Bridging the Gap: Integrating Open Science Skills into Undergraduate Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Education
In the dynamic landscape of ecology and evolution, embracing open science is no longer just an option—it's a necessity. As the movement towards transparency and data accessibility gains momentum, the skills associated with open science are becoming invaluable for budding ecologists and evolutionary biologists.
However, there's a glaring gap in traditional biology undergraduate programs: open science skills are often overlooked. While students immerse themselves in the core concepts of ecology and evolutionary biology, they miss out on crucial opportunities to equip themselves for future careers. And from an educator perspective, how best to navigate the cognitive load of teaching multiple complex concepts simultaneously?
F I G U R E 1 Schematic of the goals, processes, and summary of the teaching tutorials created as part of the Living Data Tutorials.
Recognizing this disparity, a group of graduate students embarked on a mission to bridge the divide. Enter Data Bytes in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology—a working group dedicated to developing open-source teaching tutorials tailored for undergraduate students. These tutorials are a game-changer, seamlessly blending essential evolutionary biology principles with vital open science practices.
The paper resulting from this working group’s efforts, Harnessing open science practices to teach ecology and evolution using interactive tutorials, was co-authored by the CEM’s own Dr. Joey Bernhardt; herself something of an expert on coding in the sciences.
From programming proficiency to data reproducibility, students can – and should be – empowered with the tools they need to thrive in an increasingly collaborative and transparent scientific landscape in the form of easily digestible, scaffolded content delivered through pre-formatted code, vignettes, and interactive tutorials.
These tutorials not only demystify open science but also instill a culture of data literacy and collaboration—a crucial foundation for the scientists of tomorrow.
As we embrace the future of ecological and evolutionary research, integrating open science skills isn't just a choice—it's a responsibility. Through innovative initiatives like Data Bytes, we can ensure that every student emerges equipped to tackle the challenges of tomorrow's scientific landscape.
Griffith, J. E., Houghton, E., Slein, M. A., Fraser Franco, M., Chávez, J., Forsythe, A. B., Glynn, V. M., Katkov, E., Palmier, K. M., Sang, Z., Trejo-Pérez, R., Wiley, B., Sunday, J. M., & Bernhardt, J. R. (2024). Harnessing open science practices to teach ecology and evolutionary biology using interactive tutorials. Ecology and Evolution, 14, e11179.