User: | Open Learning Faculty Member:
Reflecting on the process of designing a field experiment and then carrying it out, I can say that it was very beneficial to my learning process. It wasn’t without some challenges though. I struggled to narrow down a pattern to observe and as a result chose an organism (fungi) that lead to a rather large experimental design. I needed to sample trees and this increased my study area vastly. I ran into some issues grasping sampling methods and procedures and I realized quite quickly, that the energy you put into planning while in the ‘office’ can make for an easy and seamless field visit. I had to return to the field as I had not pre-planned accordingly. I also realized that bias was throughout my study as it depends on the competence of the researcher (me) and my ability to comprehend sampling strategies and also species identification.
I found certain aspects of this process challenging, but I also learned what I could do better in the future. I found it really important to understand the way in which you preferentially learn. I really enjoy learning from another person in the field, rather than a document online. I believe that face-to-face teaching in the field for tree sampling would simplify the technical jargon I felt I was wading through in online procedures and literature. I did also appreciate that an online classroom took me outside, which is not common.
This process allowed me a much deeper and better understanding of the development of ecological theory. It’s one thing to ponder about the natural world, it is a completely different thing to engage in applied science to answer that question. My limited grasp of this, makes me believe that those who possess strong qualities for ecological theory, not only understand large concepts but can narrow down their thinking to minuscule interactions while being analytical thinkers and possessing much creativity.
