Readings for class discussion
Research design wiki
This
course is a research literature and practice seminar. The two
primary objectives are to gain comfort and facility as a consumer
of the primary research literature and to begin implementing
conceptual understanding in designing and executing research. A
general background in ecology is assumed, as is comfort with
mathematical/quantitative approaches to data analysis and modeling
(including an appreciation of the basic principles of statistical
testing).
Students will be responsible, individually and in
groups, for most of the work of the class, both in and out of the
classroom, and should anticipate committing significant amounts of time
to independent work.
Class time will generally be used for
presentation and discussion of readings from the primary literature,
and for presentation and discussion of research proposals/projects.
- Literature seminar:
Each student will be responsible for presenting at least two
papers from the primary literature. 'Presentation' means much
more than simply summarizing; presenters will do background research,
explore implications and extensions of presented research, etc. ALL class members will be responsible and prepared for critical discussion and response to all papers.
- Research practicum:
All students will participate in the development, execution,
and presentation of a primary research project. Research projects
may involve collaborations among class members. Research design
will be developed on a wiki vehicle.
Regular class meeting time is 8-12, Tues. My office hours will be 2-4 Tues, 10-12 Wed, 2-4 Wed
Expectations and evaluation:
This
class meets only once per week; regular attendance is, therefore,
particularly important. Because independent research is central
to the class, and because students are responsible for much of
classroom presentation and discussion, students should also expect to
devote a substantial number of hours/week outside classtime to their
work for the course.
Evaluation will be based participation in
and contribution to the literature seminar portion of the class (about
40% of grade for those requesting grades), and on the design and
execution of independent research (about 60% of overall grade, with
primary emphasis on design and development and on presentation and
interpretation of results).