Journal of Academic Development and Education JADE Issue 9 | Page 42

42 | JADE
HIGHLIGHT #5 | 43
SARAH L. TAYLOR
student decides to change their project. The first project in 2012
took place during one of the driest summers on record causing the
drainage ditches under investigation to dry up. After a quick on site
visit with the student and ranger, the focus was switched to how
butterflies were using the banks of vegetation either side of the
ditch. This highlighted the need for flexibility, on site consultation
and a three way dialogue to ensure all partners benefitted from
the collaboration. I see myself as a mediator, ensuring a balance
between science and management is achieved, and where possible
facilitating linkages to management practices and data needs. The
key project output is viable data sets that can be used to write up a
scientific report that meets the university module intended learning
outcomes, while also providing an evidence base for the park’s
management plans. For example, the case study in the In Practice
article was based around Khaled de Jesus’s (2017) project, which
provided evidence that manmade nesting structures enabled the
once scarce moorhen to flourish in the park.
It is not just about generating data though. The collaborative
approach gives students experience of field work in a real world
scenario, producing data that is equivalent to that from ecological
consultancies and developing life skills along the way. Many of the
students have gone on to pursue careers in areas relating to their
projects. A project designed and carried out by the student gives
them so much more than a rote “project from a box” that is rolled
out year after year, and enables students to foster key graduate
attributes, such as “active citizenship” (Keele University 2017) and
help to bridge the graduate ecological skills gap (IEEM 2011).
Acknowledgements
Thanks go to the Groundwork West Midlands park ranger, Andrew
Hunt, and the past and present students who carried out their
studies at Silverdale Country Park.
References
Campbell, N.A., Urry, L.A., Cain M.L., Wasserman, S.A., Minorsky, P.V. and Reece,
J.B. (2017) Biology: A Global Approach, Global Edition. Pearson. pp1339
IEEM (2011). Ecological skills: shaping the profession in the 21 st Century. Institute
of Ecology and Environmental Management.
Keele University (2017). My Keele Journey - active citizenship and graduate
attributes. Available at: https://www.keele.ac.uk/journey/activecitizenship/.
Accessed 4 October 2017.
Khaled de Jesus (2017). Do wildfowl birds prefer man-made or natural nesting
structures at Silverdale Country Park? Unpublished undergraduate thesis,
Keele University.
REFLECTIONS: WHAT ARE THE MUTUALISTIC BENEFITS
OF UNIVERSITY–NATURE RESERVE COLLABORATIONS?
The Land Trust (2017). The hidden value of our green spaces. Available at:
www.thelandtrust.org.uk/thebenefits. Accessed 4 October 2017.
Taylor, S.L., Hunt, A.J. and de Jesus, K. (2017) Conservation on a shoestring:
the mutualistic benefits of university – nature reserve collaborations. In
Practice (The Bulletin of the Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental
Management) 98: 6-10. [copies available from Sarah L. Taylor on request]