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Getting Your Hands Dirty. Field Courses at Athabasca University. Robert Holmberg 16 May 2005 Alberta Introductory Biology Association. Science. = study of real things in a time frame. Biology. = study of living organisms in their natural habitats. Abstractions of - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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Getting Your Hands DirtyField Courses at Athabasca UniversityRobert Holmberg16 May 2005 Alberta Introductory Biology Association
Science= study of real thingsin a time frame
Biology= study of living organismsin their natural habitats
Abstractions of Biological Reality
Abstractions of Biological Reality1. Live organisms in captivity
2. Dead organisms & tissuesAbstractions of Biological Reality
3. Photographs & videosAbstractions of Biological Reality
4. Drawings & simulations
Abstractions of Biological Reality
5. Text & oral descriptionsAbstractions of Biological Reality
But now a few words about my sponsor
primarily distance education continuous enrolments + students work at own pace = asynchronous deliverywww.athabascau.ca
575 courses, 23 degree programs 29,542 students 56,784 course registrations 106 full-time + 161 part-time faculty + 258 part-time tutors
* 2004 data
* 2004 dataStudent Ages
Chart1
40.6
28
9.6
5.4
13.3
3.1
Chart2
43.6
33.9
16.4
6.1
Sheet1
Student Distribution
Alberta40.6
Ontario28
British Columbia9.6
Saskatchewan5.4
Rest of Canada13.3
International3.1
Age Distribution
456.1
2003-4 data
Course Enrollemnts
Undergraduate49411
Graduate7673
57084
Students
Undergraduate26933
Graduate2609
29542
Faculty
Full-time106
Part-time161
Tutors258
Total1028
Sheet2
Sheet3
* 2004 dataStudent Distribution
Chart1
40.6
28
9.6
5.4
13.3
3.1
Sheet1
Student Distribution
Alberta40.6
Ontario28
British Columbia9.6
Saskatchewan5.4
Rest of Canada13.3
International3.1
Age Distribution
456.1
2003-4 data
Course Enrollemnts
Undergraduate49411
Graduate7673
57084
Students
Undergraduate26933
Graduate2609
29542
Faculty
Full-time106
Part-time161
Tutors258
Total1028
Sheet2
Sheet3
Field ComponentsCompulsoryBIOL 321: Wild FlowersBIOL 345: EcologyOptionalBIOL 201: World Ecology*BIOL 206: Biological Laboratories*BIOL 342: Animal Behaviour*BIOL 495/6: Biology Projects
BIOL 321: = plant taxonomy 3-credit, 2nd year 9-day field workshop plant collectionWild Flowers
T. (Lochan) S. Bakshi
U of Cs Kananaskis Field Station Barrier Lake
Q: Why go to the mountains for flowers? A: differences in flowering dates at different altitudes
My question: Why go to the mountains in summer if this is what you get ?
started in 1986 held 16 times since Wild Flowers Workshop
Number of students / year ~12 (range = 8-19)
Workshop = field work and lab work.
One limitation = lab space
Distribution of Students of BIOL 321: Wild Flowers
3-credit, 2nd year 4 home labs 4-day workshop
Home LabsTemperatures and MicroclimatesIntra- and Interspecific CompetitionPredator-Prey Modeling Sampling with Quadrats
Field Ecology WorkshopJust some dumb bunny first run 1976 as an option for BIOL 201 Ministik Hills Field Study Centre, Tofield U of Cs Kananaskis Centre for Environmental Research
Field Ecology Workshop
now at our headquarters in Athabasca
Habitat 1: meadow
Habitat 2: forest
Habitat 3: lentic (pond & lake)
Habitat 4: lotic (river & stream)
Day by Day Schedule & Objectives
Day 1: Physical Factors instruments - precision vs. accuracy temperature water/humidity nutrients of soil & water e.g. N, P, K wind/current pH O2 & CO2
Day 2: Terrestrial Producers quadrats & transects productivity collection & preservation identification ecological terminology
Day 3: Terrestrial Consumers sampling methods (various nets & traps) ethics & legalities of collecting preservation & identification kinds of consumers trophic levels
Day 4: Aquatic Consumers & Summary sampling methods preservation & identification food chains & webs
Medical Emergencies
Determining Students Skills Prior to the Workshop
BIOL 495/6: Biology Projects 3-credits each, 4th year = undergraduate thesis student initiated & designed usually external project supervisor mainly library projects some lab and field projects
Biology Projects Conducted in the Fieldbee behaviourduck nestinggoose fecesptarmigan feedingtrout populationsplants of river delta
Biology Courses at AU* 2004 data
ContactRobert HolmbergCentre for ScienceAthabasca UniversityAthabasca, Alberta T9S 3A3Telephone: 780-675-6203E-mail: robert@athabascau.ca
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