RCN-UBE: Transforming Ecology Education to Four Dimensional Network

由美国生态学会牵头的转型生态教育网络旨在促进四维生态教育框架（4DEE）的适应和采用。 4DEE框架提出了一种更新的生态教育方法，将传统生态实践纳入重要的大思想框架，人类与环境的互动以及跨领域主题，为后代提供预测和应对不断变化的世界所需的知识和技能。 通知转型生态教育网络是几个理论和最佳实践，包括1）指导，连接教师在生态学的广泛领域，2）战略，促进教师的动机和实践在一个持续的时间，和3）促进网络成员之间的连接。该网络将促进包容性的做法，让不同的学生群体参与生态学，并利用与其他相关网络的联系，加快采用。 随着网络的发展，我们的共同努力将使我们更接近我们的多元化和生态素养的劳动力和公民能够促进科学研究，管理和知情对话我们不断变化的生态系统的理想愿景。 转型生态教育（TEE）网络提供了一个机会，探索学科社会在鼓励创新和激励核心志愿者领导者和分布在多个机构和多个网络的教师网络的独特作用。通过利用网络方法来促进课程变革，TEE旨在了解1）在学科社会的支持下，网络的结构和力量如何催化和加速创新，2）如何利用或利用资源、专业知识和网络，以及3）如何随着时间的推移维持网络关系和互动。与计划主任和协调员的战略工作将提供关于如何在普通生物学课程生态/环境科学单位的范围和顺序可能与4DEE对齐的见解，从而影响更多的教师和学生。TEE将包括与生态学家合作的教育研究人员，这些研究活动将为TEE和教育界带来广泛的利益。TEE工作将通过涉及其他学科学会的开源材料和活动传播，以影响其他生物学科的教师。该项目由生物基础设施部生物科学理事会和本科教育部教育和人力资源理事会共同资助，作为应对本科生物学教育中的愿景和变革所带来的挑战的努力的一部分：行动呼吁（网址：//visionandchange/finalreport/）该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值进行评估，更广泛的影响审查标准。

The Transforming Ecology Education network, spearheaded by the Ecological Society of America, seeks to catalyze the adaptation and adoption of the Four-Dimensional Ecology Education Framework (4DEE). The 4DEE framework presents an updated approach to ecology education that incorporates traditional ecology practices in a framework of important big ideas, human interactions with the environment, and cross-cutting themes to equip future generations with the knowledge and skills needed to anticipate and respond to a changing world. Informing the Transforming Ecology Education network are several theories and best practices including 1) mentoring that connects faculty across the wide-ranging field of ecology, 2) strategies that promote faculty motivation and practice over a sustained period, and 3) fostering connections across members of the network. The network will foster inclusive practices for diverse student populations to engage in ecology and leverage connections to other relevant networks that will accelerate adoption. As the network grows, our combined efforts will lead us closer to our aspirational vision of a diverse and ecologically literate workforce and citizenry capable of contributing to the scientific study, management, and informed dialogue about our changing ecological systems. The Transforming Ecology Education (TEE) network presents an opportunity to explore the unique role of a disciplinary society in encouraging innovation and motivating a network of core volunteer leaders and distributed faculty in multiple institutions and across multiple networks. By utilizing a network approach to foster curricular change, TEE seeks to understand 1) how the structure and power of networks can catalyze and accelerate innovation when championed by a disciplinary society, 2) how resources, expertise, and networks are utilized or leveraged, and 3) how network relationships and interactions can be sustained over time. The strategic work with program directors and coordinators will provide insight on how the scope and sequence of ecology / environmental science units in general biology courses may be aligned with 4DEE and thus, impacting many more faculty and students. The TEE will include educational researchers working with ecologists on pedagogical research activities which will be of wide benefit for TEE and the education community. The TEE work will be disseminated via open-sourced materials and events involving other disciplinary societies to impact faculty in other biological disciplines. This project is being jointly funded by the Directorate for Biological Sciences, Division of Biological Infrastructure, and the Directorate for Education and Human Resources, Division of Undergraduate Education as part of their efforts to address the challenges posed in Vision and Change in Undergraduate Biology Education: A Call to Action (http://visionandchange/finalreport/).This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.