Clare Milsom

Fieldwork is good: the student perception and the affective domain

This paper reports on research that investigates the effectiveness of residential field courses in geography, earth science and environmental science courses at UK institutions of higher education. The research focuses on the effects of fieldwork in the affective domain, which is thought to be linked to the adoption of effective approaches to learning. Approximately 300 students were surveyed immediately before and after a field class, enabling analysis of changes in responses brought about as a result of the field experience. Potential differences were looked for between groups of students determined by gender, age, previous experience of fieldwork and place of residence. The research finds that fieldwork leads to significant effects in the affective domain. In general, student responses were very positive prior to fieldwork and became more positive as a result of the field experience. Some groups exhibited higher levels of anxiety about this learning method prior to the field class; however, such differences were mitigated by the field experience. This study concludes that fieldwork is good.

Benthic origins of zooplankton: an environmentally determined macroevolutionary effect

Zooplankton show a unique pattern of evolution with successive waves of invasion into the water column from the benthos. We have found that 18 of 21 planktonic groups whose ancestry can be traced originated in the benthos. New recruits have survived and radiated if preadapted to remain in the plankton, but no major clades have evolved there (with the possible exception of some protists). The innovative steps into the planktic realm do not coincide with major global events such as mass extinctions. Recruitment into the plankton can occur either at the larval stage or in adulthood. No groups have returned to a benthic mode of life from a planktic one, except possibly some of the cnidarians. This unusual pattern of evolution, a one-way track into a particular environment, demonstrates the profound effect of the ecosystem on large-scale patterns and processes of evolution.

Microbial Sealing in the Biostratinomy of Uintacrinus Lagerstätten in the Upper Cretaceous of Kansas and Colorado, USA

Abstract New information pertaining to the biostratinomy of Uintacrinus assemblages has been derived from re-examination of museum collections and analysis of in situ material. Individuals are preserved as thin lenses in dense aggregations with articulated calyces and arms only on the lower surface, in contrast to disarticulated material on the upper surface. Calyces may be imbricated within a lens and are mostly compressed laterally. Specimens also may be preserved oral side up or down. Some specimens displaying the oral side retain soft-part preservation of the tegmen, anal tube, and ambulacra. A thin, jet black organic lamination is visible beneath calyx plates. SEM analysis reveals the presence of possible microbial spherules and filaments on this lamination. Dense aggregations reveal a number of new preservational features, including marginal indentations and lacunae that suggest cohesive behavior of the layer prior to burial. SEM also reveals well-preserved stereom in articulated crinoids on the lower surface, in contrast to the upper surface in which the stereom is apparently infilled with calcium carbonate. Some specimens retain a black, organic lamination within the crinoidal layer itself that may represent remnants of a microbial mat. It is proposed that a microbial mat of necrolytic origin provided cohesion and that microbial sealing during decay may help to explain other instances of similar crinoid preservation, including both benthic and pelagic forms, in which articulation is confined to lower surfaces.

Connecting the Dots: Using Concept Maps for Interpreting Student Satisfaction.

This study utilised concept mapping software to aid interpretation of the qualitative data from student satisfaction surveys. The analysis revealed differences in student priorities and attitudes across the three years of an undergraduate degree. First-year students were more concerned with social and academic integration and demonstrated an emotional response to their engagement with higher education. Comments from second-year students indicated an emphasis on academic progress and development, while final-year students were focused on achievement-oriented learning. Critical aspects of the student experience hidden between survey questions were also revealed. The paper discusses the implications of the findings for understanding the changing interaction between different aspects of student experience and satisfaction. It concludes with suggestions on how this approach to analysis might benefit the work of quality assurance teams and academic developers in other institutions.