Multi-institutional approaches to graduate education continue to emerge as a way to better prepare students for collaborative work. In this article, we describe a graduate course designed to investigate application of conservation biology principles by local land use planners. “Where is Conservation Science in Local Planning?” was offered jointly by three institutions and integrated inquiry-guided, collaborative, and computer-mediated learning. Participants collaborated across universities to investigate this question and create products based on their work, including a presentation and two peer-reviewed manuscripts. We used a wiki for brainstorming and collaborative writing, a virtual classroom for work meetings, and video conferencing for building community and making complex decisions. Pre- and post-course questionnaires were used to evaluate the effectiveness of the course for improving skills in collaboration, use of collaborative technologies, and subject-area knowledge. Student development mirrored those areas where learning was required to consistently support class-wide activities. Students reported that they gained knowledge about collaboration, increased their mastery of communication skills and use of collaborative technologies, and gained knowledge about course subject matter. Students did not indicate significant changes in knowledge or activities related to leadership. Participants gained a fuller understanding of the benefits—collective creativity and enhanced accountability—and drawbacks—time required to build relationships and engage in deliberation—of collaborative research. Faculty participants suggest that future offerings continue to follow an inquiry-guided, collaborative learning approach using similar collaborative technologies, but include more explicit guidance about leadership and attempt to generate a smaller number of products.
Bryophytes were among the earliest colonizers of terrestrial environs, and despite their interesting life histories and population dynamics, they are rarely used in undergraduate introductory biology labs. In an inquiry-based laboratory exercise for introductory biology, students implement a controlled experiment to investigate effects of increased ultraviolet radiation (UVR) exposure on liverwort gemmae. The exercise integrates impacts of climate change on plant populations with experimental design and liverwort ecology. It uses a readily available and easily propagated thallose liverwort. Liverworts reproduce both sexually and asexually, but asexual reproduction is imperative for population persistence. In the laboratory exercise, students explore how the environment impacts colonization of asexual propagules using a novel design that underlines the importance of randomization and introduces basic statistical techniques. The experiment can be completed in two, 2-hour laboratory periods and concepts and techniques are transferrable to a variety of learning environments. After the first implementation of this laboratory exercise, the majority of students agreed that they learned more about bryophytes, experimental methods, and reporting statistics in lab reports.
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