Application of learner-based teaching innovations to enhance education in wildlife conservation

Wildlife conservation professionals will be confronted with increasingly co mplex problems in the twenty-first century. This professional milieu will r equire lifelong learning, greatly developed critical thinking ability, and well-honed communications skills, attributes already considered by employer s to be deficient in new employees. To enhance the education of wildlife pr ofessionals, we review teaching applications that promote learner-based mas tery and retention of content knowledge and the development of higher order thinking and process skills (e.g., interpersonal communication). These app lications include active learning strategies that create relevancy and bett er engage students with course material, writing-to-learn to enhance commun ication skills and promote an active learning atmosphere in classrooms, and case studies and controversies to demonstrate to students how ecological c oncepts and management principles can be applied to solve complex problems with multiple stakeholders. Drawing on basic premises from cognitive psycho logy, learner-based education relies on active learning experiences to assi st students in building on prior knowledge. New information and problem-sol ving scenarios are made available to students in relevant contexts to enhan ce learning. We recommend using learner-based pedagogies in teaching wildli fe conservation to better prepare students for careers as natural resource problem-solvers. As educators experiment with learner-based applications wi thin higher education classrooms, professional workshops, or public educati on venues, their results should be shared through professional publications .