Shell-E

Shell-E is an ecology field teaching app that brings practical setup, team allocation, mapped field recording and capture–mark–recapture learning into one connected workflow. Students join an organised practical using their student number, without needing to create a conventional username and password account. Shell-E then connects them to their assigned team, demonstrator and survey area. During fieldwork, students can record snail observations, capture GPS locations, add measurements and photographs, record capture and marking information, and see observations appear on the practical map. Records can also be saved when connectivity is poor and synchronised when a connection becomes available. Shell-E supports linked Practical 1 and Practical 2 capture–mark–recapture sessions. Teaching staff can use results from Practical 1 to plan Practical 2, including moving groups between survey areas while retaining student groups and demonstrators where required. During Practical 2, students are provided with the observed field counts required to calculate local and campus-wide abundance estimates using the Lincoln–Petersen method. Shell-E provides the data and guidance while leaving the ecological calculations to the students themselves. Features include: • Interactive survey maps and allocated team areas • Capture–mark–recapture field recording • Offline recording and later synchronisation • Practical 1 to Practical 2 workflows • Area and campus-wide field summaries • Live team leaderboards • Field guidance and identification support • Practical-specific student onboarding • Golden Snail challenges • Secure demonstrator access and student marking • Configurable assessment tasks and attendance recording • Practical and year filters for historical records • Teacher-controlled announcements and notifications • Student marks export for teaching staff Demonstrators can view their assigned students and survey areas, record observations, complete assessment tasks and access the field data needed to support marking. Teaching staff can create and manage practicals, allocate students to teams and survey areas, configure demonstrator access, manage assessment tasks, review Practical 2 abundance calculations across all survey areas and the whole campus, communicate with the class and export student marks. Returning recorders can also continue contributing suitable observations outside an organised practical when access has been authorised by teaching staff. Shell-E has been developed primarily for ecology field teaching at the University of Exeter.