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    Using Constructed Response Questions on High-Stakes Assessments in Large Classes With Limited Support
    Large lecture courses often rely heavily, and sometimes exclusively, on Multiple Choice (MC) exams to assess student learning. Constructed Response (CR) questions, in which students generate their...

    Keywords: assessmenttestexamLarge classconstructed responseshort answerscoring

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    Implementing an online module about measuring carbon stocks in an undergraduate Earth Science course
    In this implementation of a case study in which high technology was used to measure carbon stocks in a tropical forest, earth science students in this 4-year college in Oklahoma applied concepts...

    Keywords: climate changephotosynthesisbiomasscarbon cyclegreenhouse gas effect

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    Implementing an online module about tropical seed dispersal and restoration in an undergraduate ecology course in the Pacific Northwest, USA
    This “Spreading Seeds” case study introduces students to ecology of seed dispersal mutualisms, and their importance for forest restoration. The implementation plan teaching notes, and associated...

    Keywords: mutualismRestoration Ecologyspecies interactionHabitat fragmentationSeed dispersalforest recovery

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    Exploring the iNaturalist Database and Understanding Species Information
    This activity introduces a comprehensive guide aimed at enhancing users' proficiency in navigating the iNaturalist database to gain insights into biodiversity and species information. Divided into...

    Keywords: Biodiversityspecies descriptions#iNaturalistBLUEresearch skills

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    Fish, forests, and phosphorus: How do tropical fish, rainforest canopies, and volcanic groundwater inputs affect stream phosphorus cycling?
    Rainforest stream nutrient concentrations vary with groundwater source, and different stream fish species feed on aquatic and/or terrestrial prey. Explore how phosphorus cycling changes with stream...

    Keywords: nutrient cyclesBiogeochemistrykeystone speciesfood webFunctional Diversity

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    Climate Change Connections
    This module is composed of three related activities that introduce students to climate change's complexity from a conceptual standpoint. In the first activity, students work in small groups to...

    Keywords: interdisciplinaryclimate changeconcept mapping

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    Breaking It Down: What Factors Control Microbial Decomposition Rates?
    Demonstrating and modeling changes in ecosystem processes in the laboratory classroom can be logistically difficult and expensive. This complexity often leaves little time for students to generate...

    Keywords: data analysishypothesis testingdata visualizationdata managementMicrobial RespirationDecompostionAbiotic ConditionsResults Communication

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    Spreading seeds: How can a better understanding of seed dispersal improve tropical forest restoration?
    Learn about seed dispersal by animals and how this ecological process can be harnessed to facilitate forest recovery through a forest restoration experiment in Costa Rica. Apply what you learn to a...

    Keywords: conservationRestorationtropical forestsbiodiversity lossSeed dispersal

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    Climate Change’s Impact on Sea Level Rise in a Coastal Marsh Over 20 Years
    In this lesson, students will learn about increasing sea level rise and the direct impacts coastal marshes are facing as a result. Students will learn the importance of coastal marshes, tidal...

    Keywords: climate changewetlandsSea level rise and coastal resilienceCoastal wetlandssalt marshneap tidesspring tides

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    Student Activities to Accompany BioTA Podcast Episode 23: Chocolate Is Life
    This instructional resource provides three activities to accompany a podcast on chocolate, including critical reading of primary literature and a focus on social justice and equity issues. The...

    Keywords: ecologyPodcastsocial justicepollinationChocolateCacao

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    Implementing an online module about the implications of gold mining in the Amazonian rainforest for a community college ecology course
    This online module describes the implications of gold mining in the Amazon Rainforest, introduces students to ecological concepts, and explores human-environment connections. The implementation...
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    Cold blood and wet skin in hot and dry secondary forests. How do amphibian traits determine persistence in secondary forests?
    Students will synthesize information from biological and physiological traits of amphibians and characteristics of secondary forests in the tropics to form hypotheses about persistence of...

    Keywords: life historyconservation biologyphysiological ecologyamphibianland use changeEctothermsecondary foresttrait-based ecology

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    Student-Generated Analogies for Learning about Information Flow
    Using analogies is a standard practice for both teaching and communicating ideas in science. Here we upend the traditional lesson, where the instructor provides a fully constructed analogy and...

    Keywords: critical thinkingcentral dogmaanalogical reasoning

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    An Interrupted Case Study on Urban Prairie Restoration
    Engaging students in meaningful discussions can be a challenging task for science instructors, especially in introductory courses. The story-telling approach used in case studies can increase...

    Keywords: urban ecologyPrescribed fireEcosystem Servicesecological restorationwoody encroachmentrangeland ecology

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    Exploring Indigenous Viewpoints in the Undergraduate Biology Classroom: An Environmental Case Study Incorporating Hawaiian Traditional Ecological Knowledge
    Changing science education to foster greater equity and inclusion for Indigenous students will require effort from instructors and institutions. Instructors can help by including Traditional...

    Keywords: ecologycase studyenvironmentsystems thinkingTraditional ecological knowledgeindigenous knowledgehawai'idecolonizing scienceNative knowledgeFish ponds

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    Understanding the Importance of Microtubules in Normal Cell Division: Chemotherapy Connection
    In introductory courses, students learn about microtubules as important structures but may not engage in a hands-on experience to localize microtubules themselves or to learn about their connection...

    Keywords: cancerCell DivisionimmunofluorescenceMicrotubulesAntibodies

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    Causes and consequences of resisting herbivory: How long-lived plants avoid damage from diverse short-lived insect herbivores
    This module guides students through decades-long studies of tropical plant-insect interactions to elucidate the ecology and evolution of plant defenses while encouraging students to consider the...
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    Marsh Madness: Using Video Games and a Case Study to Explore Food Webs and Ecosystem Services in Carpinteria Salt Marsh Reserve
    As the complexity and interconnectedness of our world increases, we are continually expected to be capable of complex, non-linear thinking in order to successfully tackle and solve the challenges...

    Keywords: food webssystems thinkingGame Based LearningEcosystem Servicessocio-ecological networks

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    Between a rock and a hard place. What can turning rocks tell us about land-use change impacts on animals living in a rock outcrop?
    Unique rock outcrops in the Western Ghats biodiversity hotspot in India provide a setting that challenges students to develop a study to assess the impact of land-use change on threatened animals...

    Keywords: conservationagricultureland useamphibianstropicalbiodiversity losslateritic outcropopen natural ecosystemsreptilesrocks

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    Bacteria to Brains in Backyard Coyotes: An Interdisciplinary Pedagogical Case Study
    Our interdisciplinary pedagogical case study explores the differences between rural and urban coyotes at the levels of organismal and community ecology. The focus is on how coyotes’ gut...

    Keywords: dietanimal behaviorimmune systemmicrobiomeNervous systemgut-brain axisImmunoReachdysbiosisCoyoteCytokines

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