A series of hands-on teaching modules created and shared by Virginia Tech researchers has filled a gap in data science training opportunities for environmental science undergraduate students and instructors, reaching more than 35,000 students at more than 50 colleges and universities globally in the last seven years.
Researchers built the modules, called Macrosystems EDDIE, which stands for Environmental Data-Driven Inquiry and Exploration, in 2017. This fall, a comprehensive study of the program's effectiveness was published in the journal BioScience , confirming what the researchers long suspected – the modules are working.
"These modules are novel because of a dearth of materials available for undergraduates, specifically on ecological forecasting, which is a rapidly emerging sub-discipline within ecology," said Mary Lofton, postdoctoral associate with the Center for Ecosystem Forecasting and lead author of the report . "The goal is to introduce students to some of the core concepts of forecasting in this really user-friendly interface."
Designed by researchers in the Center for Ecosystem Forecasting, the modules were created to be easily integrated into existing coursework. They aim to complement educators' work teaching ecological concepts and quantitative skills, such as data visualization, modeling, and analysis.
"I appreciated how the modules allowed students to better understand forecasting including the data requirements, integration of models, and uncertainty associated with forecasts," said David Richardson, professor of biology at the State University of New York at New Paltz. "The students expressed the value of learning these concepts as they apply to their fields of interest (e.g., environmental science) or in understanding forecasting from a variety of uses like weather apps."
Some of the distinct features of the modules include the following:
- Being unsequenced and available in an à la carte fashion
- Three activities for each module that can stand alone or build on each other, allowing for flexibility in the time required to finish
- The incorporation of large, high-frequency data sets from a range of publicly-available repositories that represent real-world data
- Hands-on activities that allow students to manipulate components within the model to develop an intuition for interpreting how the changes affect model forecasts
- Flexibility with knowledge of coding and access to coding software; modules can be completed in interactive webpages or with versions that allow students and instructors to view and edit module code. The software is also free and publicly available
- Availability on an open-source platform
"Our modules constitute one of the first formalized data science curricula on ecological forecasting for undergraduates," Lofton said.
Macrosystems EDDIE was the brainchild of Cayelan Carey, professor in biological sciences and co-director of the Center for Ecosystem Forecasting. With the support of two National Science Foundation grants, Carey led the creation of the program while teaching the essential concepts of macrosystems ecology.
"All our modules are carefully designed to teach both ecological concepts and quantitative skills using an established and tested pedagogical framework; they undergo rigorous assessment and peer review in partnership with the Science Education Research Center at Carleton College; and they are continuously revised in response to student and faculty feedback," said Carey, an affiliated faculty of the Fralin Life Sciences Institute's Global Change Center .
According to Quinn Thomas, a co-investigator on the Macrosystems EDDIE program, the unprecedented rate of change of ecosystems around the globe have provided an impetus for researchers to apply macrosystems ecology to forecast ecosystem changes under alternate climate and land use scenarios. Producing this information, which will be critical to decision makers, takes training that integrates disparate concepts and skills with which many instructors lack familiarity.
"One of the findings of this analysis is that instructors who are using our modules in their classroom to teach their students are then more likely to use these approaches in their research. We're essentially teaching the teachers and enabling them to do a different type of science, which is exciting," said Thomas, professor of forest resources and environmental conservation and co-director of the Center for Ecosystem Forecasting.
The researchers said the rapidly changing ecosystems are requiring increased complex skills from water managers and natural resource custodians. The modules aim to develop a training program that teaches students macrosystems ecology while also enriching their quantitative skills to build a diverse workforce.
And so far, the modules are hitting their mark.
"Between Fall 2021 and Fall 2022, over 800 ecology lab students were introduced to ecological forecasting through the Macrosystems EDDIE module," said Kaitlin J. Farrell, Ph.D., at the University of Georgia. "Working through the module made it easy to integrate these cutting-edge ecological concepts into our curriculum."
Researchers:
- Mary E. Lofton, postdoctoral research associate in biological sciences
- Tadhg N. Moore, postdoctoral research associate in biological sciences
- Whitney M. Woelmer, postdoctoral research associate in biological sciences
- R. Quinn Thomas, professor in forest resources and environmental conservation
- Cayelan C. Carey, professor in biological sciences
