Teaching Macrosystems Ecology Concepts With a Collaborative, Adaptable Education Module

Macrosystems ecology offers a powerful set of concepts and tools for understanding large-scale environmental challenges. Training students to understand and apply these ideas can be challenging, as it requires students to engage with complex concepts and advanced technical skills. To address these challenges, we developed an education module to teach students the conceptual and technical skills necessary for macrosystems ecology research. The relatively short, two-part module facilitates students' exploration of the role of cross-scale interactions, a fundamental macrosystems concept, through applications to stream hydrology. We implemented the education module in a university course with mixed undergraduate and graduate student enrollment and used learning assessments to evaluate the effectiveness of the module. We found that the module increased students' self-reported proficiency and confidence in understanding and interpreting large geospatial datasets. Students also demonstrated increased knowledge of cross-scale interactions after completion of the module. Notably, we found evidence that synthesis of ideas through collaborative learning was a key driver of gains in student outcomes. Our study demonstrates an effective approach for teaching difficult concepts and skills relevant to macrosystems ecology research. Our education module is flexible and adaptable, and could be implemented broadly in STEM courses to teach macrosystems concepts to a wide range of students.