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Home
> Education & Careers
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> teg
> Issue 27
> TEG Issue 27: An evaluation of specialist ecology courses by Susan Barker
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Electronic TEGPublished in TEG news issue 27, Spring 2001, by the British Ecological Society. An evaluation of specialist ecology coursesby Susan Barker The Society set up this grant initiative in 1997 to help undergraduates, post-graduates and recent graduates not in full-time employment to meet the costs of specialist field courses. The Education Training and Careers Committee decides which courses grants are available for. Currently, eligible courses are run at a range of centres by The Field Studies Council and also at Kindrogan Field Centre in Perthshire but we are considering expanding the provision. There are only a limited number of grants, which are allocated on a first-come-first-served basis. Grants are awarded to individuals, not groups of individuals or organisations. Grantees are required to produce a short report on the course and this year we have decided to provide an overview of these reports so that members can see the tremendous benefits these courses have. Academic knowledgeThe variety of courses on offer means that there is a huge diversity of subject content. The courses provide specialist knowledge to such a level that is rarely covered even in ecology undergraduate degrees. The courses attended in 2000 included NVC methods, butterflies and moths, aquatic plants, grasses of limestone, slugs and snails, stoneworts, plants of mires, freshwater algae, river and stream invertebrates, stoneflies, mayflies and caddis ID, and yellow composites. The benefits of such training to individuals can be enormous, e.g. "I knew very little about yellow composites before the course started, but by the end I felt confident in being able to identify the common species, and in being able to use appropriate keys to identify less common species and difficult groups (Hieracium)." I am at present doing voluntary work putting ecological data on to the Recorder computer system, and helping with site visits and surveys. Going on this course has greatly increased my botanical knowledge and my chances of finding this type of work "Although the course obviously focused on Stonewort identification and ecology, I learnt a lot about the more general use of taxonomic keys and techniques for identification using microscopic characteristics. I anticipate that this experience will be of considerable use in the identification of other plant types, which will directly aid my future studies." Skills/Future CareersMany students after completing a biology or ecology degree realise that they need identification skills to help them in a career in environmental assessment e.g. the following statement about skills development is quite typical: "After graduation I realised that I wanted to pursue a career in field ecology/botany, but in order to achieve this I would need to learn the field identification skills I had not learned during my degree". The impact on employment too is quite significant: "I would now like to be able to share this enthusiasm and I have several ideas of how to work with moths and butterflies in my new role as a Year Five Primary School teacher. Therefore, I hope that many can benefit from me being able to attend this course." As I intend to pursue a career in plant ecology, I fully expect to build on this foundation in the next few years "Hence, the importance of this grant in enabling me to participate in this course has been invaluable... a catalyst toward achieving greater skills and confidence within my chosen field, thus improving my future career prospects" Quality of teachingThe courses are all approved by the British Ecological Society and the tutors are experienced and specialists in their field: "The standard of teaching was excellent, both in the field and the lab" "This was an excellent course. The tutor was enthusiastic, knowledgeable and patient." "The tutor on the course, is recognised as the leading authority on Charophytes and his expertise and enthusiasm for the subject made the course very valuable and very enjoyable". EnjoymentAll the participants noted how much they had enjoyed the experience, both from an academic and personal view: "The course was very enjoyable and stimulating" "The work was intensive but enjoyable especially due to a very enthusiastic, friendly and helpful team of tutors" "All in all probably the most constructive bank holiday weekend I have had in years. My only regret is that we did not have more time." NeedThe need for such training and funding was also explicit in many reports: "I only work part-time as a Records Officer on the Threatened Plants Database and without this grant I would have found it difficult to able to attend this course". Without gaining the funding The British Ecological Society provided I would have been unable to attend the course as the costs would have been prohibitive. "At the moment I am unemployed and claiming Job Seekers Allowance, so without the grant from you to pay for the course I would not have been able to attend. Thank you for your help". Stimulus for further ecological courses and training.The courses sometimes stimulated people into taking further courses and training: "I am applying to take the Natural History Museum IdQ exam next spring" "As a result of the course I have now registered to study for the Post Experience Certificate in Biological Recording and Species Identification". Facilitating NetworksWe sometimes undervalue the importance of meeting people face-to-face and forming networks. It was clear from some reports that working in a very specialised field means that networks are crucial to facilitate future research and indeed careers of young ecologists. "As a result of the generous funding of the British Ecological Society, I was given the opportunity to not only meet and be guided by people proficient in this area, but also to interact and make 'research colleagues' from around the world, which was indeed an added bonus" Impact on ecological workThe training provided clearly helps individuals but also ecological research such as recording projects. A lot of recording depends on the goodwill of volunteers and to have some specialist input can be tremendous- the cascading of information is critical to the success of such work. "I shall also be contacting the recorders for the forthcoming Staffordshire Flora to offer help and I hope that in this way my participation on the course can be of use to others as well as to myself." The Education Training and Careers Committee recognise the enormous value these courses have and we are keen to continue supporting them through grants to individuals. One quote from a report could be a way forward: "Perhaps in another thirty years the BES might be offering a special grant for OAPs?" Now there's a thought! Many thanks to all those who submitted their reports and whose extracts appear here. Susan Barker | ||||||
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teg
Issue 26
