Dendrology 2013 Homework Assignments

Since the unmapped areas of the MU Urban Forest are "Currently Under Construction - quite literally!", we will return to two of the original objectives of the MUDES project, rather than map MUUF trees this year:

1. Enriched the educational experience of students by involving them in the creation of an interactive CD ROM expert system which will replace two textbooks that are currently used in Dendrology (Botany 205).
2. Improve instructional effectiveness by engaging undergraduates in the creation of this expert system which will require utilization of their newly/simultaneously acquired knowledge of trees and wood into a format that is both self reinforcing and beneficial to future students.

The next logical phase of the MUDES project is to begin a major update of the interactive CD ROM interface to make it more widely available to the average citizen by transforming the interactive CD ROM expert system into an Android AP.  Any and all financial proceeds from the MUDES AP will accrue to the MUDES Royalties Account, which will be used to exclusively enhance the teaching of Dendrology at Miami University, in accordance with a "Pay It Forward"  sort of philosophy.  Your contribution to this endeavor, will benefit your MU colleagues of the future.

To accomplish this "more average citizen" AP version, each of you will be asked to complete:

Homework 2013 Part A (34%).  Independently evaluate the difficulty level of each attribute menu item in the Angiosperm Tree Data Base.  Your inputs will be used to establish new difficulty levels for each attribute, and identify particularly problematic attributes, for consideration of modification. 

Menu Difficulty Level is from 1 (easiest) to 4 (most difficult). 

Some Guidelines to think about:

Level 1.  This attribute is extremely easy for the average citizen, with little experience with plants, to assess.  A third grader could use their powers of observation to assess this attribute by looking at the plant. 

Level 2.  This attribute is easy for the average citizen, with some experience with plants, to assess.  A sixth grader could use their powers of observation to assess this attribute by looking at the plant

Level 3.  This attribute is difficult for the average citizen, with some experience with plants, to assess.  A ninth grader could use their powers of observation to assess this attribute by looking at the plant. 

Level 4.  This attribute is extremely difficult for the average citizen, with some experience with plants, to assess.  This might be because, the attribute is difficult to observe without the aid of a hand lens, or it might require detailed understanding of plant biological structure.  A twelfth grader could use their powers of observation to assess this attribute by looking at the plant.

Homework 2013 Part B (33%).  Working in small groups, composed of equal numbers of Botany and non-Botany majors (to be assigned), evaluate the following attributes:

• Pith color
• Pith shape
• Twig morphology

for an assigned number of Angiosperm tree species.

Homework 2013 Part C (33%).  Working in small groups, composed of equal numbers of Botany and non-Botany majors (to be assigned), evaluate the user friendly-ness and utility of the existing attribute menu structure.
Each group will turn in a group evaluation for all menu attributes, recommending:

1.  Merger or splitting of existing attributes.
2.  Synonyms for attributes, to make these more useful to the average citizen.
3.  Difficulty levels for their proposed modifications.