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Is everything bigger in Texas? Introduction to Statistics with the Rock Pocket Mouse (Chaetodipus intermedius)

Author(s): Julie Marie Schlichte1, Phillip Lavretsky, Vicky Zhuang

The University of Texas at El Paso

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Summary:
Natural history museums often contain large collections of the same species and therefore, are a resource for studying intraspecific variation. This module uses 172 images of rock pocket mouse skulls from the UTEP Biodiversity Collections to…

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Natural history museums often contain large collections of the same species and therefore, are a resource for studying intraspecific variation. This module uses 172 images of rock pocket mouse skulls from the UTEP Biodiversity Collections to introduce students to collecting data from images and principles of basic statistics. This module resource focuses on immersing students into the development of study design, analysis, discussion, and communication without overwhelming them. Students enter their data into a Google sheet app that combines data entry, statistical analysis, and presentation all in one. The collaborative framework asks students to work together, share resources, and develop their own questions while learning the principles behind taking measurements from images of museum specimens.

Licensed under CC Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International according to these terms

Version 1.0 - published on 28 Feb 2024 doi:10.25334/JAW3-MD63 - cite this

Keywords

  1. statistics
  2. natural history museums
  3. distance learning
  4. Study Design
  5. intraspecific variation

Alignments

  1. Resource Type
  2. Audience Level
  3. Activity Length
  4. Inclusive Pedagogy for Life Science Education
Contents:
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Description

Intended Audience:

Undergraduate

Minimum materials required: Access to the internet, rulers, specimen card printout kits (see file)

Description:

This resource includes a specimen card packet to be printed out, lab worksheet and instructions, read me for instructors, and link to a google sheet template that combines data entry, statistical analysis, and a presentation dashboard. A link of the google sheet template with example data is also provided. The template is designed to accommodate a number of study designs and variable types (categorical with two categories and numerical) and therefore is not limited to the use of the rock pocket mouse lab. The lab is designed to be adaptable to a distance learning environment that relies on primarily paper printouts and the availability of a computer.

 

Learning Objectives:

1.  Understand how to structure data

2. Form hypotheses using observations of museum specimens

3. Measure morphological traits to answer questions about intraspecies variation    

4.  Choose between a t-test and a correlation to help assess a hypothesis-driven question

5.  Assess validity of research (including sample size, multiple measures, and biases)

6.  Communicate scientific findings

 

This project was funded in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (CAGML-247505-OMLS-21)

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