Teaching and learning in ecology: a horizon scan of emerging challenges and solutions

Cooke, J. Robert; Araya, Yoseph N.; Bacon, Karen L.; Bagniewska, Joanna M.; Batty, Lesley; Bishop, Tom R.; Burns, Moya; Charalambous, M.; Daversa, David R.; Dougherty, Liam R.; Dyson, Miranda L.; Fisher, Adam M.; Forman, Dan W.; García, Cristina; Harney, Ewan; Hesselberg, Thomas; John, Elizabeth A.; Knell, Robert J.; Maseyk, Kadmiel; Mauchline, Alice; Peacock, Julie; Pernetta, Angelo P.; Pritchard, Jeremy; Sutherland, William J.; Thomas, Rebecca L.; Tigar, Barbara J.; Wheeler, Philip M.; White, Rachel L.; Worsfold, Nicholas; Lewis, Zenobia

doi:10.1111/oik.07847

Cited by 40 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 118 publications

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“…Only a low percentage of students engaged, but this field trip had become optional, and other students joined in later, or emailed through their work. This type of fieldwork is an extension of the move withing Ecology teaching toward more Living Lab work as reviewed by Cooke, Araya, et al (2021) and Cooke, Wheeler, et al (2020), and sharing data from different locations could extend the use of this set up.…”

Section: Fieldwork : Immed Iate Chang E Smentioning

confidence: 99%

“…html; Lamb & Johnson, 2010;Lisle, 2006). However, virtual fieldwork will not always be suitable or possible and Cooke, Araya, et al (2021) and Cooke, Wheeler, et al (2020) state virtual fieldwork should not replace traditional teaching but complement it. Some respondents noted that virtual replacements for fieldwork did not work well in all cases "Some students were left behind" and "the field course was never the same without the field…" However, as one reviewer pointed out, comparing virtual replacements for fieldwork that were put together quickly and in an emergency situation really cannot be compared to those that have been planned and developed over time.…”

Section: Fieldwork : Immed Iate Chang E Smentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This type of fieldwork is an extension of the move withing Ecology teaching toward more Living Lab work as reviewed by Cooke, Araya, et al. (2021) and Cooke, Wheeler, et al. (2020), and sharing data from different locations could extend the use of this set up.…”

Section: Fieldwork: Immediate Changesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, virtual fieldwork will not always be suitable or possible and Cooke, Araya, et al. (2021) and Cooke, Wheeler, et al. (2020) state virtual fieldwork should not replace traditional teaching but complement it.…”

Section: Fieldwork: Immediate Changesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Sudden challenges in teaching ecology and aligned disciplines during a global pandemic: Reflections on the rapid move online and perspectives on moving forward

Bacon

Peacock

2021

Ecology and Evolution

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The challenges facing higher education in response to COVID‐19 are significant and possibly none more so than in ecology and aligned disciplines. Not only did most ecology lecturers have to rush lectures and tutorials online, but also laboratory and field classes. We reflect on our experience of this move and also consider those of 30 other ecology‐aligned teaching academics to summarize the challenges faced in the move online early in 2020 and the developing plans for adapting ecology teaching and learning going into the 2020/21 academic year. The move online had the most significant impact on field classes, with more of these canceled than lectures or laboratory classes. Most respondents to an online poll also highlighted that many respondents (~45%) felt that ecology was more impacted by COVID‐19 that even other STEM disciplines. The availability of technological solutions is key to moving forward and will hopefully enhance the teaching and learning experience for many beyond the current crisis.

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Section: Fieldwork : Immed Iate Chang E Smentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Fieldwork : Immed Iate Chang E Smentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Fieldwork: Immediate Changesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Fieldwork: Immediate Changesmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Sudden challenges in teaching ecology and aligned disciplines during a global pandemic: Reflections on the rapid move online and perspectives on moving forward

Bacon

Peacock

2021

Ecology and Evolution

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“…Here, experts from a field come together to pinpoint the issues and opportunities in their discipline in order to draw attention to the most urgent topics that should be dealt with at a research-and/or decision making-level. Horizon scans are very popular in the field of Biological Conservation (see Sutherland et al 2020 andSutherland et al 2021 as examples), but have been also carried out for Invasion Science (Ricciardi et al 2017) and more general topics like teaching and learning Ecology (Cooke et al 2020), to name a few. Vegetation science, however, has not undergone this much-needed type of exercise.…”

Section: Report Of the Iavs Award Committeementioning

confidence: 99%

IAVS Annual Reports (July 2019 - June 2020)

Dengler¹,

Minchin²,

Chytrý³

et al. 2021

Bulletin

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Free Online Multiplayer Games as Inclusive Tools for Teaching Ecology

Erfanian

2024

Bulletin Ecologic Soc America

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Teaching ecology is the primary way of communicating the current knowledge in the discipline to future generations. Besides general tools (e.g., lectures, videos, simulations, and having students read published literature), experimenting and field practices are two principal ways to teach ecology. However, funding shortages along with the fact that some phenomena occur in large spatial and long temporal scales, hinder the use of experiments and fieldwork in pedagogy. Computer‐based games are interactive digital tools that were initially designed to be entertaining and engaging. In addition, they are effective motivational educational tools that are already being used in the pedagogy of various majors. Still, few studies have assessed the application of games in teaching ecology. Although those studies reported positive feedback from the students, they reported that making these games is expensive and time‐consuming. Therefore, educators would benefit from using free and globally accessible games. Here, I introduce the application of online multiplayer games in teaching ecology. Recently, I explored a snake game in which its environment resembles artificial ecosystems. Each player (i.e., each snake) can be regarded as an individual of a population or a species within a community. Then, a couple of general ecological rules, phenomena, and analyses can be easily inferred from these games. I asked the undergraduate students to play these games, collect the data, and write a report on their analysis. The students deduced different ecological phenomena from their in‐game experience and reported these games are useful and fun to play. Many games have been produced to increase global awareness of human actions on the environment. These games are geared toward various age groups, including children, young adults, and adults. Two obstacles hinder the use of these games in pedagogy. First, most of the games are not globally accessible, and second, their effectiveness in teaching has not been assessed yet. I envision a future where online games are integrated as part of the pedagogy in ecology. These games are globally accessible, therefore, no barriers exist to test the application of these games. I encourage the readers to conduct a global survey on their usefulness. This might be a step toward reaching a globally inclusive pedagogy in ecology.

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Teaching and learning in ecology: a horizon scan of emerging challenges and solutions

Abstract: We currently face significant, anthropogenic, global environmental challenges and the role of ecologists in mitigating these challenges is arguably more important than ever. Consequently there is an urgent need to recruit and train future

Cited by 40 publications

References 118 publications

Sudden challenges in teaching ecology and aligned disciplines during a global pandemic: Reflections on the rapid move online and perspectives on moving forward

Sudden challenges in teaching ecology and aligned disciplines during a global pandemic: Reflections on the rapid move online and perspectives on moving forward

IAVS Annual Reports (July 2019 - June 2020)

Free Online Multiplayer Games as Inclusive Tools for Teaching Ecology

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