This document contains analyses of data collected by students completing the Frontiers of Science fieldwork activity on Conservation Reserve Design. (A teacher's guide and student guide to this activity are provided in accompanying documents.) These analyses are provided to guide instructors who wish to implement the activity and analyze data collected by their students.
This brief article from Journal of College Science Teaching presents an argument in favor of using "interrupted case studies" in teaching science to undergraduates. Such case studies, the author writes, help students develop critical thinking skills and present science as the messy, incomplete, and creative process that it is for those who do research. The author, Clyde Freeman Herreid, directs the National Center for Case Study Teaching in Science at the University at Buffalo, State University of New York, and is a distinguished professor of biological sciences.
This exam consists of five multipart questions related to the biodiversity materials presented in Frontiers of Science. The document provided here contains the questions and associated figures, while the answers are provided in a separate document. Each question requires students to apply their understanding of both content and the scientific habits of mind learned in the biodiversity unit. (Note: We provide the exam questions and answers to guide instructors in designing their own assessments. Since this Web site is freely accessible to anyone, including students, we recommend revising these questions to suit your own course content.)
This exam consists of five multipart questions related to the biodiversity materials presented in Frontiers of Science. The document provided here contains answers, while the full questions and associated figures are provided in a separate handout-ready document. Each question requires students to apply their understanding of both content and the scientific habits of mind learned in the biodiversity unit. (Note: We provide the exam questions and answers to guide instructors in designing their own assessments. Since this Web site is freely accessible to anyone, including students, we recommend revising these questions to suit your own course content.)
This document serves as a teaching guide for the third of three seminars in a unit on biodiversity. This seminar focuses on invasive species in order to underscore the difficulties of managing and restoring ecosystems and the potential damage of intended or unintended manipulation. As explained in the corresponding lecture, biodiversity theory can explain the causes and consequences of biodiversity loss and provides recommendations for mediating the sixth global extinction event and thus ensuring the availability of ecosystem services, the health of the biosphere, and the quality of human life. The guide includes an overview, reading list, and step-by-step seminar plan, including suggested discussion questions, activities, and reference to assignments. Related seminar activities and assignment questions are provided in accompanying files.
This teaching guide provides ideas for an alternative or additional seminar to include in a unit on biodiversity. The topics included in this guide are related to species decline in aquatic ecosystems. The guide contains an overview of the seminar, a reading list, and a step-by-step seminar plan, including suggested discussion questions, activities, and references to associated assignments. The related assignment questions are provided in an accompanying file.
In this assignment, students will consider the effects of invasive species on ecosystems, and look at population dynamics in predator-prey relationships. In examining data from previous studies, students will apply their understanding of graphical displays of data and of statistical concepts (mean, standard deviation, variance, correlation, significance) to interpret research findings. This document serves as a student handout; an answer key is provided in an accompanying document.
In this assignment, students will consider the effects of invasive species on ecosystems and look at population dynamics in predator-prey relationships. In examining data from previous studies, students will apply their understanding of graphical displays of data and of statistical concepts (mean, standard deviation, variance, correlation, significance) to interpret research findings. This document serves as an answer key; a student handout is provided in an accompanying document.
In this assignment, students will consider models for managing populations of sea turtles and fish. For the first question, students will apply their understanding of statistical concepts (means, standard deviations, t tests, hypothesis testing) to the results of a model simulation and use their analysis to make a policy recommendation about turtle conservation. In the second question, students will calculate and compare the survival rates resulting from two strategies of fish population management. This document serves as a student handout; an answer key is provided in an accompanying document.
In this assignment, students will consider models for managing populations of sea turtles and fish. For the first question, students will apply their understanding of statistical concepts (means, standard deviations, t tests, hypothesis testing) to the results of a model simulation and use their analysis to make a policy recommendation about turtle conservation. In the second question, students will calculate and compare the survival rates resulting from two strategies of fish population management. This document serves as an answer key; a student handout is provided in an accompanying document.