This class was designed for an introductory ecology course. Students are introduced to Microsoft Excel PivotTables by amending an existing PivotTable, then create their own PivotTables to explore the main data sets. These data sets provide information on the breeding success of carrion crows parasitized by great spotted cuckoos in Spain. Students summarise the large data sets, produce bar charts,...
The rise of biodiversity-related citizen science projects gives us the opportunity to inspire all students to become citizen scientists, no matter what their professional path. Here, I share an in-class exercise that introduces undergraduates to biodiversity and citizen science using the open-source platform iNaturalist. I developed the exercise as part of a semester-long module on bumblebee...
This lesson focuses on basic principles and identification of wetlands, which are valuable and productive ecosystems in the landscape. It consists of two files that complement each other. This first is a Powerpoint presentation that provides basic principles about wetlands. The second is a set instructions for a laboratory in which students learn how to locate wetlands using online mapping,...
This lab exercise examines the effect of density on the survival and growth of plant populations. Students examine a variety of parameters in experimental populations of radish plants grown at different densities. They evaluate their findings against the Law of Final Constant Yield and the Reciprocal Yield Law. This exercise follows the Four Dimensional Ecology Education (4DEE) framework...
This brochure describes how to evaluate courses for ecology and biology majors in alignment with the Four-Dimensional Ecology Education (4DEE) framework and provides guidelines for transforming majors’ courses into the comprehensive, real world problem-solving approach needed to train current and future environmental professionals.