The State of Coral Reef Ecosystems of Southeast Florida

The northern extension of the Florida reef tract and a complex of limestone ridges run parallel to the subtropical Atlantic coastline of southeast Florida. Spanning 170 km from the northern border of Biscayne National Park (BNP) in Miami-Dade County to the St. Lucie Inlet in Martin County, the reefs and hardbottom areas in this region support a rich and diverse biological community (Figure 5.1). Nearshore reef habitats in southeast Florida include hardbottom areas, patch reefs and worm reefs (Phragmatopoma spp.) exhibiting abundant octocoral, macroalgae, stony coral and sponge assemblages. Offshore, coral reef associated biotic assemblages occur on linear Holocene Acropora palmata mid-shelf and shelf margin reefs that extend from Miami Dade County to Palm Beach County (Lighty, 1977; Figure 5.2). Anastasia Formation limestone ridges and terraces colonized by reef biota characterize the reefs from Palm Beach County to Martin County (Cooke and Mossom, 1929). The coastal region of southeast Florida is highly developed, containing one third of Florida’s population of 16 million people (U.S. Census Bureau, 2006). Many southeast Florida reefs are located just 1.5 km from this urbanized shoreline. Despite their unique position as the highest latitude reefs along the western Atlantic seaboard, the reefs of southeast Florida have only recently received limited scientific and resource management attention. Andrews et al. (2005) discussed the reefs of southeast Florida and the critical need to implement actions that fill resource knowledge gaps and address conservation and threats to reef health. This report further examines and updates the list of stressors imperiling the health of southeast Florida’s reefs, and presents information gained from new research, monitoring and management efforts to determine the extent and condition of reef resources in this distinctive region

An online formative assessment tool to prepare students for summative assessment in physiology

Background. The didactic approach to teaching physiology in our university has traditionally included the delivery of lectures to large groups, illustrating concepts and referencing recommended textbooks. Importantly, at undergraduate level, our assessments demand a level of application of physiological mechanisms to recognised pathophysiological conditions. Objective. To bridge the gap between lectured material and the application of physiological concepts to pathophysiological conditions, we developed a technological tool approach that augments traditional teaching. Methods. Our e-learning initiative, eQuip, is a custom-built e-learning platform specifically created to align question types included in the program to be similar to those used in current assessments. We describe our formative e-learning system and present preliminary results after the first year of introduction, reporting on the performances and perceptions of 2nd-year physiology students. Results. Students who made use of eQuip for at least three of the teaching blocks achieved significantly better results than those who did not use the program (p=0.0032). Questionnaire feedback was positive with regard to the administration processes and usefulness of eQuip. Students reported particularly liking the ease of access to information; however, <60% of them felt that eQuip motivated them to learn. Conclusion. These results are consistent with the literature, which shows that students who made use of an online formative assessment tool performed better in summative assessment tasks. Despite the improved performance of students, the questionnaire results showed that student motives for using online learning tools indicated that they lack self-directed learning skills and seek easy access to information