Online Research in Biology

What traits can be used to understand evolutionary relationships among organisms? In the investigation Sound Trees, students examine morphological behavioral traits of owls in order to make hypotheses about how they are related. By learning to access the Macaulay Library and interpret graphic representations of sound, they also prepare to do their own independent inquiries. View

What defines a species? And what are the conservation implications of the species definitions we choose? In the investigation Species Concepts in Birds, students examine sound and video recordings of pairs of species to look for evidence of possible hybridization or behavioral reproductive isolation. View

Are the distributions of breeding birds in New York state increasing, or decreasing? To what extent do these changes appear to result from human-caused changes in the habitat? Using data from two Breeding Bird Atlas projects conducted 20 years apart, students investigate Birds in Human Landscapes. This activity uses Google Earth and the New York State Breeding Bird Atlas database. Useful resources are also provided to create your own national or international adaptation of this lesson. View

Why are some bird species so elaborately plumaged? Why do the sexes look alike in some bird species but not others? In the investigation Ornamentation in Birds, students use the Birds of North America Online and the Macaulay Library to learn about the evolutionary forces driving sexual dimorphism. View

news: Website on Designing Better Learning Experiences

Submitted by colleen on 06-07-2010 12:12pm EDT

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Dee Fink, director of the national Teaching and Curriculum Improvement project, has launched a new website entitled Designing Better Learning Experiences.

According to Dr. Fink, the site features multiple types of resources and information,

"Information on multiple ways to learn the basics of good course design

Resources (handouts, ideas, short papers, etc.) that can help develop good course designs

Examples of good course design  (we have a few posted; we hope people will submit more)

Ways to communicate with others:  a listserv and a special topics forum

News and information about upcoming events"

more ...

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