A survey of undergraduate ornithology courses in North America.: An article from: Wilson Bulletin

This digital document is an article from Wilson Bulletin, published by Wilson Ornithological Society on June 1, 1999. The length of the article is 3499 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

From the author: The Committee on Undergraduate Education of the Wilson Ornithological Society conducted a survey of ornithology courts in North America as a service for teachers of ornithology. Our survey of 26 responses uncovered 26 creative approaches to teaching ornithology. Nonetheless, a number of commonalities exist. Courses at small colleges and large universities include both lecture and laboratory components and usually extend into the spring. Most courses emphasize anatomy and physiology, nesting, evolution of birds, ecology, and flight, with other topics receiving few or no lectures. Almost 60% of the courses include student dissection or faculty demonstration. Some courses use preserved birds, others use birds that died accidentally, and one uses roasted chickens that are eaten as part of the skeleto-muscular dissection. Laboratory sessions emphasize taxonomy and identification of local and, often, world birds. Most schools have at least a small collection of specimens available for student use. Courses usually include an extensive project and written work. We hope the results of the survey will stimulate discussion among teachers of ornithology as we seek to develop new ideas for our courses.

Citation Details
Title: A survey of undergraduate ornithology courses in North America.
Author: Edward H., Jr. Burtt
Publication:Wilson Bulletin (Refereed)
Date: June 1, 1999
Publisher: Wilson Ornithological Society
Volume: 111 Issue: 2 Page: 287(7)

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