Denise Pope

University of Massachusetts Amherst | UMass Amherst · Graduate School

There is a broad movement in science classes to emphasize higher-order thinking and complex skills over simple accumulation of facts. A major barrier to making this shift is a lack of good assessment tools for evaluating higher-order thinking that can be used with low effort by instructors. Computerized assessments aid instructors and increase effi...

Background This research builds on a previous study that looked at the effectiveness of a simulation-based module for teaching students about the process of evolution by natural selection. While the previous study showed that the module was successful in teaching how natural selection works, the research uncovered some weaknesses in the design. In...

Background Simulations can be an active and engaging way for students to learn about natural selection, and many have been developed, including both physical and virtual simulations. In this study we assessed the student experience of, and learning from, two natural selection simulations, one physical and one virtual, in a large enrollment introduc...

Background Evolution is a difficult subject for students, with well-documented confusion about natural selection, tree thinking, and genetic drift among other topics. Here we investigate the effect of a simulation-based module about the conservation of black-footed ferrets, a module designed with pedagogical approaches that have been demonstrated t...

Background/Question/Methods The experimental process for testing hypotheses is the backbone of all fields of science, but is something many students struggle with. All the new science standards and frameworks (NGSS, Vision and Change, etc.) strongly encourage active classrooms that help students understand and learn to do good experiments. Yet in...

Competition between species can include signal competition in addition to competition for space and resources. Fiddler crabs (Uca spp.) are an excellent system for examining visual signal competition given their use of visual displays and burrow structures such as sand hoods. Where fiddler crab species overlap in habitat, females may face challenge...

Introduction, A communication network is formed when more than one receiver can intercept the signal produced by a signaller, and when more than one signal reaches a receiver at the same time (McGregor & Dabelsteen, 1996). Communication network theory broadens the consideration of selection pressures on signallers and receivers to include selection...

Like many territory advertisement signals, the claw waving display of fiddler crabs (genus Uca) is commonly thought to have the dual function of simultaneously repelling males and attracting females. I have found, however, that male sand fiddler crabs (U. pugilator) wave significantly more in the presence of females than males, suggesting that thei...

Many territorial advertisement signals are thought to be dual-function signals, directed to both rival male and receptive female conspecifics. However, few studies have tested this assumption by examining whether in fact both sexes are likely to elicit signaling behavior from territorial males. In this study, I experimentally manipulated the social...