An innovative approach to using an intensive field course to build scientific and professional skills.

ABSTRACT: This paper reports on the design and evaluation of Field Studies in Functional Ecology (FSFE), a two-week intensive residential field course that enables students to master core content in functional ecology alongside skills that facilitate their transition from "student" to "scientist." We provide an overview of the course structure, showing how the constituent elements have been designed and refined over successive iterations of the course. We detail how FSFE students: (1) Work closely with discipline specialists to develop a small group project that tests an hypothesis to answer a genuine scientific question in the field; (2) Learn critical skills of data management and communication; and (3) Analyze, interpret, and present their results in the format of a scientific symposium. This pro

SUBMITTER: Nicotra AB 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9596330 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature