Fostering the development of quantitative skills with peer learning groups

Ecology is one of the more quantitative fields of biology, yet many students enter an ecology class without the skills and confidence they need to make efficient progress. I will share how I am addressing this problem in my general ecology course. I administer a survey to discover what quantitative background each student brings, and then use this survey to assign each student to a working group. Peers are then able to support each other’s quantitative skill development. Toward the end of the semester, students re-evaluate their experience and confidence with regard to their quantitative skills.