Problem-based learning in ecology enables students to apply tools and theories to real-world ecological problems.

Traditional, lecture-based learning of theoretical concepts in ecology can make it difficult for students to understand the underlying mechanisms of ecological patterns and processes (Sungur et al., 2006). In conservation biology, an integration of theory and modelling programs can assist conservation efforts (Heard et al., 2016). In the past, the course Introduction to Ecological Modelling (COS-336) was a lecture-based course, and students performed poorly. The students were unable to contextualize the theoretical concepts and could not apply them to real-world examples. With this in mind, I created weekly problem sets based on current environmental issues, such as habitat loss, species extinction, and climate change. Here, I demonstrate one of the problem sets based on assessing how habitat connectivity affects endangered Malayan tapir movement and impacts population viability.