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Contributed Poster

Session: Education

PS 26-117 - Data4Ecology: A Platform for Facilitating Computational and Quantitative Skills in Undergraduate Ecology Courses

Tuesday, August 8, 2023
5:00 PM – 6:30 PM PDT
Location: ESA Exhibit Hall
Abstract: While the data streams that scientists use to understand ecological systems have increased exponentially in the last few decades, the spread of quantitative and computational skills needed to work with these burgeoning data streams has lagged behind. One part of addressing this issue is incorporating computational and data-centric approaches into undergraduate ecology classes and curricula. However, doing so still requires substantial investment and expertise on the part of the instructor. The instructor may need to manage infrastructure and be able to guide students through computational tasks while still delivering on the other components of a holistic ecology curriculum. To help alleviate some of these challenges, we are working to build a new freely available resource for ecology educators called "Data4Ecology". Building on the established STATS4STEM platform, this new site will enable instructors to assign content, support student learning, and assess student progress through an integrated online platform. This platform will focus on developing student skill in working with data in a variety of modalities, while also providing a specific focus on the use of the R programming language. With content drawn from existing open data repositories such as those from the LTER and NEON programs, the platform will lower the barrier to including quantitative and computational material into undergraduate ecology courses. We are coordinating our initial lesson development efforts with the team behind the open and freely available ecology textbook called Ecology for All in order to provide a convenient 'off the shelf' open and free set of resources for ecology educators to use in their classrooms. When complete, this platform will provide a new resource for ecology educators nationwide looking to help their students develop the skills necessary to thrive in a data-rich future.