Research suggests that Project Based Learning (PBL) can be more effective than traditional instruction for teaching science (e.g., Geier et al. 2008; Walker & Leary 2008). PBL is an instructional approach that engages students in “real world” problem-solving and reflects the types of learning and work people do in careers within a given discipline. Effective PBL also teaches 21st century skills (e.g., communication and presentation skills; organization and time management; research and inquiry techniques; self-assessment and reflection; and interpersonal dynamics and leadership skills), as well as content. I describe the use of primary scientific literature to develop student-directed, outcomes-based PBL research activities for an undergraduate field ecology course taught in tropical (Belize, Central America) and temperate (northeastern US) locales.
Results/Conclusions
Students are provided with relevant primary literature pertaining to a general topic within ecological research (specifically, coral bleaching and mortality dynamics in a tropical setting and niche differentiation of songbirds in a temperate setting). Care is taken to select research articles with methods that can be carried out by students, given constraints in time, student preparation, and equipment. Students are expected, as a class, to develop a testable hypothesis and design and implement a research model based upon the provided published research that could be conducted by their class and continued and refined by subsequent classes for multi-year analysis. Once their research proposal is approved by the instructor, students were required to: (1) determine the schedule and division of labor needed to complete their research; (2) refine logistics to implement their research; (3) collect data as per their research design; and (4) record and present their data in a fashion that could be used and analyzed by subsequent classes. The instructor facilitates the process in a manner that maximizes student engagement and voice, yet emphasizes the importance of outcomes (data collection, presentation, and reflection) and achievement of course competencies. Student assessment data suggest achievement of course competencies related to evaluating and interpreting scientific literature and utilizing the scientific method as a problem-solving tool was greater in the field ecology courses using PBL compared to students in similar-level coursework (General Zoology and Botany) that utilized traditional instruction and laboratory activities.
