An official website of the United States government
Inquiry-based lessons allow learning that is hands-on and student-driven, fostering engagement and retention of knowledge in any discipline. Here, we use this learning framework to engage students in exploring the effects of biotic and abiotic factors on animal dispersal as a means of connecting students to multiple ecological concepts. Instructors are provided with a guided lecture on key ecological concepts including the impacts of invasive species, dispersal mechanisms, and species interactions with the environment. Furthermore, the interactive lecture introduces students to the snail study system and explains the experimental process, which involves low-cost, readily available materials (e.g., kiddie pools). Students design experiments that explore how variables including density, substrate, and temperature can affect animal dispersal. They conduct the experiments, engage in a process of peer-review, analyze results, and share their study. We performed this lesson in an undergraduate Ecology course and report here on student responses to the experience. The lesson is designed to be performed with the faucet snail (Bithynia tentaculata), an invasive freshwater species throughout much of the Great Lakes region, but can be easily modified to accommodate other species. The lesson is also highly amenable to modifications for variable class sizes, student grade levels, and lesson duration.
more »
« less
Squirreling around for science: Observing sciurid rodents to investigate animal behavior
Hands-on research experiences are important opportunities for students to learn about the nature of inquiry and gain confidence in solving problems. Here, we present an inquiry-based lesson plan that investigates the foraging behavior of sciurid rodents (squirrels) in local habitats. Squirrels are an ideal study system for student research projects because many species are diurnal, easy to watch, and inhabit a range of habitats including college campuses. In this activity, instructors identify appropriate field sites and focal species, while students generate questions and brainstorm predictions in small groups regarding factors that might influence behavioral trade-offs in sciurids. Students conduct observational surveys of local squirrels in pairs using a standardized protocol and upload their data to a national database as part of the multi-institutional Squirrel-Net (http://squirrel-net.org). Instructors access the nationwide dataset through the Squirrel-Net website and provide students with data for independent analysis. Students across the country observe and record a range of squirrel species, including behaviors and habitat characteristics. The national dataset can be used to answer student questions about why squirrels behave in the way they do and for students to learn about authentic analyses regarding behavior trade-offs. Additionally, the lesson is designed to be modified across a range of inquiry levels, from a single two-hour laboratory activity to a unit- or semester-long student-driven course-based research experience. Our activity highlights the value of using observational data to conduct research, makes use of the Squirrel-Net infrastructure for collaboration, and provides students equitable access to field-based projects with small mammals.
more »
« less
- Award ID(s):
- 2013483
- PAR ID:
- 10256914
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- CourseSource
- Volume:
- 7
- ISSN:
- 2332-6530
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- https://doi.org/10.24918/cs.2020.7
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
More Like this
-
-
Science faculty are being asked to create active learning experiences that engage students in core concepts and science practices. This article describes an approach to developing active learning lessons from authentic science research projects using the 5E lesson format. Included is a description of the 5Es and a template for creating a 5E lesson. A description of the authors’ scientific research and the resulting 5E lesson for an introductory biology course are provided as an example of this approach. In the lesson described, students collected, analyzed, and interpreted data to construct explanations about the potential for evolution to occur in response to climate change. This approach supported students in learning core concepts and science practices and allowed the instructors to implement an active learning environment based on national science reforms. The results of this exploratory study and the rich descriptions of the lesson design should be used to raise awareness of one active-learning approach. Scientists can consider using this approach in their own teaching, and science education researchers can consider this approach in future comparative studies across various activelearning approaches.more » « less
-
null (Ed.)ABSTRACT Undergraduate research plays an important role in the development of science students. The two most common forms of undergraduate research are those in traditional settings (such as internships and research-for-credit in academic research labs) and course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs). Both of these settings offer many benefits to students, yet they have unique strengths and weaknesses that lead to trade-offs. Traditional undergraduate research experiences (UREs) offer the benefits of personalized mentorship and experience in a professional setting, which help build students’ professional communication skills, interest, and scientific identity. However, UREs can reach only a limited number of students. On the other end of the trade-off, CUREs offer research authenticity in a many-to-one classroom research environment that reaches more students. CUREs provide real research experience in a collaborative context, but CUREs are not yet necessarily equipping students with all of the experiences needed to transition into a research lab environment outside the classroom. We propose that CURE instructors can bridge trade-offs between UREs and CUREs by deliberately including learning goals and activities in CUREs that recreate the benefits of UREs, specifically in the areas of professional communication, scientific identify, and student interest. To help instructors implement this approach, we provide experience- and evidence-based guidance for student-centered, collaborative learning opportunities.more » « less
-
Hughes, Lee (Ed.)IntroductionThe benefits of actively engaging students is especially relevant for teaching undergraduate students about evolutionary processes and content. Examining eco-immunological data can help students overcome the naïve conception that humans are not evolving or affected by evolutionary pressures. MethodsHere, we used graphical reasoning in two evolution courses (small/honors and large/regular) to teach students about eco-immunology in humans and non-human organisms during a unit on the evolution of life-history traits. The module challenged students to (i) distinguish between immunological and evolutionary fitness, (ii) evaluate graphical data from the primary scientific literature on energy allocation and trade-offs, and (iii) integrate these proximate and ultimate processes into a more wholistic understanding of on-going human evolution. Student performance and perceptions were measured through closed and open response items. Open response items were thematically analyzed to identify salient themes. ResultsStudent performance in the large class increased significantly on items related to fitness, energy trade-offs, and graphical reasoning, while student performance in the small class increased just for items related to energy trade-offs. Student confidence in graphical reasoning, perceptions of the importance of graphical reasoning, and perceptions of the value of interdisciplinary research was high for both classes. Student narrative examples regarding confidence, perceptions of graphical reasoning, and perceptions of interdisciplinary research are presented. DiscussionWe conclude that students can increase their performance and perceptions of eco-immunology and graphical reasoning through an active learning, graph reading module. Furthermore, students can be introduced to the field of immunology through their evolution courses.more » « less
-
We discuss a professional development activity that engaged university mathematics instructors with anti-deficit teaching with minoritized students in the US. Our year-long program focuses on anti-deficit teaching and inquiry-based learning in mathematics at the university level. One important component of the program is an instructor-led interview with one of the instructor’s students. This activity is inspired by Funds of Knowledge work wherein primary and secondary mathematics teachers conduct home visits to learn about resources from the students’ lives and their families. Using data from two cohorts of participants we argue that the instructor-led interview within our project similarly humanized students, challenged deficit narratives about them, while also revealing their personal and community resources. Instructors learned about minoritized students’ experiences in higher education in the US. These individual stories also become great fodder for instructors’ group discussions and reflections about inequities and nuances in the experiences of minoritized students. We conclude with a methodological discussion about the interview as a professional development activity.more » « less
- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
-
Accepted Manuscript1.0
- Journal Article:
- https://doi.org/10.24918
