Four-dimensional ecology education (4DEE) is a conceptual framework for thinking about and designing undergraduate ecology courses and curricula. The 4DEEs include core concepts, cross-cutting themes, the human dimension of ecology, and skills/practices that all students should learn in ecology. The 4DEE framework was preceded and influenced by the National Research Council Framework for K-12 Science Education (2012). As the best available synthesis of current knowledge about science teaching and learning, this K-12 Framework integrates deep understanding of core ideas with scientific practices and crosscutting concepts to yield what is known as Three-Dimensional Learning across STEM disciplines. Similarly, the 4DEE approach recommends structuring ecology courses to emphasize student learning in each of these four dimensions and their integration. Both frameworks feature students engaging in science practices used by ecologists and other scientists, and using those practices to gain systemic understanding of the core concepts and cross cutting themes. However, the best designed instruction in ecology falls short if we do not collect substantive data about students’ ability to use science practices to learn and connect core ideas in the context of real world events, observations or phenomenon. Assessment of student learning is critically important for teaching ecology within the 4DEE framework. If we don’t assess what is important, what is assessed becomes important! Writing assessments that demonstrate what students know and are able to do in ecology are key to transforming undergraduate ecology using the 4DEE framework.
Results/Conclusions
Our research team has published a protocol, the Three-Dimensional Learning Assessment Protocol (3D-LAP), that characterizes the extent to which science course assessments reflect scientific practices, crosscutting concepts, and core ideas. This tool is readily adaptable to creating assessments for 4DEE ecology courses. The core ideas, crosscutting themes, and science practices such as constructing arguments and explanations, and developing and using models to predict and explain phenomena are key to changing assessments in both open-ended and selected response formats. Importantly, if the assessments in ecology courses ask students to use science practices to demonstrate their understanding of core ideas and cross-cutting themes, then the instructional design should engage students in science practices as they learn the core ideas, even in class meetings (not labs). We will introduce the Three-Dimensional Learning Assessment Protocol and engage in discussion about the challenges of designing and scoring three-dimensional assessments, particularly in large courses where hand grading constructed response items is often constrained.