Student Responses to Introduction to Fisheries and Wildlife

Grade Distribution for Fall 2002 Implementation of Constructivist Learning in FW100: Introduction to Fisheries andWildlife

Summary of Instructor Involvement SIRS Scores for Fall 2002 Implementation of Constructivist Learning inFW100 Introduction to Fisheries and Wildlife

Summary of Student-Instructor SIRS Scores for Fall 2002 Implementation of Constructivist Learning inFW100 Introduction to Fisheries and Wildlife

Here is what some FW100 students have said:

  • I just wanted to write you and tell youthat this last week of class has really gotten me excited. I switched to Fisheries and Wildlife as my major at the end of last semester. At the time I was sure that it was the right thing for me, but after my brief exposure to the department and the people, I am so excited about F&W being for me. So, thank you for helping instill this in me, I'm really looking forward to this semester.
  • I was in your FW100 class last spring semester. I enjoyed the class, and even though some people may have decided that Fisheries and wildlife wasn't for them, I am still persuing it. After the help you gave the me on resumes and other helpful hints to getting the right employment I was able to get a job working in northern Michigan and got some vital expereince. Without that help I more then likley would not have gotten the job; thank you. This summer I am looking into some study abroad courses and have found one that looks very interesting. I am applying for the study abroad program "Enviromental Management in Northwestern Australia." I was wondering if I could use you as a reference on my application. Thank you for your time.

WELCOME TO FW100

INTRODUCTION TO FISHERIES AND WILDLIFE

COURSE OUTLINE

Fall 2004

16 November, 2004

MSU Equal Opportunity / Dept. of Fisheries and Wildlife Mission and Values / Instructors / Office Hours / Time/Location
Readings / Format / Educational Philosophy / Course Web Page / Course Outcomes
Assignments / Grades / Participation / Group Facilitation / Portfolio
Learning Resources / Schedule

MichiganStateUniversity

MichiganStateUniversity is committed to the principles of equal opportunity, non-discrimination and affirmative action. University programs, activities and facilities

are available to all without regard to race, color, gender, religion, national origin, political persuasion, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, height, weight,

veteran status, age or familial status. The University is an Affirmative Action, Equal Opportunity Employer.

The Department of Fisheries and Wildlife

Mission Statement:

Our mission is to provide the education, research, and outreach needed by society for the conservation and rehabilitation of fish and wildlife resources and their ecosystems.

Vision Statement:

The vision of the Department is to cooperatively develop sufficient understanding of the structure and function of ecosystems to allow reasoned conservation, rehabilitation and management of fisheries and wildlife resources.

Course Convener/Facilitator / Office Hours
Dr. Geoffrey Habron
Please address me as Geoffrey or Geoff. If you are uncomfortable with that then use Dr. Habron.
Assistant Professor
9 Natural Resources
517-432-8086

/ Monday and Wednesday 2-3pm.
Tuesday 1-2pm.
I encourage you to come on by and chat. If the office hour doesn't work we can schedule another time that fits your schedule.
I'd like to see each of you at least once during the first month of class. :)
Dr. David Johnson
Please address me as
Professor
10B Natural Resources
517-353-1997 / 9-11am Mondays, Wednesday, Friday

TIME/LOCATION:

Lecture: Monday and Wednesday, 4:10 - 5:00 p.m., Room 221 Natural Resources Building

Lab Sections -- All meet in Room 1 Natural Resources

  1. Tuesday 3:00-4:50 p.m -- Section leader: Johnson
  2. Wednesday 12:40-2:30 p.m -- Section leader: Habron

The Natural Resources Building occupies the southeast corner of Farm Lane and Shaw Road, west of the greenhouses and north of the railroad tracks.

You'll find Room 221 near the northeast entrance of the building (on Shaw Road where it meets Farm Lane).

You'll find Room 1 in the basement by the double doors in the center of the floor across from Room 15.

Laboratory sections will be highly interactive. Come prepared to go outside (have appropriate footwear, outerwear [including rain gear -- not just umbrellas], gloves, field journal for writing, etc.).

READINGS:

Due to student feedback we have eliminated the textbook. However, we will develop a reading list as the class progresses. Most if not all the readings will be available online or through handouts.

Leopold, A. 1966. A Sand CountyAlmanac. Sierra Club/Ballantine Books. New York, N.Y. 295pp. This is a classic book on the conservation of natural resources and the "land ethic". Copies are available from the MSU Bookstore, and other bookstores. This book should be read by anyone considering a career in natural resources.

COURSE FORMAT: Dr. Habron is the primary instructor for the course. However, a number of guest lecturers will present material to give students a greater depth in each of the respective fields. Students are responsible for material from all lectures.

FW100 takes a constructivist approach to learning. That means we will use your previous experiences and current interests to develop the bulk of the course. Although the course has a great deal of structure with due dates and assignments, the actual content of the course is open for students to decide as long as it addresses the stated course outcomes. After the first few weeks of class, we will use the developing learning plans and interests of class members to structure the content of the class. You will develop your own learning plan and will use a portfolio to demonstrate your proficiency in achieving the course outcomes through your personal learning plan. You will pick the guest speakers to invite to class. This requires your active and constant participation. The less you participate the less you will learn.

EDUCATIONAL PHILOSOPHY

FW100 follows the Declaration of the Bailey Scholars Program within the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources: "The Bailey Scholars Program seeks to be a community of scholars dedicated to lifelong learning. All members of the

community work toward providing a respectful, trusting environment where we acknowledge our interdependence and encourage growth."

In FW100 we strive to establish student-centered active learning1 with an emphasis on problem-based2 learning, cooperative3 learning, experiential4 learning and critical thinking5. We also view learning as a form of research-based scholarship6. This relies on a high degree of student participation and initiative. FW100 is an introductory class to the fisheries and wildlife major. We will introduce and focus on basic concepts that you will develop further in upper division courses. As such, we acknowledge that we provide you with incomplete knowledge across a broad spectrum of concepts. We do strive to introduce both the concepts and the instructors with whom you will work in later courses.

Student-Centered Active Learning1

“To teach is to engage students in learning; thus teaching consists of getting students involved in the active construction of knowledge. The aim of teaching is not only to transmit information but also to transform students from passive recipients of other people’s knowledge into active constructors of their own and others’ knowledge. Teaching is fundamentally about creating the pedagogical, social, and ethical conditions under which students agree to take charge of their own learning, individually and collectively"(C.R. Christensen 1991).

Our job is not to teach, but for all of us to learn. If you are not learning then we need to know that. If something is not clear stop us and we will clarify. In order to gauge how well you are learning we de-emphasize lectures and often ask you to check in with each other to see how well you understand. We also involve many guest speakers to enable you to maximize your exposure to different sources of knowledge and styles.

Problem-Based2 Learning

We emphasize learning and applying what you know to solve natural resource management problems to the best of your ability. The answer is not as important as how you developed and explained your answer. The entire field of natural resource management focuses on solving and anticipating and preventing problems.

Cooperative3 Learning

“is instruction that involves people working in teams to accomplish a common goal, under conditions that involve both positive interdependence (all members must cooperate to complete the task) and individual and group accountability (each member is accountable for the complete final outcome).” (K. Smith 2001)

During lab you will work in groups to solve applied problems. Cooperative learning requires learning to work together, to share in knowledge generation. We believe that you all possess important skills and knowledge. As you will learn throughout your academic and professional career, no one person possesses sufficient knowledge and abilities to single-handedly address problems in natural resource management.

Experiential4 Learning

During lab we will rely on experiential learning to reinforce concepts covered in lecture. We will learn by doing either in an outdoor or indoor environment. Providing hands-on examples and case study experiences will provide a richer environment to learn about and apply concepts than you get from reading a book or viewing a web page.

Critical Thinking5

Grading emphasizes critical thinking5 skills. In other words we won't just deliver a lecture and ask you to memorize facts and repeat them on an exam. We will ask you to understand the material and be able to apply what you have learned to new situations. We will ask you for examples of the concepts that we cover. We will ask you to compare different examples that illustrate concepts. We will ask you to use knowledge learned in week 1 all the way through the course. We will ask you to apply concepts you learn in Week 10 to topics we covered in Week 1. We may ask you in many different ways about just a few concepts to assess how deeply you understand a concept. Similar concepts are addressed in lecture, in lab, on the web-page and on take home assignments. Please strive to view the course as pieces of a puzzle. You need all the pieces together at the same time to solve the problem. This relies on linking what you learn in lab to what you learn from other assignments or from lecture. This requires applying what you learn from one guest speaker to new material provided by another guest speaker.

Research-Based Scholarship6

Because we focus on student learning, we need to assess how well we are doing in providing a rich learning environment for you. We will collect your course work and rigorously assess your learning journey through comparisons within class and comparisons with previous classes. The ultimate judge of how well we as instructors do is how well you learn. We can't improve our performance if we don't more fully understand your learning. We treat "teaching" as importantly as we treat our research. Therefore we seek to analyze and present information from your learning experience to our peers who will also evaluate us. Remember we seek to assess our performance and not yours. Through this research-based approach we seek to provide a better learning environment for the FW100 students that follow in your footsteps.

Our Commitment to You

We realize that the philosophy of the class differs from what many of you may have experienced in your high school and college careers to this point. We realize critical thinking comes slowly and we strive to assist you in this transition. At every opportunity we will explain the rationale behind what we do in class and seek feedback from you regarding the effectiveness of our methods.

We strive to address the diversity of learning styles that we believe exists in this class. We strive to use diverse learning environments. We also strive to hold ourselves accountable for student learning. Our job is not to teach, but for all of us to learn.

TIPS

Of course you will receive grades based on our assessment of your learning. For certain assignments many correct answers may exist depending on how each student chooses to address the question. Partial credit addresses such circumstances. Complete answers will reflect critical thought and use concrete examples to illustrate your point. If a question asks you to state a definition and give an example, you must do both parts of this question. Rote memorization of a definition is not required as long as your own definition contains all the components of the correct answer. If you give a stellar definition but do not provide an example you will only receive half credit. Remember to always answer the entire question. If a question asks you to compare two examples you need to provide 2 examples and then compare them.

We also ask you to learn from your mistakes and successes. After each assignment please review your performance and try to understand it. If you have questions please see us. You will see the material again in another form later in the course. Therefore we strive to minimize surprises on exams. We seek to reward you for learning from your mistakes. If you figure out what went wrong there is a high probability that you will have another chance to demonstrate your improvement on another assignment.

COURSE WEB PAGE

We will use the Angel course management software for our course website. You must gain access to the course website by the first week of class. You must check the site at least every other day for updates. Please realize that when you log on to the course website using your pilot ID and password we will be able to track your use of the course website. Angel collects data on when you use the site, how long you use the site, where you go on the site and what you do on the site.

COURSE DESCRIPTION AND OUTCOMES: This course is designed to introduce FW Majors to the interdisciplinary and applied nature of the fisheries and wildlife profession, including fisheries and wildlife history, science, philosophy and management in the context of conservation ethics. There are no prerequisites for this course. It is hoped, however, that students have the desire to learn and gain new insights about careers and current issues with fisheries, wildlife and related resources. If you are not a major, have no interest in possibly becoming a major then we strongly suggest you choose another course such as FW203 Resource Ecology, FW 207 Great Lakes Biology and Management, or FW284 Natural History and Conservation in Michigan.Students are usually very disappointed with this class if they are not considering a FW major or career.

Course Outcomes:

To succeed in this class you must know and understand these 4 course outcomes!!

Participating in this course will enable you to demonstrate proficiency regarding:

  1. Principles
  2. Careers
  3. Skills
  4. Professional development

  1. Principles

1. The scientific bases of management of fisheries, wildlife, and other natural resources.

  • definition of fisheries and wildlife management
  • management cycle
  • scientific method
  • steps
  • sampling
  • peer-review
  • habitat
  • definition
  • components
  • carrying capacity
  • management
  • sampling
  • biota
  • populations
  • definition
  • key rates
  • exponential growth
  • logistic growth
  • limiting factor
  • density dependence
  • density independence
  • compensatory mortality
  • additive mortality
  • management
  • sampling
  • community
  • human dimensions
  • definition
  • stakeholder
  • values
  • perspectives
  • issue
  • management
  • sampling
  • ecosystems
  • definition
  • components
  • management
  • stewardship
  • land ethic
  1. Careers

2. The activities within fisheries, wildlife, and other related natural resource professions, and survey career trends and opportunities.

  • Explore and understand the curriculum, program requirements, professional development services and faculty in the Dept. of Fisheries and Wildlife, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, and the University.
  • Job titles/occupations (research, management, education, enforcement)
  • Names
  • Qualifications
  • Required skills
  • Agencies and organizations (government, non-government, private)
  • Names
  • Role in management
  • Job prospects
  • Job search strategies
  1. Skills

3. Develop key skills essential in fisheries and wildlife management.

  • Acquire critical thinking,
  • Problem solving,
  • Map reading
  • Compass use
  • Observation
  • Scientific method
  • Sampling
  • Information collection
  • Peer-reviewed publications
  • Internet
  • Popular literature
  • Key people

  1. Professional development

4. Begin the professional development process, develop career decision making skills, and develop professional communications skills and a portfolio.

  • Communication
  • Written
  • Oral
  • Interpersonal
  • Electives
  • Major Requirements
  • CANR
  • Department of fisheries and wildlife
  • Graduate outcomes
  • Apply for summer job, internship or volunteer experience
  • Network
  • Students
  • Faculty
  • Professionals
  • Lifelong Learning

Proficiency:

For each outcome there are levels of proficiency related to Bloom's Taxonomy:

  • Knowledge: The recall of information. E.g. Define, name, list
  • Comprehension: The translation, interpretation or extrapolation of knowledge. E.g. describe, explain, arrange
  • Application: The application of knowledge to a new situation. E.g. illustrate, demonstrate, sketch
  • Analysis: To break down knowledge into parts and show relationships among the parts. E.g. diagram, compare, criticize, differentiate
  • Synthesis: Bringing together parts (elements, components) of knowledge to form a whole and build relationships for new situations. E.g. organize, propose, manage, create, design
  • Evaluation: Judgments about the value of material and methods for given purposes. E.g. argue, assess, defend, rate, judge, support

We'll use the definition of fisheries and wildlife management as an example.

Knowledge: What is the definition of fisheries and wildlife management?

Comprehension: Explain the meaning of fisheries and wildlife in your own words?

Application: Illustrate the definition using a topic you find interesting.