Associate Professor University of South Florida Tampa, Florida, United States
The four dimensional ecology education (4DEE) framework emphasizes what undergraduate students should know about (ecology concepts) and be able to do with an education in ecology (ecological practices). It also presents two additional dimensions that emphasize the connection between the environment and society (Human-Environment Interactions, HEI) and the connection between ecology and other overarching biology and STEM concepts (Cross-cutting themes). Less explicit in the framework is how it addresses or aligns with other pedagogical approaches. This open nature of the framework can provide flexibility for instructors who may wish to combine 4DEE with pedagogical approaches that range from active learning, more broadly, to more specific approaches (e.g., writing to learn or community-engaged learning). On the other hand, this implicit manner of dealing with pedagogical approaches may prompt questions on how the framework can be harnessed with these different pedagogies and, in particular, inclusive pedagogies.
The 4DEE framework was used in a field course to support the use of community-engaged learning as a pedagogical approach to foster inclusion. Community-engaged learning (CEL), also known as service learning, is a mutually beneficial collaboration between educational institutions and the community. CEL provides opportunities for students to apply their knowledge and engage in reflection while meeting a need of the community. CEL can foster inclusion by exposing students to diverse groups and perspectives , encouraging reflection for personal and professional growth, and making learning meaningful to both students and community partners. In this course, students collaborated with a local school and a community center focused on redeveloping an at-risk area near the university campus. The presentation will highlight development of learning objectives and instructional activities that are multidimensional, support inclusion and applicable to community needs through use of the ecological practices and HEI dimensions. The talk will also examine instructional challenges and successes in applying 4DEE within a CEL context. Finally, student perspectives on how this experience impacted their learning and sense of belonging in the local and university communities will be discussed.
