Virtual Ecology: An Inquiry-Based Online Learning Environment

东田纳西州立大学(ETSU)的生物学教员和教育工作者团队开发了各种交互式模拟模型，旨在帮助学生加强对重要生态学和进化生物学概念的理解。这些模型模拟了生态学和进化生物学中的经典实验，涉及的领域包括自然选择、性选择、种群遗传学、遗传力、对选择的反应、种间相互作用、种群生物学、生物多样性措施和生态系统生态学。这些模块旨在允许学生操作实验变量，并在图形、表格和实验世界的动画中观察结果，并在学生进行虚拟实验时加强基本概念，如实验控制和复制。由于模拟模型产生的结果具有生物逼真的变化，因此产生的数据非常适合用于生物数据的统计分析教学。项目团队已经将其中几个模型集成到入门和高级生物学课程中，作为虚拟实验室、预科实验室和家庭作业练习。目前项目的一个主要目标是，通过免费提供模型和材料，扩大为在单一机构的课程中使用而开发的这些材料的影响。调查人员正在评估这些模型作为教育工具的有效性，为这些模块开发相关的课程材料，并开发一个最先进的网站(可以在任何有互联网接入的机构使用)，以永久存放该项目。该项目的一个中心重点是对东田纳西州立大学和其他三个机构提供的课程中模拟模型作为学习工具的有效性进行广泛、多方面的分析。调查人员还在对模拟模型在六个学期的特定课程中作为授课增强功能的作用进行全面评估，并创建一个论坛，允许其他机构使用模拟模型的教师提供反馈和建议。

A team of biology faculty and educators at East Tennessee State University (ETSU) has developed a wide variety of interactive simulation models that are designed to help strengthen student understanding of important ecology and evolutionary biology concepts. The models simulate classic experiments in ecology and evolutionary biology, in topical areas such as natural selection, sexual selection, population genetics, heritability, response to selection, interspecific interactions, population biology, biodiversity measures, and ecosystem ecology. The modules are designed to allow students to manipulate experimental variables and observe results in graphs, tables, and in an animation of the experimental world, and to reinforce fundamental concepts such as experimental controls and replication as students conduct virtual experiments. Because the simulation models produce results with biologically realistic variation, the data generated are well-suited to be used in teaching the statistical analysis of biological data. The project team has integrated several of these models into introductory and upper-level biology courses as virtual laboratories, pre-labs, and homework exercises. A major goal of the current project is to broaden the impact of these materials developed for use in a single institution's courses by making the models and material freely available. The investigators are assessing the efficacy of the models as educational tools, developing associated curricular materials for the modules, and developing a state-of-the-art website (that can be used at any institution with Internet access) to permanently house the project. A central focus of the project is to conduct an extensive, multifaceted analysis of the effectiveness of simulation models as learning tools in courses offered at East Tennessee State University and at three other institutions. The investigators are also conducting an overall assessment of how well simulation models function as lecture enhancements in a specific course over six semesters, and creating a forum to allow feedback and suggestions from instructors using the models at other institutions.