Design and evaluation of TIEE, a peer-reviewed electronic teaching resource

Abstract

“Teaching Issues and Experiments in Ecology” (TIEE) is a peer-reviewed electronic publication designed to help ecology faculty improve their teaching. The Ecological Society of America (ESA) electronically hosts TIEE, which is an important part of the Society's contribution to the BioScience Education Network, a pathway of the National Science Digital Library. A central part of each TIEE “Issue” (mainly for use in lectures) and “Experiments” (for inquiry-based labs) are published figures, genuine datasets, and open-ended investigations. Surveys and interviews show that users teach both at liberal arts colleges (61%) and research universities (26%), and that TIEE provides a much-needed outlet for peer-reviewed education scholarship. Over 75% of respondents to our survey (n = 59) adapted TIEE materials for their courses and 30–50% used TIEE as a model for changing their method of teaching. In addition, over 60% said that publishing in TIEE would be valued in reappointment or tenure decisions. Evaluation fin...