| Title | Integrating Forest Ecology and Soil Ecology Courses at UBC: Development of Web-Based Learning and Teaching Tools Using WebCT |
|---|---|
| Faculty/College/Unit | Forestry |
| Status | Completed |
| Duration | 2 Year |
| Initiation | 04/01/2009 |
| Completion | 03/31/2013 |
| Funding Details | |
| Year 1: Project Year | Year 1 |
| Year 1: Funding Year | 2009/2010 |
| Year 1: Project Type | Small TLEF |
| Year 1: Principal Investigator | Suzanne Simard |
| Year 1: Funded Amount | 25,000 |
| Year 1: Team Members | Suzanne Simard, Forest Sciences, Faculty of Forestry |
| Year 1: Summary | This proposed project will develop a web-based interactive tool (EcologyWeb) based on WebCT to (1) enhance connectivity of the material covered among five inter-related forest and soil ecology courses in the Faculties of Forestry, Science and Agricultural Sciences (FRST 201, FRST 211, FRST 351, FRST 512, and BIOL 421) taught by Dr. Simard and co-instructors, (2) allow for the inclusion of a greater variability of learning styles, and (3) provide greater links between material covered in these undergraduate and graduate courses with research carried out by various faculty members at UBC and research institutions or agencies in BC and Canada. The approach has been successfully used in Agricultural Sciences by Dr. Maja Krzic in the development of SoilWeb using WebCT, and we will use SoilWeb as a prototype for developing EcologyWeb. Notably, I now refer to SoilWeb in the courses included in this proposal. Connectivity among concepts is the key to understanding forest and soil ecology, and the proposed EcologyWeb tool will provide novel ways to present material and explain topics that are normally difficult for undergraduate students to integrate. It will also integrate information technology {IT) into teaching in the Faculty of Forestry, develop interactive learning components, and serve as both an in-class and off-campus resource and review tool. EcologyWeb will be used to support the lecture and lab-based teaching methods by providing students with graphical, interactive web-based information to help them make connections among a large number of concepts, and relate them to various ecosystem management issues. Specifically, the project will build upon the current lecture and lab material in the five courses by including the following resources: (1) written course resource material, (2) concept maps for each lecture, and (3) visual presentations for each of these concept maps using images, text, illustrations, and animations. This will allow movement away from a traditional, linear presentation model as dictated by software such as PowerPoint. Short-term benefits to students will include better comprehension of complex material, more efficient investment of study time due to improved connectivity of the material, and availability of a greater variety of learning methods. Ultimately, this will facilitate training of life-long learners who are critical thinkers and innovative stewards of Canada's environment and natural resources, skills that will be in critically needed as we adapt to our changing climate. The project will involve graduate and undergraduate students in prototype development and review, ensuring that student learning needs are met in development and maintenance of EcologyWeb. The number of students who will directly benefit from EcologyWeb in the five courses is 150 annually, and I estimate that approximately another 250 students taking more advanced courses will use it as a continuing resource base annually. This project meets the mandates of TLEF and Trek 2010. |
| Year 2: Project Year | Year 2 |
| Year 2: Funding Year | 2011/2012 |
| Year 2: Project Type | Small TLEF |
| Year 2: Principal Investigator | Suzanne Simard |
| Year 2: Funded Amount | 23,360 |
| Year 2: Team Members | Suzanne Simard, Forest Sciences, Faculty of Forestry |
| Year 2: Summary | This proposed project will continue the work already accomplished to date to develop a web-based interactive tool (EcologyWeb) based on WebCT to (1) enhance connectivity of the material covered among five inter-related forest and soil ecology courses in the Faculties of Forestry, Science and Agricultural Sciences (FRST 201, FRST 211, FRST 351, FRST 512, and BIOL 421) taught by Dr. Simard and co-instructors, (2) to allow for the inclusion of a greater variability of learning styles, and (3) to provide links between and access to material covered in these undergraduate and graduate courses with research carried out by other faculty members at UBC and research institutions or agencies throughout BC and Canada, and beyond. This approach to teaching allows for connectivity and synergy between concepts, which is key to understanding forest and soil ecology. EcologyWeb creates this connectivity by integrating information technology (IT) into my teaching tools. Once completed, it will 1) present material and explain topics that are normally difficult for undergraduate students to integrate, 2) develop interactive learning components, and 3) serve as both an in-class and off-campus resource and review tool, It will be used to support the lecture and lab-based teaching methods by providing students with graphical, interactive web-based information to help them make connections among a large number of concepts, and relate them to various ecosystem management issues. Specifically, the project will build upon the current lecture and lab material in the five courses by including the following resources: (1) written course resource material in a variety of formats, (2) concept maps for each lecture, and (3) visual tools such as illustrations, and animations. This will expand beyond the traditional, linear, text-based presentation model to a broader spectrum of learning devices. This project meets the mandates of TLEF and Trek 2010. |