This was particularly in-depth on the sciences of ecology, and having it based around a particular conservation project made it easier to follow each progressive lecture and concept that was explored.

I was looking for a course that could help me understand how scientists think about ecological problems, and I had not expected such a wonderful exposé of how younger ambitious scientists physically and mathematically test their hypotheses about what is going on in the field in order to answer their own questions about any given aspect of environment and its ecological puzzles. I was particularly blown away by the work transitioning field data and a few basic assumptions into algebraic expressions, extraordinarily impressive. But I'll admit that I had to play the videos a couple of times to get the transpositions and logic.

I really enjoyed taking this course. It gave me good knowledge base in ecology and conservation. The course is very well structured and is suitable for people with no prior knowledge in the topic.

Great course! Very structured and easy to follow. I really liked that each week it was 2-3 readings, followed by related video lectures. This way the concepts and ideas were introduced in the readings, and reinforced by the videos. Makes learning much more effective. Highly recommended to anyone interested in ecology and the importance of biodiversity and conservation for the wellbeing of all living things.

I have done a lot of online courses and this was the best - it was an accessible level but still included challenging and new information. Many online courses are too simple in their structure but this was many-faceted, tackling real problems as well as methods of thinking and the nuances of solution. Thank you!

I have watched some videos of Gorongosa, specially how the elephants had to adapt to post war conditions. This course provided a wonderful summary of all the changes to date and related how the concepts of Ecology can be applied to a real-world scenario. This course assisted me to get a broader understanding of Ecology - ecosystem dynamics and conservation - which will support my volunteer training work for an organisation providing skills to potential new Nature Guides in South Africa. A great learning experience!

I as a Biologist, think tha this type of courses can make that a lot of persons understaning the importance of the biodiversity and the role of the humanity on the global dynamics. In the other hand, I belive that the course is so wonderful, because it is show the essencial part of the biology in a practice form. Therefore, it´s help us to see in a holystic form, how is the work in other parts in the world, the problemaics and the possibles solution that the scientist use. Congratulations!

This course was extremely fun and informational. there were no dull moments, and the speakers were remarkable. I also really enjoyed reading the articles, would recommend this to friends and peers.

A great summary of the challenges being faced in the conservation science community at the moment. From an Environmental Science background it was great to learn about new case studies.

It was a very informative course giving in depth knowledge about ecology. The lecturers conducting the course have been amazing with their work. Thanks a lot to the entire crew.

Brilliant course that was a lot of fun and extremely interesting! This course should be mandatory for all humans to understand the impact on the ecosystems that we rely on so heavily to live healthy and comfortable lives, and to improve our choices of diet, consumption and so much more. The course was challenging at times with quite a bit of biology and maths incorporated, which made it that much more interesting for me. A lot of courses remain on rather superficial levels but not this one. It dives as deep into the topics as possible in these short five weeks but leaves the learner with a much better understanding of the way our world functions.

Excellent course on ecology, accessible to most people. Some parts of it require a little bit of calculus knowledge but I managed to make sense of it without ever studying calculus. This course brought me a heightened sense of why conservation is so important, why research on species should matter to us all, and also has given me a newfound faith in the good will of those who work to restore the biodiversity of our planet.

I really enjoyed the course. It gave me excellent tools to approach my reasearch.

A very in depth and informative look into the field of ecology and conservation, particularly with regards to the fieldwork and mathematical modelling. The lectures were also excellent.

I learned a lot and it's changed the way I view the world.

Absolutely incredible course. I have never liked online classes but have learned so much from this one! Despite my beginner knowledge of ecology, the concepts were very easy to understand and I attribute that entirely to the way the course is designed.

The professor's essays that you read are engaging and filled with practical real-world examples to apply the theories to. It even features pictures scattered throughout so the reading doesn't seem too dense - instead just like reading a cool article on Nat Geo. Afterwards, there is an engaging video (documentary or nature short film) that repeats the vocabulary learned in the essay, followed by a university lecture video with field experts who repeat the same concepts and show varying theories and experiments pertaining to it. The information is circulated throughout these materials so that concepts are solidified and taking the multiple choice test becomes very easy!

Thank you for creating such a dynamic and engaging course!

Amazing course, it has raised some important points and discussed important issues related to conservation. The course has help develop thought and approach towards ecosystem and how to protect it using scientific approach. This course will definitely help stake holders and decision makers to design policy and strategy safeguarding the biodiversity and further control climate change. Appreciate the examples and citations made in course for better understanding. Thank you.

This is one of the best courses I have taken on coursera so far. It's very informative, yet focuses most on applications by providing research going on a real-life problem (Gorongosa National Park). video lectures and the lecturers were more than amazing and very effective in showing how ecological principle and theoretical knowledge can be taken to the field. I also learned some scientific skills and discovered the fascinating HHMI biointeractive resources.

This course was easy to understand and follow. It covered lots of ground in a way that was informative without going so overboard with jargon that I was lost. I enjoyed the break up of readings and videos. The videos were very informative and kept my interest unlike some that seem to drone on with professors that ramble with knowledge that they lose you. I definitely recommend this course to anyone interested in the field or wanting to learn something new.

Even tough I'm an ecologist by training, I've absolutely profited from this course. It allowed me to learn new aspects about ecosystems and get to know the fascinating Gorongosa ecosystem. The course material is excellent and well understandable with many great examples. The many references to further materials is also great to keep learning more about how ecosystems work and how we can conserve them. Thank you very much for offering this great course!