How an Early, Inclusive Field Course can Build Persistence in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Abstract

Field courses have been identified as powerful tools for student success in science, but the potential for field courses to address demographic disparities and the mechanisms behind these benefits are not well understood. To address these knowledge gaps, we studied students in a non-majors Ecology and Evolutionary Biology course, Introduction to Field Research and Conservation, at the University of California Santa Cruz (UCSC), a large Hispanic-Serving Institution. We examined (a) the effects of participation on students’ perception of their scientific competencies, and (b) how the field course shaped student experiences and built their sense of community, confidence and belonging in science. Our mixed-methods approach included the Persistence in the The Sciences (PITS) survey (Hanauer et al. 2017) with field course students and a control group; interviews, focus groups and prompted student journal entries with a subset of field course students; and participant-observation. We found that field course participants scored higher on all science identity items of the PITS instrument than students in the control (lecture course) group. Field course students from underrepresented minority groups also scored similarly to or higher than their well-represented peers on each of the six PITS survey components. From our qualitative data, themes of growth in peer community, relationships with mentors, confidence living and working outdoors, team-based science experiences, and a sense of contributing to knowledge and discovery interacted throughout the course—especially from the initial overnight field trip to the final one—to assist these gains and strengthen interest in science and support persistence. These findings highlight the importance of holistic support and community building as necessary driving factors in inclusive course design, especially as a way to begin to dismantle structures of exclusion in the sciences.

Overcoming racism in the twin spheres of conservation science and practice

“…Prioritize inclusive teaching practices in conservation courses by embracing the tenets of inclusive course design, active learning modalities and service learning techniques, to encourage broader participation and interest in conservation sciences. Recommended reading [64][65][66][67].…”

Affective Learning Outcomes in the Field: A Review of the 2021 Undergraduate Field Experiences Research Network Meeting

“…We found that course features that supported inclusion (Zavaleta et al 2020), provided holistic support, focused on community building (Race et al 2021), and allowed for multiple inquiry‐driven group research opportunities created spaces for student gains in the above‐mentioned affective outcomes. When designing field course experiences, we suggest attention be paid to the “5 I’s”‐ Inclusion, Immersion, Interpersonal, Iteration, and Inquiry‐driven‐ to support psychological outcomes associated with persistence in the sciences (Race et al, 2021). Additionally, we argue for a flipped curricular structure in biology majors—one that puts research at the front of the major experience—as a tool to improve retention in and diversify ecology and evolutionary biology.…”

“…David Esparza and Kira Treibergs.-In 2012, the 2012 called for research to define the affective domain in field-based learning. In response, recent studies suggest that field courses in ecology and evolutionary biology (EEB) can support students' affective development (Beltran et al 2020, Race et al 2021). However, it has also been found that minoritized students in EEB programs can express discomfort in the outdoors (O'Brien et al 2020).…”

“…Though field experiences are seen as important, they can be expensive and logistically complex, and for years field programs have faced challenges related to funding reductions at institutions of higher education (Moore 2001, Smith 2004, Cotton 2009, Fleischner et al 2017. The global pandemic has made this past year especially difficult for field programs in that many had to rapidly adapt to create virtual field experience equivalents (Barton 2020, Burmeister 2020, Gerhart et al 2021, Race et al 2021, drastically reduce the number of students they serve, or cancel their offerings altogether (Swing et al 2021).…”

“…We looked specifically to a 2-unit introductory field course with no prerequisites, Introduction to Field Research and Conservation, to better understand how field courses can lead to gains in affective outcomes that lead to persistence, like self-efficacy, science identity, and sense of belonging (Hanauer et al 2016). We found that course features that supported inclusion (Zavaleta et al 2020), provided holistic support, focused on community building (Race et al 2021), and allowed for multiple inquirydriven group research opportunities created spaces for student gains in the above-mentioned affective outcomes. When designing field course experiences, we suggest attention be paid to the "5 I's"-Inclusion, Immersion, Interpersonal, Iteration, and Inquiry-driven-to support psychological outcomes associated with persistence in the sciences (Race et al, 2021).…”