Research universities must balance their research initiatives with appropriate training of students to carry on these research legacies. The University of Georgia has a diverse undergraduate population, many of whom are preparing for careers in ecology or other sciences. Ecology 3500, and its accompanying lab component, is a required introductory ecology course for ecology majors; this course also fulfills a major requirement for general biology majors. Although students often excel in acquiring general ecological knowledge, they frequently struggle with the application and interpretation of ecological concepts and data sets. Pedagogical research shows that active learning fosters deeper learning through discussion and increased interaction with the material. While the laboratory portion of the course is largely based around inquiry-based project design, additional active learning interventions were incorporated into pre-existing laboratory exercises. These interventions included think-pair-share exercises, jigsaw discussions, and the use of the CATME system for peer evaluation (http://www.catme.org/). The study had three primary goals: 1) To evaluate students’ skills related to data analysis and interpretation prior to and after taking Ecology 3500; 2) To assess the effectiveness of new active learning interventions; and 3) To assess student perceptions of the effectiveness of these course activities.
Results/Conclusions
101 undergraduate students enrolled in the Fall 2016 iteration of Ecology 3500 lecture and lab were surveyed. In an evaluation of students’ pre and post knowledge, students reported an increase in familiarity and comfort with ecological concepts (p < 0.05). Students also indicated an increase in their comfort designing experiments (p < 0.05) and interpreting experimental results (p < 0.05). When queried about their perceived value of group active learning activities, 51% of students stated that group activities were “very” or “extremely” helpful in reinforcing ecological concepts and for developing skills related to statistical analysis and data interpretation. Overall, students were satisfied by the team management and peer evaluation provided through CATME, with 79% of students indicating it would be beneficial for future use. The results of this study are encouraging as students self-reported an increased understanding of ecological concepts indicating that many of the course activities are effective. Students felt the most helpful active learning activities included TA-led walkthroughs of simple data analysis, small group discussions about figure interpretation, and planning and carrying out a group research project. These findings have encouraged the use of more frequent small group discussions throughout subsequent semesters.