3.2.1. Identification
Example 1 – Defining characteristics and image boards (Appendix B.1) : The defining characteristics and image boards activity has been used in a Wildlife Plant Identification laboratory course at a split upper undergraduate/graduate level. This activity was developed as a pre-lab activity to aid students in identification of plants they would collect in the field. Students researched and developed a written description of plant parts (e.g., flower, leaves) that helped categorize the plant species into its group (i.e., taxonomic group such as family or genus, growth habit group such as graminioid or forb). Next, students conducted an online image search to find several images that aligned with the written description. Students applied this knowledge in the field to help them identify the correct type of plant to investigate the identity of using plant identification applications (e.g., iNaturalist). This activity could be modified for any course (e.g., introductory science courses, ornithology, botany) where the learning objective is to identify/group objects by using visually describable defining characteristics.
Example 2 – Diversity and taxonomic rankings (Appendix B.2) : The diversity and taxonomic rankings activity has been used in a Shark and Ray Biology field course at the upper undergraduate level. Course enrollment is typically 20 students. This activity was developed to highlight the wide diversity of sharks in the northern Gulf of Mexico while providing students with practice using a dichotomous key. First, students were presented with a Google Slides file that contained instructions and photos of preserved shark and ray specimens. Then, students were given two hours to identify 34 specimens to a predetermined taxonomic ranking: order, family, or species. During the two-hour period, the professor answered clarifying questions about dichotomous key terminology or difficult-to-identify specimens using the chat function in Zoom. Finally, at the end of the two-hour period, correct answers were shared and discussed with the class. This activity could be modified for any course (e.g., vertebrate zoology or other taxon-specific courses) where the objective is to introduce students to diverse new taxa while familiarizing them with the intricacies of a dichotomous key.