PS 26-112 - A 4DEE Approach to Evaluating Ecological Literacy in Undergraduate Biology and Environmental Science Courses

Abstract: The Four-Dimensional Ecology Education (4DEE) Framework emphasizes what undergraduate ecology students should know and be able to do, and for connecting ecology to society and other overarching science concepts. The goal of the 4DEE framework is to improve eco-literacy and increase ecological problem-solving capabilities. The framework encompasses ecological and cross-cutting concepts, practices, and human dimensions. We utilized the framework to design assessments that evaluated undergraduate student use of the dimensions after instructions with three modules that emphasized three of the four dimensions: Ecology Concepts (EC), Ecological Practices (EP) & the Human-Environment Interaction (HEI) Dimensions. The focus of this research was the analysis of the species interactions module which is a Bee Case Study. Data was collected from three introductory courses for science and non-science majors at three different universities. We wanted to know if the module assisted students in applying multiple dimensions and the level of enjoyment they had for the activity. The learning objectives were as follows: distinguish the resources and services shared/gain/lost via the interaction (EC), interpret data to deduce the relationship between organisms (EP & EC), and use data and knowledge of ecological interactions to explain how humans impact diversity (HEI, EC, EP). The module was assessed with multidimensional assessments utilizing questions that align with the 4DEE framework. The assessment included multiple choice and short answer questions.



Core ecological concepts and human-environment interactions are the two dimensions students discussed as the main ideas learned while completing the Bee Case Study module/assessment. For the two questions where students were prompted to engage in the EP, 59.3% and 66.1% of student responses presented accurate interpretations of the figures to describe the impact of ecological interactions. However, the remaining responses provided incorrect interpretations that suggested misinterpretation of the data. Nearly 40% of the responses presented evidence from the figure to support interpretations. When assessing student’s knowledge of HEI, where students were also asked to interpret a figure, 48% of the students accurately interpreted the anthropogenic impacts on the environment; however, 16.9% came to an inaccurate conclusion. When asked an open-ended question about their level of enjoyment 53% of students mentioned they enjoyed the module, found it engaging and/or found it educational while 10% suggested they did not enjoy it and/or wanted more notes. Overall, these data show that utilizing the 4DEE framework increased students’ understanding of ecological concepts and most students found it enjoyable.