Data-Based Decisions in the Department of Wildland Resources

We continuously revise and improve our academic offerings by applying the principle of adaptive management, which is the approach we teach our students to adopt when they become managers of wildland ecosystems.  Essentially this is a process of learning-by-doing, in which the entire process, from objectives to outcomes, is continually adapted to suit changing conditions, which can be environmental, economic, political, etc.  The process is outlined in the Adaptive Management Cycle diagram.

Some examples of data-based decisions that have led to recent changes in our undergraduate programs:

• We changed the way in which academic advising is conducted in the Department. In the previous system every faculty member was allocated a set of advisees to work with, but it was apparent that some faculty members are better than others at advising undergraduate students. The present system has one selected faculty member appointed as the dedicated advisor for each major and the response from students has been very positive.
• The number of required courses in the Wildlife Science major has been reduced to open up opportunities for elective courses that assist students in meeting specific curriculum requirements for certain professional appointments, such as prescribed by the federal government’s Office of Personnel Management.
• We have introduced a program of workshops to assist undergraduates in planning for graduate school.