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Student-Led Research; Integrating Citizen Science & Field Methodology in the Ecology Classroom

Author(s): Katherine O'Donnell1, Diana Lafferty1

Northern Michigan University

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Summary:
Targeting undergraduate students in lower-division ecology courses, this module guides students through authentic research. The purpose of this project is to provide hands-on research experience to enhance students' skills and confidence in the…

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Targeting undergraduate students in lower-division ecology courses, this module guides students through authentic research. The purpose of this project is to provide hands-on research experience to enhance students' skills and confidence in the field of ecology. Within the module, students conduct a research project that allows them to: (1) explore recent studies in urban ecology, introducing the ecological research tools of camera traps and citizen science; (2) gain experience as a citizen scientist, generating data for different projects in Zooniverse; (3) write a hypothesis based on two possible research questions; and (4) analyze and test their hypothesis. The two possible research questions are: How do species’ diel activity patterns differ between land cover types (e.g., forest vs. anthropogenic)? How do diel activity patterns differ between/among species? Data for analysis is obtained through Snapshot USA. Through the module, students obtain skills in constructively reading and evaluating research papers, constructing testable hypotheses and predictions, using Excel to calculate Chi-Square and P-Values, interpreting statistical evidence, and presenting research findings.

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

Version 1.0 - published on 20 Jun 2022 doi:10.25334/N88P-BV79 - cite this

Description

This resource provides an instructor’s manual for each of the six lessons within the module. Additionally, materials for student handouts, presentations, and data from Snapshot USA 2019-2020 can all be found within the resource. We acknowledge Snapshot USA, which is a collaborative effort among scientists across the United States who contributed to a national/international database of public wildlife data.

Cove, M. V., Kays, R., Bontrager, H., Bresnan, C., Lasky, M., Frerichs, T., ... & Jordan, M. J. (2021). SNAPSHOT USA 2019: a coordinated national camera trap survey of the United States.

Kays, R., Cove, M. V., Diaz, J., Todd, K., Bresnan, C., Snider, M., ... & Morris, G. SNAPSHOT USA 2020: A second coordinated national camera trap survey of the United States during the COVID‐19 pandemic.

Additionally, we are sincerely grateful to A. Bergquist and T. Hubbard for their enthusiasm and assistance with the development, implementation, and revisions of module activities over the past few years. Their tireless efforts helped bring this module to fruition.

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