iNaturalist as an Engaging Tool for Identifying Organisms in Outdoor Activities

Autor/inn/en	Unger, Shem; Rollins, Mark; Tietz, Allison; Dumais, Hailey
Titel	iNaturalist as an Engaging Tool for Identifying Organisms in Outdoor Activities
Quelle	In: Journal of Biological Education, 55 (2021) 5, S.537-547 (11 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Zusatzinformation	ORCID (Unger, Shem)
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0021-9266
DOI	10.1080/00219266.2020.1739114
Schlagwörter	Telecommunications; Handheld Devices; Educational Technology; Technology Uses in Education; Undergraduate Students; Biology; Majors (Students); Outdoor Education; Water; Natural Resources; Ecology; Student Attitudes; Usability; Program Effectiveness; Photography; Taxonomy; Biodiversity; Identification; Science Instruction; College Science; North Carolina + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Telekommunikationstechnik; Unterrichtsmedien; Technology enhanced learning; Technology aided learning; Technologieunterstütztes Lernen; Biologie; Freiluftunterricht; Wasser; Natural Ressource; Natürliche Ressource; Ökologie; Schülerverhalten; Fotografie; Taxonomie; Biodiversität; Identifikation; Identifizierung; Teaching of science; Science education; Natural sciences Lessons; Naturwissenschaftlicher Unterricht
Abstract	We evaluated an emerging smartphone application, iNaturalist, to increase taxonomic identification and engage first-year undergraduate biology majors in outdoor laboratories of aquatic ecosystems (stream and lake ecology) and terrestrial ecosystems (tree and leaf litter ecology). Labs involved identifying organisms using both standard field guides and keys, and comparing taxonomic identifications using the iNaturalist smartphone application derived from student images of organisms. Students were given post-laboratory surveys which assessed their preference for this increasingly popular smartphone application, whether they were more likely to use the application in the future and rate its ability and ease of use to properly identify organisms compared to traditional keys/field guides. This iNaturalist application worked most consistently for students with terrestrial organisms, when images were of sufficient quality. However, when only medium-high to high-quality photos were used, iNaturalist identifications ranged from 92.3% to 97.3% proper biological taxonomic classifications to standard organismal levels for an introductory biology course. Overall, iNaturalist provided greater taxonomic resolution with proper scientific and common names and additional natural history information for many organisms, piquing student interest. Incorporating this smartphone technology may increase identification of local biodiversity and student engagement in the biological sciences. (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2024/1/01