Biological Sciences (61) Research and Assessment (91) This project is a combination of educational materials development and research & assessment in conservation biology. It is building on two prior DUE grants that have developed several dozen modules in conservation biology. A major focus of this project is the development of assessment tools to determine whether students in this field are learning "higher-level" thinking skills as well as the process skills needed to operate professionally. Conservation biology requires higher-level thinking skills because the problems and issues are integrated, complex, and require abilities to make connections, predict and test models, and synthesize information. Prominent conservation practitioners and academics have noted a persistent disconnect between most current academic preparation and the knowledge and skills actually needed in the professional world.
There have been efforts to address the development of professional and process skills in higher education in a wide variety of disciplines; these efforts have ranged from the description of desired competencies to efforts to fostering skill development, e.g. by implementing active or learner-centered teaching methods. Few projects or initiatives have attempted to systematically evaluate the development of process skills in their students, or have assessed the possible effects of different teaching methods on the development of these skills.
This project is supporting a team of faculty to explore how to effectively develop the teaching of process and professional skills in conservation biology, and to evaluate the development of these skills in students. The project plans to pilot developed teaching and assessment materials in diverse classroom settings. Although the project is managed by the American Museum of Natural History, it is supporting participants from a diverse group of 20 institutions.
