[Taxacom] Question about teaching and assessing plant systematics/taxonomy topics online

[John Grehan]

Adekunle,

While I have no direct experienc or expertise to offer for this
circumstance I would on general principle suggest you take advantage of the
practical aspects. I would suggest designing a program that emphasizes some
practical efforts by the students supplemented by online resources. Surely
the stuidents will have access to the plant diversity around them. Suggest
you design a project outline, perhaps where students collect samples of
plants where they carry out some detailed documentation (photographic,
specimen storage) of location, habitat, morphology, characters,
identification and construct their own phylogeny for those plants with
respect to each other. Each student will likely assemble a different array
of species and therefore a different phylogenetic arrangement, but the
principles of the exercise would be the same and used as the basis for all
aspects you mention in the outline (e.g. having done their own
morphological interpretation they could examine molecular methods and
principles to assess whether that might give them a different perspective
on their results). No doubt you (or botanists on Taxacom) could figure
something out that is more applicable, but the point I would emphasize is
that you have in a sense been given a great opportunity - the world outside
is the real laboratory (and in a sense our emphasis on teaching inside a
classroom creates a sort of artifice).

John Grehan

On Mon, Apr 6, 2020 at 8:03 AM Adekunle muyiwa via Taxacom <
taxacom at mailman.nhm.ku.edu> wrote:

> Dear taxacomers,
> Any ideas, links and/or resources on how best to go about teaching a 3rd
> year plant taxonomy/systematics course online.
> Topics include plant systematics principles; classification and botanical
> nomenclature; concepts of homology and homoplasy; phylogenetic tree
> reconstruction and interpretation using morphology and DNA sequences data;
> trait mapping; species concepts; identifying selected angiosperm families;
> plant collection project... The primary text we are using is Judd et
> al's_Plant Systematics: A Phylogenetic Approach.
> In the wake of the Covid-19 outbreak that has led to the suspension of
> contact teaching in many places, my concern is how to tailor the contents
> and delivery in an online environment such that students will, at least,
> acquire requisite skills in plant taxonomy. Then how best to conduct
> assessments.
> Thanks for the anticipated response and help
> 'Kunle Adebowale (PhD)Biological & Agricultural SciencesSol Plaatje
> UniversityKimberley 8300, South Africa.
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