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

View ORCID ProfileAdrienne B. Nicotra, View ORCID ProfileSonya R. Geange, Nur H. A. Bahar, View ORCID ProfileHannah Carle, View ORCID ProfileAlexandra Catling, View ORCID ProfileAndres Garcia, View ORCID ProfileRosalie J. Harris, View ORCID ProfileMegan L. Head, View ORCID ProfileMarvin Jin, View ORCID ProfileMichael R. Whitehead, View ORCID ProfileHannah Zurcher, View ORCID ProfileElizabeth A. Beckmann
doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.12.06.471369
Adrienne B. Nicotra
1Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
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  • For correspondence: Adrienne.Nicotra@anu.edu.au
Sonya R. Geange
1Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
2Department of Biological Sciences, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
3Bjerknes Center for Climate Research, Bergen, Norway
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Nur H. A. Bahar
1Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
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Hannah Carle
3Bjerknes Center for Climate Research, Bergen, Norway
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Alexandra Catling
4School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
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Andres Garcia
1Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
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Rosalie J. Harris
1Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
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Megan L. Head
1Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
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Marvin Jin
1Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
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Michael R. Whitehead
5School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville VIC 3010, Australia
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Hannah Zurcher
1Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
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Elizabeth A. Beckmann
1Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
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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". This paper provides 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. Analyse, interpret and present their results in the format of a scientific symposium. This process is repeated in an iterative "cognitive apprenticeship" model, supported by a series of workshops that name and explicitly instruct the students in "hard" and "soft" skills critical relevant for research and other careers. FSFE students develop a coherent and nuanced understanding of how to approach and execute ecological studies. The sophisticated knowledge and ecological research skills that they develop during the course is demonstrated through high quality presentations and peer-reviewed publications in an open-access, student-led journal. We outline our course structure and evaluate its efficacy to show how this novel combination of field course elements allows students to gain maximum value from their educational journey, and to develop cognitive, affective and reflective tools to help apply their skills as scientists.

Competing Interest Statement

The authors have declared no competing interest.

Footnotes

  • This version is a more succinct summary of the field course process. Additional supporting information has been provided in the 3 supplementary files attached.

Copyright 
The copyright holder for this preprint is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under a CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license.
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Posted June 20, 2022.
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An innovative approach to using an intensive field course to build scientific and professional skills
Adrienne B. Nicotra, Sonya R. Geange, Nur H. A. Bahar, Hannah Carle, Alexandra Catling, Andres Garcia, Rosalie J. Harris, Megan L. Head, Marvin Jin, Michael R. Whitehead, Hannah Zurcher, Elizabeth A. Beckmann
bioRxiv 2021.12.06.471369; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.12.06.471369
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An innovative approach to using an intensive field course to build scientific and professional skills
Adrienne B. Nicotra, Sonya R. Geange, Nur H. A. Bahar, Hannah Carle, Alexandra Catling, Andres Garcia, Rosalie J. Harris, Megan L. Head, Marvin Jin, Michael R. Whitehead, Hannah Zurcher, Elizabeth A. Beckmann
bioRxiv 2021.12.06.471369; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.12.06.471369

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