Including the creative part of science in student designed ecology labs

Background/Question/Methods While one of the purposes of labs in an ecology course is to give students the opportunity to “do” science, students usually carry out measurements for a pre-determined study designed by the professor. However, what the ecologists often value most about research is developing the questions and designing the study. Developing the skills to create a working hypothesis and design experiments often goes untested until late in the student’s undergraduate experience. In our introductory ecology course at Colby-Sawyer College, we have students first observe some natural phenomena (or learn about it in class) and then design their own investigations. Students use their own observations, concepts and discussions from the class, and collaboration with their small group to come up with an appropriate question. The instructor then guides each group through refining and simplifying the question and designing the experiment and data collection. Our location in rural NH allows many outdoor research topics, but in the winter term, many indoor projects are possible. A poster symposium provides an opportunity for students to learn about and evaluate other student research.

Results/Conclusions These sessions result in students learning about a broader range of topics than usually is discussed. We expect that this exposure to the entire scientific process as first year students will encourage students to enter science and introduce them to the detailed thought process necessary for progressing further in research.