Building Appreciation for Natural History Collections from Biological Collection Data

Recent calls have urged educators to involve students in the process of science to better engage them in learning. In this study, we investigate the effectiveness of using natural history collections (NHCs), a resource with which most students are unfamiliar, as tools for enhancing undergraduate teaching and shaping student attitudes toward both scientific resources and environmental issues. An inquiry-based module centered on firefly specimen data was implemented in introductory non-majors biology courses. The module aimed to (1) increase students' perceived value of NHCs, and (2) improve pro-environmental attitudes as measured by the Revised New Ecological Paradigm (R-NEP) scale, and (3) increase student concern regarding firefly conservation. Students engaged with real specimen data to explore historical and current firefly distributions in Utah and evaluate the impacts of human activity, such as light pollution. Pre- and post-assessments revealed significant increases in student awareness of and attitudes toward the value of NHCs. However, improvements in environmental attitudes were limited, with modest gains in R-NEP items related to ecological concern. Additionally, students ranked fireflies lower in conservation priority compared to more charismatic or ecologically familiar organisms such as pandas and moss. These findings suggest that while NHC-based modules were associated with increased reported appreciation for collections as scientific resources, they may require more refinement to produce more meaningful changes in environmental attitudes. Importantly, the study highlights the pedagogical potential for NHC data for active engagement in the classroom.