Open Education Co-Design as a Participatory Pedagogy in an Online Graduate Program

This paper builds on student-instructor partnerships by describing how an instructor, students, program coordinator, and members of a research team were involved in the co-design of an open educational resource in a graduate program in education. A four-part open learning design framework was used to guide the course design: (a) clarifying the co-design process; (b) buildingand sharing knowledge, and making thinkingvisible; (c) building relationships; and (d) sustaininglearning beyond the course. The framework, alongwith the collaborative team effort that was part of alarger research project, enabled the developmentof an openly licensed and accessible digital book.The project brought together a collaborative teamwho were passionate about learning more aboutopen education and a small grant supported theadditional expense of professional copyediting torefine the book.

Farming with Alternative Pollinators benefits pollinators, natural enemies, and yields, and offers transformative change to agriculture

Low- and middle-income countries cannot afford reward-based land sparing for wildflower strips to combat pollinator decline. Two small-grant projects assessed, if an opportunity-cost saving land-sharing approach, Farming with Alternative Pollinators, can provide a method-inherent incentive to motivate farmers to protect pollinators without external rewards. The first large-scale Farming-with-Alternative-Pollinators project used seven main field crops in 233 farmer fields of four agro-ecosystems (adequate rainfall, semi-arid, mountainous and oasis) in Morocco. Here we show results: higher diversity and abundance of wild pollinators and lower pest abundance in enhanced fields than in monocultural control fields; the average net-income increase per surface is 121%. The higher income is a performance-related incentive to enhance habitats. The income increase for farmers is significant and the increase in food production is substantial. Higher productivity per surface can reduce pressure on (semi)-natural landscapes which are increasingly used for agriculture. Land-use change additionally endangers biodiversity and pollinators, whereas this new pollinator-protection approach has potential for transformative change in agriculture.

Creating an AFU Learning Community Group to Combat Ageism

Central Connecticut State University, a regional public university, joined the AFU global network in 2017. Through efforts to teach people what it means to be an AFU and infuse the AFU principles and practices into our campus culture, we recognized that our work must also include educating our faculty colleagues, staff, and administration about ageism and aging in general. Toward this end, we utilized our Center for Teaching and Faculty Development’s small grant program to develop an AFU learning community group (LCG) that includes faculty, staff, and older learners interested in the AFU movement and how they can contribute to the AFU effort on our campus. This presentation will discuss how we have used the LCG as an opportunity to combat ageism and increase aging literacy by sharing resources such as Ageism First Aid, Reframing Aging, and AARP’s Disrupting Aging classroom. Part of a symposium sponsored by Age-Friendly University (AFU) Interest Group.

Comparison trials between Oreochromis andersonii (Kafue Bream) and O. niloticus (imported species) under farm conditions in Zambia.

There has been much discussion for many years over the most suitable tilapia species to use in aquaculture. It has been thought for many years that Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) was the most productive, especially after it had been developed using the genetically improved farmed tilapia (GIFT) protocols, but no trials have taken place under standard farming conditions nor was there ever any consideration taken of the possible ecological side effects of the introduction of alien species into river systems. With the help of a small grant from the Food and Agricultural Organization of United Nations, Kalimba Farm, Zambia, undertook to carry out a direct comparison between the suitability of both O. niloticus and O. andersonii for fish culture under normal farm conditions. These trials took place over three years from 2004 to 2007. The overall results concluded that there were definite advantages for both species in different areas, but considering a genetically improved species was being compared with stock that had been genetically isolated for 25 years, the overall results were encouraging for the indigenous O. andersonii. In addition, taking into account the assumed damage to fragile river systems from the introduction of invasive O. niloticus it was felt that efforts should be made in future to encourage the use of O. andersonii as the preferred fish for aquaculture in areas of Zambia that are not already polluted with O. niloticus and, furthermore, an effort should be made to improve O. andersonii through an on-farm selective breeding programme using the GIFT protocols.

Behavioral complexities at high elevation: assessing prehistoric landscape use in the alpine regions of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem

Alpine landscapes capture our imaginations. Envisioning these forbidding regions occupied by humans in prehistory has drawn academic and public audiences alike. The history of these alpine regions is being rewritten the world over, due in part to recent archaeological discoveries made in the alpine regions of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE). These discoveries, some in the wilderness areas of Montana, have revealed a complex tapestry of prehistoric lifeways. Archaeological and paleobiological research in Montana’s GYE alpine regions by Dr. Craig Lee (INSTAAR/ PCRG), Dr. Rachel Reckin (USFS) and Scott Dersam (PCRG) have spearheaded these continued multi-disciplinary studies in the region. Their efforts have focused on the climatological, ecological, as well as cultural impacts of ice patch use and alpine habitation on patterns of prehistoric occupation in the region. The UW-NPS Research Station Small Grant funded archaeological research and reconnaissance of the alpine regions of Montana’s Beartooth wilderness during the summer 2019. The 2019-field season’s discoveries added significant knowledge to regional research in high elevation studies, documenting the highest known stone circles, ceramics, and Paleoindian hunting activities in Montana. Featured photo from figure 4 in report.

Bridging the Gap Between Academia and Practice: Possibilities for Research Collaboration and Funding

Preparing a successful small grant proposal involves research, planning, preparation, and determination, but obtaining funding for a creative project is not unrealistic. Practitioners are in the trenches on a daily basis, and many likely have novel ideas and relevant questions, especially when it comes to interventions. These intervention questions are important, with the American Occupational Therapy Association reporting that more studies are needed to investigate and support occupation-based intervention. By developing partnerships, educators, practitioners, and students can engage in small scale projects to further the knowledge base in the field of occupational therapy.