Teaching Sampling Methods Using Ecological Examples

Ecological examples provide a rich source of material for class exercises as part of a course on sampling methods. These examples can be used for teaching the classical theory for the estimation of the parameters of a finite population, in which case they help students to learn the practical aspects of the design of studies, and the appropriate use of the standard equations for estimation with simple random sampling and more complicated sampling strategies. In addition, they can be used to introduce the ideas of encounter sampling where observations cannot be identified except as a result of carrying out the sampling. We give examples of the types of ecological examples that can be used and argue that it is only through carrying out the design of sampling procedures, and collecting and analysing data themselves that students can properly understand statistical principles.