Plant identification keys for undergraduate students

Abstract

Identifying organisms is critical to the study of biodiversity. Since teachers must use identification keys that maximize student success and minimize student keying time, studies that compare student performance with different types of keys are needed. During January-May, 2004, undergraduate students used a multi-access key and a traditional dichotomous key to identify plant families of the North Carolina eastern Piedmont. Statistical analyses of keying results and questionnaire responses showed that the dichotomous key was more suitable than the multi-access key for these students. Recommendations for writing effective dichotomous keys for undergraduates are provided.

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