G., Nursey-Bray M., Whisson G., Jones R., Dovers S., O'Toole K. |
| Journal | Journal of Coastal Research |
| Volume | Special Issue 56 |
| Start Page | 1306-1310 |
| Keywords | adaptive learning, Australia, Coastal management, coastal zone, learning organization, science impact, social learning, sustainable learning |
Enhancing science impact in the coastal zone through adaptive learning
Annotation for Enhancing science impact in the coastal zone through adaptive learning
Smith T.F., Carter R.W., Thomsen D.C., Mayes G., Nursey-Bray M., Whisson G., Jones R., Dovers S., O'Toole K.. 2009. Enhancing science impact in the coastal zone through adaptive learning. Journal of Coastal Research. Special Issue 56
Aim/objectives:
To present the foundations of a collaborative effort toward enhancing science impact in the coastal zone through adaptive learning.
Geographic Focus:
Methods:
Key Findings:
Adaptive learning frameworks are critical for the effective management of coastal systems characterised by complexity, uncertainty and high decision-stakes. However, there is currently a poor understanding of factors that assist with institutionalizing adaptive learning within coastal organizations, and in enhancing pathways for improved science impact. The article highlights how a research group from within the CSIRO Coastal Collaboration Cluster will contribute research effort toward an increased understanding of adaptive learning. Two key outcomes of this project will include (i) an online adaptive learning toolkit targeted toward coastal organisations; and (ii) a monitoring and evaluation framework for improving adaptive learning interventions.
Lessons:
Adaptive learning is emerging as a synthesis of learning theories, and is embedded within the adaptive management framework and multiple adaptive cycles described within the resilience literature. The project introduced within this article is an ambitious attempt to draw some conceptual clarity around this evolving concept, providing tools for its practical application among coastal management practitioners. The need for this work is now critical given the current and emerging issues confronting coastal regions world-wide, the strategic importance of these areas, and the paralysing effect of a ‘learning paradox’ increasingly described in the literature and experienced within societies.
