OCELOTS FMN: Implementing an online module in tropical biology
Selected Modules
These are the selected modules for this Faculty Mentoring Network (FMN). During Spring 2023, participants will implement a module, or parts of modules, in two of their course meeting times. These modules cover a range of topics in tropical ecology, so please select the module that will fit best into your course curriculum. Click on individual links below, or access the OCELOTS library (https://www.learngala.com/catalog/libraries/ocelots).
- ‘Snapshot Serengeti Online Lab’ by C. Willis and J. Klemens. https://www.learngala.com/cases/5c7e397e-b22e-478f-94f7-02d677bb11ea. This multi-week inquiry lab allows students to explore African wildlife ecology by analyzing camera trap data. During the lab, students participate in ongoing community-powered research and learn about data visualization and interpretation using R Shiny. Students design and carry out their own analyses of the data set and participate in peer-review activities.
- ‘Restoring tropical forests’ and 'Restaurando bosques tropicales' by K. Holl, Z. Zahawi, and M. San Jose. In English: https://www.learngala.com/cases/restoring-tropical-forests; and Spanish: https://www.learngala.com/cases/restaurando-bosques-tropicales. In this case study about tropical forest restoration, students learn how to interpret bar graphs, use R Shiny to visualize seed rain in different restoration treatments, and listen to a podcast about social obstacles to restoration.
- ‘Healing the Scars: Tropical rainforest carbon cycling – Does it matter which tree species you plant?’ by A. Russell. https://www.learngala.com/cases/tropical-rainforest-carbon-cycling. This module immerses students into a long-term field experiment in Costa Rica and engages them in scientific inquiry about how the differences in carbon cycling traits at the whole-plant level translate into differences at the global level. Students connect the dots across scales and disciplines and consider various solutions for dealing with global warming.
- ‘Sounds of the tropics’ by T.M. Aide, L. May-Collado and M. Campos-Cerqueira. https://www.learngala.com/cases/sounds-of-the-tropics-part-1; https://www.learngala.com/cases/sounds-of-the-tropics-part-2; https://www.learngala.com/cases/sounds-of-the-tropics-part-3. This three-part series begins with the basics of sounds, who makes sounds, and how we can turn sounds into useful information for ecological and conservation studies.