Waterfowl and Watercolors: Enhancing Undergraduate Students' Waterfowl Identification Skills

Autor/in	Ahlers, Adam A.
Titel	Waterfowl and Watercolors: Enhancing Undergraduate Students' Waterfowl Identification Skills
Quelle	In: Natural Sciences Education, 48 (2019) 1, (4 Seiten) PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	2168-8281
DOI	10.4195/nse2019.04.0008
Schlagwörter	Wildlife; Identification; Ecology; Biodiversity; Painting (Visual Arts); Teaching Methods; Knowledge Level; Instructional Effectiveness; Undergraduate Students; Kansas + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Identifikation; Identifizierung; Ökologie; Biodiversität; Malerei; Teaching method; Lehrmethode; Unterrichtsmethode; Wissensbasis; Unterrichtserfolg
Abstract	Accurately identifying waterfowl species can help students understand principles of waterfowl ecology and appreciate biodiversity. Acquiring these skills can be challenging, and effective pedagogies are needed to enhance student learning. I tested if watercolor painting assignments could enhance students' waterfowl identification skills. Students enrolled in the Waterfowl and Wetlands Management course at Kansas State University were instructed how to identify waterfowl species and their sex using traditional teaching methods (e.g., study specimens, photos) for 4 weeks. I measured baseline knowledge of students' waterfowl identification skills by administering an unannounced quiz (pre-test). Immediately after the pre-test, students were provided with foundational watercolor training and given a take-home assignment that involved creating four paintings of seven waterfowl species (two of each sex). I administered an unannounced quiz (post-test) immediately after students completed their painting assignments. Average post-test scores increased 13.19 points (range = -15 to 35) and there was a significant difference in the distribution of pre- and post-test scores (P = 0.06). My results suggest that lessons involving student-generated watercolor paintings may enhance student learning. This technique may be useful for other undergraduate science courses (e.g., mammalogy, dendrology) that require identification of species or phenotypes. (As Provided).
Anmerkungen	Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2024/1/01