Upcoming Session Dates (12-week class)

• Offered during Spring 2025 Session 2-3: February 17-May 18
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Have you ever wondered how ornithologists research birds in the field?  Learn about avian research techniques from an ecologist experienced in a variety of avian research methods including point counts, transects, bird banding, and nest monitoring. In this career-oriented class, students will learn about and try out some of the skills of a field ornithologist.  

This class assumes students are beginning with some basic bird identification skills, so we'll begin with a series of 3 accelerated interactive lectures in bird identification, firming up students' skills in identifying birds near them using shape, size, color pattern, sounds, habitat, behavior, and range. Then students will be introduced to 7 methods used in avian research: 1) point counts, 2) transects, 3) behavior observations, 4) bird banding, 5) citizen science, 6) spot mapping, and 7) nest monitoring.  As they are learning about avian research techniques, students design and conduct their own independent avian field research project using point counts, transects, or bird behavior observations.  Students then learn how to analyze their data and write up a full scientific manuscript (title, introduction, methods, results, discussion, and literature cited sections). The course ends with an opportunity for students to consider the variety of career paths available in ornithology as well other bird-related careers.

Assignments for the first several will be a "boots in the field, binoculars in hand" lab in which students will try out bird census techniques (point counts and transects) and practice recording bird observations using a Grinnell Field Journal and eBird. For weeks 4-12 homework will revolve around designing, conducting, and then writing up an independent avian field research project in the format of a scientific manuscript. Writing guidelines and expectations are modeled after college introductory-level biology course expectations for final project write-ups.  These expectations are also similar to weekly lab write-up expectations for many upper-level college biology courses.  The course is structured to provide "scaffolding" so that even students who are new to independent research projects will incrementally build the knowledge and skills needed to meet the project expectations. Heather will provide extensive individual feedback as students are guided through this writing process. Students who are able to invest the necessary time (typically about 3-4 hours weekly) into lessons and assignments will leave this class with a deeper understanding of avian research, a polished scientific paper, and the confidence to tackle field ecology research at an undergraduate level. 

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Class Components:

This class is hosted independently using Google Classroom and Google Meet. Students must have a Google email to enroll. 

Weekly Office Hour:

Each week, students may choose to participate in an optional, live, 55-minute office hour for instructor support and interaction with other students taking courses in the Ornithologist in Training curriculum series. During this time, students may ask the instructor questions, work on course materials independently, or work on course materials with other students in small groups. The office hour begins with a brief greeting and goal-setting session to help students identify their goals for the office hour session and ends with a brief opportunity to share learning insights and course material progress.    

Weekly Lessons:

Each week students receive a link to one or two interactive lessons using Pear Deck. Lessons are designed to take 30-45 minutes to complete. Pear Deck lessons include slide visuals, audio recordings, video, and website links to explore as well as opportunities for students to respond to questions and prompts embedded in the lesson. Pear Deck Lessons are due at the end of the week on Sunday, and students completing the lesson on time will receive instructor feedback. 

Weekly Discussion Assignments:

A discussion question assignment will be posted each week.  Students should respond to the questions and comment on, expand on, or ask questions about what others share in a way that contributes productively to the class discussion. Students are encouraged to check back again at the end of the week to see if classmates have posted any new comments. These discussion assignments are designed to take 15-20 minutes and allow students to extend the lesson or synthesize what they have learned by sharing responses with classmates.     

Labs: 

There are 4 labs (assigned weeks 1-3 and week 8). These labs provide students with an opportunity to try out several avian research techniques.

Research and Writing Assignments: 

Assignments for the independent research project will guide students through the process of selecting and designing a research project, researching existing scientific literature, gathering and analyzing field data, and writing up research results into a full scientific manuscript. Each research and writing assignment is designed to take 1.5-2 hours.  

Notes About Assignments and Grades:

All assignments submitted on time will receive individual feedback from the instructor. Grades are optional in this course and the grading scale and grading methods are specified in the course syllabus. Students who wish to receive a grade (percentage and letter grade) should notify the instructor by the start of the 2nd week of class. The full course syllabus will be provided on the first day of class and is available early upon request.

Ornithologist in Training Curriculum Series

This course is part of the Ornithologist in Training Curriculum Series, a rigorous, multi-year ornithology curriculum culminating in the development of skills in independent ornithology field research and college-prep scientific writing. Each course in the Ornithologist in Training Curriculum Series may be taken as a stand-alone course, or in series using any order.

Learners seeking a comprehensive multi-year curriculum in Ornithology may want to consider taking two courses that pair together in one semester. Here is an example of how a learner could use the Ornithologist in Training curriculum series to take 3 full years of ornithology courses:

• Year 1, Semester 1: The Evolution of Birds
  • The Origin and Diversification of Birds (6 weeks, 1.5-2.5 hr per week)
  • Bird Evolutionary Biology and Systematics (6 weeks, 1.5-2.5 hr per week)
• Year 1, Semester 2: Bird Anatomy, Physiology, and Adaptations for Flight 
  • Bird Anatomy and Physiology (6 weeks, 1.5-2 .5 hr per week)
  • Bird Feathers and Flight (6 weeks, 1.5-2.5 hr per week)
• Year 2, Semester 1: Bird Behavior
  • Bird Foraging Behavior  (6 weeks, 1.5-2 .5 hr per week) - under development
  • Breeding Biology of Birds (6 weeks, 1.5-2 .5 hr per week) - under development
• Year 2, Semester 2: Ecology of Birds
  • Bird Migration and Dispersal  (6 weeks, 1.5-2 .5 hr per week) - under development
  • Bird Population and Community Ecology (6 weeks, 1.5-2 .5 hr per week) - under development
• Year 3, Semester 1: Avian Research and Scientific Writing (12 weeks, 3-4 hr per week)
• Year 3, Semester 2: Mentoring in Field Research and Scientific Writing: After completing the course Avian Research and Scientific Writing, dedicated ornithology students often use subsequent semesters to refine their scientific writing/presentation skills and pursue research interests through the  1-to-1 independent research mentoring opportunities.

This course is geared toward learners of all types. 

Assignment and Course Materials Accommodations 

• We all learn in different ways, and I am happy to modify assignments and course materials to remove barriers that may be making it difficult for students to learn in this class. 
• I keep my course sizes small, allowing me to tailor course materials to individual learner needs. 
• Please feel welcome, at any time, to reach out to me to discuss any challenges your learner is facing and how I can help through course modifications and accommodations. You are always welcome to suggest a modification to an assignment or a course materials accommodation that will help your learner. 

There are some helpful tools/features that are already built into this course to help support students with diverse learning needs.