1. Independent study

2. WHY? Inquiry-based lab design encourages independent thought. Has been shown to increase learning and information retention. Working in groups of 3.

3. Timeline (4 weeks) Before October 17-18: Conduct a literature review. October 17-18: Come in for consultations. October 24-November 8: Develop and carry out a 3- week experiment. In class (Nov. 22-29): Present your results orally Write a paper on your experiment (due Nov. 14-15). You should be working on this over the next few weeks...No extensions will be given.

4. Literature review Read peer reviewed papers Is there a gap in knowledge? What is unknown? OR, what is debatable?

5. Project development Consultations Research question and hypotheses – Hypothesis: a statement predicting the outcome of your study. Methods developed to answer your question

6. Variables Dependent variable: what you measure Independent variable: what you control Extraneous variable: something that may influence your results/dependent variable – E.g. lighting, time of day, health status, etc…

7. Data collection Instantaneous/Scan sampling (e.g. fish lab) Focal animal sampling (e.g. Waterfowl park lab) Behavioural scoring (e.g. Flour beetle lab) Create data sheets!

8. Your experiments! What are your options?

9. Critters Pillbugs Snails Flour beetles Hermit crabs Crickets Others? Ants? Isopods? Fish (limited)

10. What else is available? Think about what you have used in lab – Plexiglass plates/chambers, lamps, tanks, heaters, critters… Get creative! Is there anything (within our means) that you would like purchased?

11. Possible avenues of study Trail following Light preference Food preference Mating behaviour Aggressive behaviour Moisture/humidity preference Temperature preference Pheromone detection You have a lot of flexibility when it comes to experiment choice! Think outside the box!

12. Consultations Sign up for a consultation time using Doodle. An email will circulate with the Doodle link within the next few days. Sign up for a time slot during your regular lab period.

13. Presentations Done in class Nov. 22-29, 15 min (12 min pres, 3 min questions) The presentation should consist of the following: – your purpose – research question/hypothesis – methodology – results and implications of your work – future avenues…

14. This sounds like it might be a lot of work… This project is worth 20% of your grade…

15. Your thoughts? Questions?