Student-Led Research; Integrating Citizen Science & Field Methodology in the Ecology Classroom

Targeting undergraduate students in lower-division ecology courses, this module guides students through authentic research. The purpose of this project is to provide hands-on research experience to enhance students' skills and confidence in the field of ecology. Within the module, students conduct a research project that allows them to: (1) explore recent studies in urban ecology, introducing the ecological research tools of camera traps and citizen science; (2) gain experience as a citizen scientist, generating data for different projects in Zooniverse; (3) write a hypothesis based on two possible research questions; and (4) analyze and test their hypothesis. The two possible research questions are: How do species’ diel activity patterns differ between land cover types (e.g., forest vs. anthropogenic)? How do diel activity patterns differ between/among species? Data for analysis is obtained through Snapshot USA. Through the module, students obtain skills in constructively reading and evaluating research papers, constructing testable hypotheses and predictions, using Excel to calculate Chi-Square and P-Values, interpreting statistical evidence, and presenting research findings.

本模块旨在针对低年级生态学课程本科生，通过引导他们进行真实的研究，提升学生在生态学领域的实践技能与信心。模块内，学生将执行一项研究项目，使其能够：(1) 探索城市生态学领域的最新研究，介绍相机陷阱和公民科学等生态学研究工具；(2) 获得作为公民科学家的经验，为Zooniverse平台上的不同项目生成数据；(3) 基于两个可能的研究问题撰写假设；（4）分析并检验其假设。两个可能的研究问题分别为：物种的昼夜活动模式在不同土地覆盖类型（例如，森林与人为）之间有何差异？昼夜活动模式在物种之间/之中有何差异？分析所需数据通过Snapshot USA获取。通过本模块，学生将掌握建设性地阅读和评估研究论文、构建可检验的假设与预测、使用Excel计算卡方检验和P值、解读统计证据以及展示研究结果等技能。