Psychology Brown Bag: Animal Behavior with an Abroad Field Study – a new way to do an Ambassador Program.
Friday, January 12, 2018
12:15 pm to 1:15 pm
Campus:
Dayton
Audience: Undergraduate and Graduate Students, Faculty, Staff
For the second year in a row, a group of 12 WSU students and 2 faculty members, traveled to Poland for 3 weeks in August to observe and work with animals in 2 remote field stations and a zoo. Field stations experiments were performed on birds and included: estimating uplift power, cognitive abilities, mimicking behavior, migratory behavior, as well as intra and inter-species interactions. During their travels, American students collaborated with Polish students and faculty while conducting behavioral observations under the supervision of English-speaking Polish faculty and zoo personnel. While participating in this international cooperation, students were learning a new language and culture, enhancing critical thinking and problem solving skills, and deepening their knowledge and respect for science.
Between assignments at the field stations, students stayed in the historic city of Gdansk, toured the medieval Malbork Castle – considered the largest gothic castle in the world, walked and shopped in the Old Town of Gdansk, strolled along the beach on the Baltic Sea, and visited neighboring cities and other important sites. They also enjoyed traditional Polish cuisine and the Polish nightlife.
This unique program is a component of the Biology/Psychology Animal Behavior course (BIO 4010/PSY 4941/6941). Developed with the aim of creating a significant educational and life changing experience, Dr. Kraszpulski designed this study-abroad experience to help his students be better prepared for careers in the global village. Distinctive among Wright State’s Ambassador Programs, this study abroad experience in Poland is just a component of a regular semester course. While abroad, students were given the time and opportunity to concentrate on data collection and use their free time for rest and recreation. The result was a better immersion experience that allowed students more time to enjoy Polish culture and customs. By linking the study abroad program with a regular semester course, students were afforded a more dynamic educational experience which deepened their understanding of field research and science, varied their educational outcomes to include both cultural competence and professional mentoring, and expanded what they learned about the course topic. Having additional time for lectures and other educational activities during the regular semester results in students getting theoretical knowledge of the Animal Behavior field, having a hands on experience in data collection and analysis, as well as preparing a publication style manuscript.
