PARENT SESSION
Oral Session #68: Ecological Education -- Research and Theory.
Presiding: L. Mueller
Wednesday, August 7. 1:00 PM to 4:45 PM. Grand Ballroom West, Radisson.

Ecology curriculum reform: Using web-based survey tools for assessment.

WILLIAMS, KATHY^*,1, ¹ San Diego State University, San Diego, CA

ABSTRACT- Assessment involves data collection on students' changing knowledge, skills, and attitudes. How do we collect those data? Students in large classes at San Diego State University ask open-ended research questions and collect data on CO₂ flux and microclimate from diverse remote field locations to learn about global change ecology and experience the scientific process. State-of-the-art instrumentation measuring eddy covariance and other environmental variables are located on campus, two SDSU field stations in Mediterranean-type habitats, and in Alaskan tundra and the deserts Baja California, Mexico. Data are transmitted via internet to campus classes for analyses where they are posted on course websites. With this curriculum revision, students form hypotheses comparing environmental conditions within or among sites and seasons, collect and analyze data, then present findings in poster presentations and brief research reports. For two semesters we collected data on student knowledge and attitudes about ecology and the scientific process using standard surveys and scanable "bubble" cards. We recently transformed this survey to a web-based format. With students becoming more computer-adept, we predicted that students would prefer to use the web survey. Students were given the choice of responding either way and over one half the class responded electronically, and data could be collected more rapidly. As we bring learning innovations into our classrooms we must measure the effects of our interventions. Using web-based surveys is a novel way to facilitate that.

KEY WORDS: education, innovative, undergraduate, reform