Developing a multi-section introductory ecology course aligned with the 4DEE framework

Shelly L. Thomas, Michael W. Grove, Jennifer A. Oberle, Courtney E. Richmond, Nathan A. Ruhl and Sara J. Wright, Department of Biological Sciences, Rowan University, Glassboro, NJ, Patrick W. Crumrine, Department of Biological Sciences & Department of Geography and Environment, Rowan University, Glassboro, NJ, Jennifer A. Oberle, Department of Biology, Rutgers University, Camden, NJ

Background/Question/Methods
As higher education undergoes rapid and fundamental change, eco-educators must promote the inclusion of the ecological sciences in the biological sciences and health professions curriculum of the future. To keep pace with societal and university changes, we developed an instructional alignment for our skills-based introductory ecology course at Rowan University (Glassboro, NJ, USA) that is informed by and integrated with the 4-Dimensional Ecology Education (4DEE) framework. Our instructional alignment emphasizes the relevance and utility of the ecological sciences by establishing cross-cutting themes that link ecology concepts, ecology practice and human-environment interactions to universal science practice.
Results/Conclusions
Our departmental peers and university administration supported the pivot to the 4DEE framework because we used the reconstruction of the course to increase opportunities for our students to gain research experience with a Course-based Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE). We balanced differing viewpoints on course content and the integration of 4DEE into our course by agreeing to an instructional alignment that articulated our common goals for the course, as a component of our larger biology curriculum. Furthermore, we equipped individual instructors with the flexibility to decide how they would teach to the alignment. A common course alignment implemented in this way preserves some course materials from the past while highlighting areas for improvement. We believe that our simultaneous incorporation of the 4DEE framework and a CURE positions the ecological sciences and our students for success.