Abstract Detail

Education Sharing our Ethnobotany Curriculum: the Open Science Approach

Brosi, Sunshine [1].

Curriculum Peer-Review and Inter-Institutional Collaboration Assisted by the Open Science Network in Ethnobiology.

Undergraduate degree programs in Ethnobotany are limited in the United States to the University of Hawaii, Manoa, and Frostburg State University in Maryland. However, courses in Ethnobiology can be found within multiple departments at various international institutions. With a few exceptions, ethnobotanists are often geographically isolated from colleagues and potentially stunted in collaboration opportunities when compared to other sub-disciplines within plant biology. The Open Science Network in Ethnobiology (OSN) connects ethnobotany educators in order to increase inter-institutional collaboration and provide opportunities for curriculum development, evaluation, and advancement. Resources which are organized at OSN's website allows instructors to connect concepts in ethnobiology across varies geographic boundaries and areas of expertise. For example, courses at Frostburg State University have been enhanced by incorporation of online learning modules from the University of Hawaii. Lectures with specific learning objectives can incorporate examples from throughout the world and incorporate knowledge from diverse colleagues with various backgrounds. Additionally collaboration of faculty within the network includes sharing of syllabi, specific assignments, grading rubrics,and other curricular activities. For example, students in courses at Frostburg State University and Hollins University in Roanoke, Virginia completed annotated bibliographies on various different species to create a more comprehensive database for plants in Appalachian region. Students at Frostburg State University have also developed online learning modules specific to plants and people of the Appalachian region including American ginseng, native plant dyes, making paper and ink from exotic weeds, and Appalachian dulcimer production. Regional distinctions and global connections will emerge as students and faculty from across the globe develop similar learning modules. In addition, the OSN fosters collaboration which results in peer-review of materials for courses and instructional approaches. This collaboration assists in determining core skills which ethnobiologists need to understand and peer-review of various methods of teaching these skills to students. These resources have been instrumental in developing an open-philosophy in which educators readily share materials in order to advance the discipline.

Broader Impacts:

1 - Frostburg State University, Biology, 101 Braddock Road, Frostburg, MD, 21532, USA

Keywords:
ethnobotany
open source
botany education
science education.

Presentation Type: Symposium or Colloquium Presentation
Session: SY15
Location: Lindell C/Chase Park Plaza
Date: Wednesday, July 13th, 2011
Time: 4:00 PM
Number: SY15002
Abstract ID:250