An Introduction to the Squirrel-Net Teaching Modules

Dizney, Laurie; Connors, Patrice K.; Varner, Johanna; Duggan, Jennifer; Lanier, Hayley C.; Erb, Liesl P.; Flaherty, Elizabeth A.; Yahnke, Christopher J.; Hanson, John D.

doi:10.24918/cs.2020.26

Cited by 11 publications

(13 citation statements)

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“…Use of illustration (i.e., sketching or drawing) was encouraged by most respondents (61%), required by a few (8%), and not included by 31% of instructors. When asked about the use of other specific learning tools, the Squirrel-Net Course-based Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE) modules (Dizney et al 2020) were used by 39%, followed by writing or revising Animal Diversity Web or Wikipedia accounts (35%), activities from the Ryan (2019) Mammal Techniques Manual (22%), data-focused activities from Quaardvark (22%), SnapshotUSA (Cove et al 2021; 17%), other CUREs (9%), or conducting a Biodiversity Literacy in Undergraduate Education activity (4%). Respondents also reported using “other” (30%) activities, including original inquiry-based exercises, modified HHMI Biointeractive (biointerative.org) activities, having students create their own ‘Life of Mammals’-style videos, or develop their own research questions, specimen preparations, or presentations.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For example, incorporating case studies into a course allows all students to develop critical thinking skills, while also learning content knowledge associated with relevant, real-world examples (Herreid 1994). The use of CUREs similarly provides all students with the opportunity to develop research skills within a course, and in the case of networked CUREs, to connect and collaborate with other students from across institutions (Connors et al 2021), all while learning both content and science process skills (Flaherty et al 2017; Dizney et al 2020).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Teaching Mammalogy in the 21st century: advances in undergraduate education

Flaherty

Lanier

Varner

et al. 2023

Journal of Mammalogy

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In the past 30 years, leaders in undergraduate education have called for transformations in science pedagogy to reflect the process of science as well as to develop professional skills, apply new and emerging technologies, and to provide more hands-on experience. These recommendations suggest teaching strategies that incorporate active learning methods that consistently increase learning, conceptual understanding, integration of subject knowledge with skill development, retention of undergraduate students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) majors, and inclusivity. To gain insight into current practices and pedagogy we surveyed members of the American Society of Mammalogists in 2021. The survey consisted of both fixed-response questions (e.g., multiple-choice or Likert-scale) and open-ended questions, each of which asked instructors about the structure and content of a Mammalogy or field Mammalogy course. In these courses, we found that lecturing was still a primary tool for presenting course content or information (x¯= 65% of the time); nonetheless, most instructors reported incorporating other teaching strategies ranging from pausing lectures for students to ask questions to incorporating active learning methods, such as debates or case studies. Most instructors reported incorporating skill development and inclusive teaching practices, and 64% reported that they perceived a need to change or update their Mammalogy courses or their teaching approaches. Overall, our results indicate that Mammalogy instructors have a strong interest in training students to share their appreciation for mammals and are generally engaged in efforts to increase the effectiveness of their teaching through the incorporation of more student-centered approaches to teaching and learning.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Teaching Mammalogy in the 21st century: advances in undergraduate education

Flaherty

Lanier

Varner

et al. 2023

Journal of Mammalogy

Self Cite

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show abstract

“…As such, CURE networks can support, and lower barriers for, instructors looking to collect ecological data by providing training and teaching resources, data collection protocols and equipment, and centralized databases (Connors et al 2021). Many of these resources and datasets arose or expanded during the COV-ID-19 pandemic (e.g., Dizney et al 2020Dizney et al , 2021, resulting in a deliberate focus on flexible teaching modalities and equipment needs. Additionally, the pandemic may have catalyzed efforts to create and support networks to connect students and…”

Section: Laurie Dizneymentioning

confidence: 99%

Response to Messageret al. (2022)

Dizney

Duggan

Connors

et al. 2023

Frontiers in Ecol & Environ

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“…One of the central hypotheses for why CUREs are effective at engaging and preparing students is that they empower students to contribute directly to broadly relevant scientific questions ( 7 , 12 , 23 ). Different CUREs investigate and generate new knowledge across a wide variety of contexts, including the study of human microbiomes ( 8 ), the discovery of new antibiotics ( 24 ), the characterization of new genomes ( 25 , 26 ), determining the prevalence of antibiotic resistance ( 27 ), and observing animal behavior ( 28 ). The more instructors can pair student learning with topics relevant to students’ lives or research, the more CUREs might provide motivation for learning and increase students’ interest, confidence, persistence, and ownership ( 23 , 29 ).…”

Section: Recommendationsmentioning

confidence: 99%