Scientific teaching in the ecology education: The collaborative „Fieldwork – Lab – Application to Practice“ approach

This interdisciplinary project will bring new scientific information on current topics of ecology of individuals, populations and communities of microorganisms, invertebrates and vertebrates in natural and artificially created and contaminated habitats. Not only new knowledge but also the process of their acquisition by scientific research will be integrated into the teaching of several subjects in ecology and environmental studies programs in bachelor and master degree studies at FHPV PU in Presov, TU in Zvolen, and UVMPh in Kosice. The current acquisition of students' knowledge and practical skills will take place within the framework of teaching using scientific methods in collaborative ecological and environmental research. Students will be actively involved in the collection of the material, through its processing and analysis by modern methods in the laboratories, to the use of the acquired information for application in practice or publishing. This will significantly improve their prerequisites for successful implementation in the labor market both at home and abroad, and the practical outcomes of research in cooperation with teachers will also be useful in solving real environmental problems. The learning process will also be supported by publishing of new textbooks for subjects (courses) taught be this innovative teaching form. These will also correspond to the specifics of scientific teaching and collaborative research in education. Either new knowledge acquired in this project will be integrated into the textbooks. The result of the project will be new scientific information, modernization and diversification of study programs, introduction of innovative elements in the educational process of accredited and newly-prepared study programs, and higher level of cooperation between departments of three universities in research and teaching.