Emory University, Department of Biology, United States
Session Description: Despite the global importance of tropical ecosystems with respect to regulation of water and carbon cycles and conservation of biodiversity, most ecology learning materials in the U.S. focus on research from the temperate zone and higher latitudes. We posit that when undergraduate curricula include case studies in tropical ecology, presented in the full context of their biological, environmental, social and economic complexity, students gain an opportunity to understand the global context of ecology and to solve complex environmental problems within a framework that includes human dimensions. To address the dearth of tropical ecology educational resources, the OCELOTS (Online Content for Experiential Learning of Tropical Systems) network, an NSF-funded project, brings together tropical ecologists with experts in pedagogy, media, and software development. The vision is create a library of online, open-source modules hosted on the Gala platform, with modules based on authentic tropical research that incorporates all dimensions of ESA’s 4DEE approach.
The goals of this workshop are to provide participants with a means to:
Internationalize the undergraduate biology curriculum
Enhance existing open-source platforms in education, e.g., Gala and QUBES
Include all dimensions of ESA’s Four Dimensions of Ecology Education
Broaden participation in ecology, especially for community colleges and minority participants.
The objectives of this workshop are to:
Introduce ESA members to this new online learning resource.
Demonstrate how instructors have created and used OCELOTS modules in their undergraduate courses.
Engage participants in an interactive, hands-on experience for creating an online module based on their own research.
Enable interactions and exchange of ideas among participants to explore ways to implement OCELOTS modules in their courses.
Exchange ideas about how this network can better meet undergraduate instruction needs in ecology.
Workshop attendees will be engaged in a participatory, interactive process that: 1) introduces U.S. students to international aspects of ecology; 2) supports international participants in sharing their research with a global audience; and 3) promotes genuine exchange of ideas. This process includes peer-to-peer mentoring among faculty who are creating and implementing modules. This workshop will also provide a means for undergraduates to become immersed in tropical biology, enriching the learning experience for the majority students who cannot travel to a diversity of tropical countries. This workshop should be of interest to any ESA members who wish to incorporate a multidimensional, 4DEE approach to their teaching and to diversify their teaching resources by bringing a more international and global perspective to their courses.
