How do ecological interactions structure plant communities?

Professor, Plant Biology

As a plant ecologist, I have conducted long-term ecological research (LTER) on alpine tundra plant communities on Niwot Ridge, Colorado, since 1971. My interest in the complex interactions occurring in plant communities combined with my interest in education, lead me towards discipline-based research on the teaching and learning of science. The research questions I pursue require linking the concepts and processes of biology to those of cognitive science with emphasis on how students construct understanding of the subject. The research methodologies I utilize reflect the complexity of learning, analogous with designs used to investigate the complexity of an ecosystem. Discipline-based research in teaching and learning biology has direct application to curriculum, pedagogy and how graduate students and faculty professionally develop as effective teachers. My current projects include development of an empirically-based model to test the effectiveness of active learning in large introductory biology courses; curriculum and instructional strategies for teaching students in an ecology course argument structure and higher-level thinking to improve their knowledge and understanding; alternative assessments; student self-reflection as a form of student evaluation, and use of LTER sites and other biological field stations for providing faculty and graduate students professional development in teaching.

Selected Publications

Ebert-May, D. and C. Brewer. 1997. Innovation in large lectures–teaching for active learning. Bioscience 47(9):601-607.

Brewer, C.A. and D. Ebert-May. Active learning in large lecture halls: Hearing the case of genetic engineering. Journal of College Science Teaching. In press.

Baldwin, J.A., D. Ebert-May and D. Burns. The development of a college biology self-efficacy instrument for non-majors. Science Education. In press.