Forests are excellent “outdoor classrooms” for active learning in ecology and evolution; however, in many areas trees have no leaves or visible animal activity for much of the year. Fallen leaves may preserve evidence of interactions such as herbivory and infectious diseases, although these can be difficult to differentiate from mechanical damage and decomposition in older fallen leaves. I developed an exercise in which students collect fallen leaves and observe several different types of damage to the leaves. I provide images and descriptions of different types of damage and practices to differentiate them. In addition, I provide a list of questions that can be answered by collecting fallen leaves and observations of damage. My students gained valuable quantitative literacy skills by entering data into an online worksheet and performing various calculations and data analysis techniques. This exercise provides many benefits and can be an engaging addition to a high school's or college's outdoor curriculum outside of the growing season.

Microorganisms are diverse, minute, simple life-forms that generally cannot be seen by the naked eye and require the use of a microscope to be visualized. They have a great impact on all other life-forms. Their tiny size conceals them from us, engendering misunderstanding and fear due to the diseases caused by only a tiny minority of them. We conceptualized and installed an art exhibition called Tiny Enormous with the intent to educate our campus community and correct misconceptions about microorganisms. Tiny Enormous utilized a variety of artistic media, including paint, sculpture, video, and preserved plates, to display the diversity and ubiquity of microbes, and a series of infographics to illustrate key concepts and correct misconceptions. We surveyed visitors at the opening and closing receptions to examine their knowledge about, and perceptions and attitudes toward, microorganisms prior to and after visiting the exhibition. Respondents who had viewed Tiny Enormous demonstrated better knowledge of microbiological terms and concepts and self-reported increased knowledge about microorganisms compared to those who had not. Perceptions that microorganisms were harmful did not differ between subjects prior to and after visiting Tiny Enormous , possibly because of the exhibition's information about “superbugs.” Our results suggest that artistic representations of microorganisms are effective educational tools for both academic and nonacademic audiences.

The abundance of online resources that students have access to makes it difficult to determine whether the information they find is accurate. Several online sources have claimed that hamburgers from fast-food chains do not decompose, and we developed two exercises that allow students to (1) test this claim, (2) learn about fungi, and (3) reflect on their eating habits. In both exercises, we inoculated fast-food items with the fungus Rhizopus stolonifer . The first exercise was a controlled experiment with hamburgers, and the second was a screening trial in which all students brought in their own fast-food items. In both exercises, animal-based products and fatty baked products (e.g., biscuits) allowed R. stolonifer to grow, while condiments and bread products tended to inhibit growth. Our students indicated that they would be more critical of online information and that they would eat less fast food. These exercises met our objectives and engaged our students, and we encourage others to develop exercises that examine online claims.

Global human population size and understanding how it has changed and will change in the future are important concepts for students. Here I describe exercises that use online databases provided by the U.S. Census Bureau to show students how both population size and the rate of change vary over time. In the first exercise, the U.S. population clock is used to calculate daily birth, death, and migrant and death rates, and how the world population clock is used to calculate the rate of change. These rates can be used to predict what the population size would be if the rates remained unchanged for a predetermined time interval. In the second exercise, historical data are used to determine the years with the most change in U.S. and world population size, then calculate how much larger the current population would be if those historical rates of change remained constant. These exercises have improved quantitative literacy while showing students current and historical trends in human population.

Understanding how to read and interpret phylogenetic trees is an essential skill for biology students. We tested an alternative approach in which students draw trees showing the evolution of familiar nonliving objects, such as cell phones and vehicles, rather than unfamiliar species. We surveyed students in a two-semester biology sequence for majors to determine whether this approach increased engagement, and we found that they preferred the alternative approach. Another group of students performing the activity with nonliving objects showed that performance on a content assessment was not changed before and after the activity. A final group showed that students who had drawn trees of nonliving objects beforehand were able to draw phylogenetic trees of living species more accurately than classmates who did not draw them previously. Although drawing trees of nonliving objects rather than living species did not affect students’ content-learning outcomes, it did improve their ability to draw phylogenetic trees accurately, and they preferred it. These pieces of evidence suggest that drawing trees showing the evolution of nonliving objects is an engaging and beneficial addition to evolution lesson plans.

Invasive species, defined as exotic species that reach pest status, are major threats to global biodiversity. Although invasive species can belong to any taxonomic group, general characteristics such as rapid growth and reproduction are shared by many invasive species. “Invented Invaders” is a collaborative activity in which students invent and draw the “perfect” invasive species, made up of a combination of characteristics of actual invasive species in their geographic region. Students then list sustainable ways to control or manage the invented invader. This activity engages students and educates them about a continuing global problem while encouraging creativity and advocacy for the environment.

“Biology Myth-Killers” is an activity designed to identify and correct common misconceptions for high school and college introductory biology courses. Students identify common myths, which double as biology misconceptions, and use appropriate sources to share the “truth” about the myths. This learner-centered activity is a fun and engaging way to correct misconceptions and prepare students to overcome other important misconceptions.

I explain a classroom activity to model translation of RNA into proteins. Students are given worksheets with short mRNA sequences and a genetic code coding phrases instead of amino acids. Students use the code to write a sentence from their mRNA sequences; a "Chuck Norris fact" is provided as an example. I also provide instructions to expand this activity to include transcription of DNA into RNA.