A major challenge in teaching Ecology at a small Liberal Arts college is the restriction on the supplies and amenities available. Additionally, during the winter months when taking a field trip is impossible, most ecological classes depend upon in-class lectures and audio-visual aids. At Midland Lutheran College, NE, in the month of January, students can enroll in a solitary course during a 3 week-long interterm semester. “Experiencing biomes in a zoo”, a course open to non-Biology majors, is offered during this term. The proximity to Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo affords an opportunity to explain the concept of biomes to the students outside the classroom. The zoo is open year-round and has a wholly indoor Desert Dome, Lied Jungle, Scott Aquarium, and a variety of animals on display in on-site exhibits. After an in-class explanation of biomes and basic ecological principles, the students were taken on 5 field trips to the zoo. Each day they visited the exhibits associated with one of the five major biomes – rainforest, desert, tundra, grassland, or aquatic. To ensure active participation, the students were required to maintain a daily journal of activity (electronic) that was graded at the end of the semester. Subsequently, nature videos were shown to elucidate the relationships and complexity of organisms in their natural settings. Students, working in groups, then gave a PowerPoint presentation to their peers on one the biomes randomly assigned to them. Finally, each student submitted a manuscript that described the biome of interest.
Results/Conclusions
To assess student learning, a quiz was conducted at the start of the semester which was not factored into the final grade. At the end of the semester the same quiz was administered to the students. The mean score for the pre-course assessment was 22.69% (range 15 to 75), while at the end of the semester the mean score was 95.77% (range 75 to 100), an overall increase of 73.08%.
Extremely positive feedback on course evaluations demonstrated that the course was very helpful. The only drawback mentioned was the cost of the field trips. Additionally, it was suggested that a behind-the-scenes tour of the zoo would make the course more interesting. This course successfully demonstrates that even with imposed restrictions (limited budget, paucity of resources, and inclement weather), students can still gain a well-rounded perspective of all the issues that need to be considered when discussing important environmental and ecological topics.
