<scp>ECOLOG</scp>‐L's Function in the Ecological Community

Inouye, David W.

doi:10.1002/bes2.1408

Cited by 3 publications

(3 citation statements)

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“…The survey went through Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval at the University of Colorado Denver and was deemed exempt (IRB number 21‐4595). We distributed the survey on 22 November 2021 to the following LISTSERVs: Ecolog (Inouye, 2018; Kelly et al, 2021), the North American chapter of the International Association of Landscape Ecology (https://www.ialena.org/listserv.html), and the American Geophysical Union Biogeosciences email list (agubiogeosciences@connectedcommunity.org). We also circulated the survey on Twitter and among personal networks.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Supporting graduate field leadership through community‐sourced advice, action, and policy

et al. 2022

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Ecology and environmental science graduate degrees often involve fieldwork, frequently led by the graduate student. Few formal resources exist to support graduate students in successfully planning and implementing a data collection field campaign, even though this experience may be fundamental to completing a graduate degree. Graduate fieldwork requires leading and managing a team, often in unique circumstances (including long hours, remote regions, etc.), and therefore can be challenging even for those with previous leadership or field experience. Our objectives were to (1) collect general advice for graduate students on leading fieldwork safely and effectively, (2) solicit specific suggestions on resources and actions to take before, during, and after the field season, and (3) develop a series of recommendations for labs, departments, and universities to better prepare and support their students. We developed a survey to solicit community input and distributed it widely to the ecological sciences community via email LISTSERVs and social media. Here, we present results from the survey responses, including a summary of the perceived challenges that graduate students face while leading their own fieldwork, suggestions for how to prepare and complete fieldwork successfully, and a compilation of resources. Graduate field leaders can improve success via clear communication, risk assessment and procedural planning implemented before, during, and after the field season. Labs, principal investigators, departments, and professional societies can support graduate field leaders by formalizing institutional resources, financial support, and incentivizing skill development. Field leadership is a critical skill to develop during graduate education, and contributes to the success, retention, and advancement of researchers in the natural sciences.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Supporting graduate field leadership through community‐sourced advice, action, and policy

et al. 2022

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“…For papers in which R was used, we also noted any packages that were identified. To measure the degree to which skills in R programming are expected for post-undergraduate training and employment, we searched the term “R programming” in the archives of the Ecolog-L Listserv - an established resource for available jobs in the ecological community since 1992 (Inouye 2018) - for the periods Dec 1 - May 31 of the years 2007-2008, 2012-2013, and 2017-2018.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Teaching R in the undergraduate ecology classroom: approaches, lessons learned, and recommendations

Auker

Barthelmess

2019

Preprint

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AbstractEcology requires training in data management and analysis. In this paper, we present data from the last 10 years demonstrating the increase in the use of R, an open-source programming environment, in ecology and its prevalence as a required skill in job descriptions. Because of its transparent and flexible nature, R is increasingly used for data management and analysis in the field of ecology. Consequently, job postings targeting candidates with a bachelor’s degree and a required knowledge of R have increased over the past ten years. We discuss our experiences teaching undergraduates R in two advanced ecology classes using different approaches. One approach, in a course with a field lab, focused on collecting, cleaning, and preparing data for analysis. The other approach, in a course without a field lab, focused on analyzing existing data sets and applying the results to content discussed in the lecture portion of the course. Our experiences determined that each approach had strengths and weaknesses. We recommend that above all, instructors of ecology and related subjects should be encouraged to include R in their coursework. Furthermore, instructors should be aware of the following: learning R is a separate skill from learning statistics; writing R assignments is a significant time sink for course preparation; and, there is a tradeoff between teaching R and teaching content. Determining how one’s course fits into the curriculum and identifying resources outside of the classroom for students’ continued practice will ensure that R training is successful and will extend beyond a one-semester course.

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“…To measure the degree to which skills in R programming are expected for post-undergraduate training and employment, we searched the term "R programming" in the archives of the Ecolog-L Listserv-an established resource for available jobs in the ecological community since 1992 (Inouye 2018)-for the periods 1 December-31 May of the years 2007-2008, 2012-2013, and 2017-2018. We found that within ten years (between the 2007-2008 and the 2017-2018 job seasons), positions advertised on the Ecolog-L listserv requiring R programming experience increased (Fig. 2).…”

Section: Putting R In An Ecological Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

Teaching R in the undergraduate ecology classroom: approaches, lessons learned, and recommendations

Auker

Barthelmess

2020

Ecosphere

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Learning ecology requires training in data management and analysis. Because of its transparent and flexible nature, R is increasingly used for data management and analysis in the field of ecology. Consequently, job postings targeting candidates with a bachelor's degree and a required knowledge of R have increased over the past ten years. In this paper, we begin by presenting data from the last ten years demonstrating the increase in the use of R, an open-source programming environment, in ecology and its prevalence as a required skill in job descriptions. We then discuss our experiences teaching undergraduates R in two advanced ecology classes using different approaches. One approach, in a course with a field laboratory, focused on collecting, cleaning, and preparing data for analysis. The other approach, in a course without a field laboratory, focused on analyzing existing datasets and applying the results to content discussed in the lecture portion of the course. Our experiences determined that each approach had strengths and weaknesses. We recommend that above all, instructors of ecology and related subjects should be encouraged to include R in their coursework. Furthermore, instructors should be aware of the following: Learning R is a separate skill from learning statistics; writing R assignments is a significant time commitment for course preparation; and there is a tradeoff between teaching R and teaching content. Determining how one's course fits into the curriculum and identifying resources outside of the classroom for students' continued practice will ensure that R training is successful and will extend beyond a one-semester course.

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ECOLOG‐L's Function in the Ecological Community

Cited by 3 publications

References 1 publication

Supporting graduate field leadership through community‐sourced advice, action, and policy

Supporting graduate field leadership through community‐sourced advice, action, and policy

Teaching R in the undergraduate ecology classroom: approaches, lessons learned, and recommendations

Teaching R in the undergraduate ecology classroom: approaches, lessons learned, and recommendations

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