Eastern Nazarene College Biology Department BI-104L: Introduction to Ecology and Diversity Lab Laboratory Syllabus:  Lab Description

Course Number:  BI-104L
Credits:  1
Lab Times:
     * Session 1 is Mondays from 2:10-6:10 PM
     * Session 2 is Fridays from 2:10-6:10 PM
Lab Location: Room S-34, Shrader Hall
Professor: Jonathan E. Twining, M.S., M.Ed., Assistant Professor of Biology
Lab Instructors/Assistants:
* Rebecca Kulat (lead instructor, both sessions)
* Ryan Augusta (Session 1)
* Paul Haynes (Session 2)

Course Description:

Introduction to Ecology and Diversity Lab is a co-requirement for Introduction to Ecology and Diversity.  In this lab, students learn about the basic methods used in ecology for studying various terrestrial and aquatic habitats.  The lab is project based, with introductory labs for students to learn various methods used by ecologists, followed by implementation of an independent research project.

Educational Objectives:

1. Design a basic experiment or monitoring project with an appropriate question, hypothesis, prediction, procedure, results, and conclusions

2. Use basic ecological field and laboratory assessment techniques to gather information about populations and communities that will answer questions and test hypotheses regarding those populations and communities.

3. Work together with a team of peers to design and conduct an experiment, write a scientific report, and make a presentation of their experiment to the class.

 
With regard to Objective #3 above, it is important for each student to understand the importance of clearly communicating your research both orally and in writing.  Everyone working in a scientific field must be able to speak clearly to inform or educate others, often using appropriate graphics, such as those available in Microsoft Powerpoint.  And all science and health professionals have to be able to write professionally, whether it be for scientific journals, interoffice communications, or for educational purposes.  So, while this is not the “Fundamentals of Speech” or “Fundamentals of Writing” class, you will be graded not only on the content of your presentations and writing, but also on your ability to communicate clearly (proper grammar, spelling, speech, etc.)