One of the possible ways to have students work on a course project throughout a semester is to have periodic concept map assignments. Journals were framed as homework assignments to be done individually. The purpose of these assignments was to help students prepare for their final project in ISB202.
Overview of Journal Assignments #3-7 (What is the purpose of these journal assignments and what is the format?): In the remaining journal assignments, students will continue their investigation of their candidate species. You have considered general arguments for and against de-extinction; that is, does de-extinction seem like a good idea overall, at least on paper? Now, let’s ask what this process might look like in practice. To do so you will critically evaluate whether your species is a candidate for de-extinction. It stands to reason that some species may be better candidates for de-extinction than others. For example, we may know more about the biology for some species than others, appropriate habitat for release may be available for some species and not others, or the reason(s) for extinction may not be present any longer for some species but not others. We need to make decisions based on evidence regarding which species might be promoted as candidates and for which species it may never work.
An important point here is that you should evaluate species in their own right and not from the lens of your opinion about de-extinction; that means you need to use empirical evidence. If your position (after completing your first journal assignment) is that de-extinction will be an important tool as a conservation strategy, you should be careful that you step away from the position and use evidence to evaluate your candidate species. If you do this, then you are equally likely to conclude that your species is a candidate for de-extinction as you are to conclude it is not. The same is true if you oppose the idea; be open to the idea that your review of your candidate species might reveal that it just may be an excellent candidate. This is critical for this project, but also critical in the process of science. Scientists must weigh the evidence, be aware of any personal biases they may have, and do everything possible to limit personal opinions from swaying their interpretation.
The remaining journal assignments will be created using a concept map format, similar to the first journal assignment. Similarly, there will be three “levels” to the concept map. For a full description of this assignment, including descriptions of the levels of mapping, and overview of concept mapping generally, as well as the grading rubric, check out the attachment. You can also check out full descriptions of the reflective journal assignment and the annotated reference list journal assignment to gain the whole picture.