Integrating Inquiry and Technology into the Undergraduate Introductory Biology Curriculum (original) (raw)
Related papers
Transforming undergraduate biology learning with inquiry-based instruction
Journal of Computing in Higher Education, 2017
We developed an inquiry-driven course to enable students to develop skills they need to effectively use large amounts of information available on the Internet (including evaluating information, synthesizing, and collaborating) and engage more deeply with science content. Student teams collaborated to construct a scientific question, research what was known at the time about the answer to their question, and generate a final product to communicate their findings using multimedia on a web-based platform. Course iterations consistently yielded at least one group of students who transformed from struggling to successful, which led us to use content and narrative analysis of case studies to distinguish group types. We found three group types: High Engaging (HE), Transformed (T), and Low Engaging (LE). Each group type succeeded in creating a final web-based project. However, the projects created varied in level of cognitive depth between groups and indicated traits common to each group type. We outline similarities and differences among group types, use differences in groups to identify mechanisms that could facilitate deeper levels of cognitive engagement, and make recommendations about how educators can enable an increase in the number of highly engaged students in this type of inquiry-based course.
We transformed our first-year curriculum in biology with a new course, Biological Inquiry, in which >50% of all incoming, first-year students enroll. The course replaced a traditional, content-driven course that relied on outdated approaches to teaching and learning. We diversified pedagogical practices by adopting guided inquiry in class and in labs, which are devoted to building authentic research skills through open-ended experiments. Students develop core biological knowledge, from the ecosystem to molecular level, and core skills through regular practice in hypothesis testing, reading primary literature, analyzing data, interpreting results, writing in disciplinary style, and working in teams. Assignments and exams require higher-order cognitive processes, and students build new knowledge and skills through investigation of real-world problems (e.g., malaria), which engages students' interest. Evidence from direct and indirect assessment has guided continuous course revision and has revealed that compared with the course it replaced, Biological Inquiry produces significant learning gains in all targeted areas. It also retains 94% of students (both BA and BS track) compared with 79% in the majors-only course it replaced. The project has had broad impact across the entire college and reflects the input of numerous constituencies and close collaboration among biology professors and students.
Iterative design of a technology-supported biological inquiry curriculum
1998
Abstract This paper describes the design and study of a technology-supported curriculum to develop students' abilities to construct their own scientific knowledge. In the BGuILE project we have been working with high school biology teachers to integrate computer-based inquiry environments into existing curricula. This work is based on the design experiment paradigm (Collins, 1992).
As the landscape of education continues to evolve, it is crucial for educators to stay abreast of the innovative strategies and approaches in order to effectively prepare students for the complexities of the 21st century. This comprehensive review underscores the significance of embracing diverse and dynamic teaching methodologies to cultivate a deep and enduring passion for biology among school students.In order to address diverse learning styles and abilities, personalized learning strategies, differentiated instruction, and the incorporation of multimedia resources have been increasingly utilized to cater to individual student needs and promote inclusive in biology education. Furthermore, the implementation of formative assessments and feedback mechanisms has allowed for ongoing evaluation and adaptation of teaching methods to optimize student learning outcomes. Additionally, the integration of interdisciplinary studies, such as combining biology with technology, ethics, and environmental science, has provided students with a broader and more holistic perspective on biology and its relevance in the real world.By embracing innovative teaching strategy and staying attuned to the evolving needs of students, educators can cultivate a vibrant and engaging learning environment that empowers students to become informed and enthusiastic participants in the ever-expanding field of biology
Lessons Learned Inquiry-based instruction is widely promoted to increase both students' conceptual understanding and their engagement in course content. What this means for day-to-day practices in the classroom is more elusive. Instructors adopting inquiry-based curricula often are unaware of the typical instructional challenges they may face. In particular, instructors new to inquiry-based instruction can anticipate changes to teacher and student roles, a shift that may be sup-ported with instructor training and awareness of common student reac-tions. We describe our experience of developing and implementing an inquiry-based biology laboratory curriculum and offer suggestions to help others successfully implement their own inquiry-based courses. T his familiar scene—students working in small groups on a hands-on activity—seems to be an example of a "best teaching practices" moment. But are students engaged and fully participating in learn-ing and what is required to c...
CBE- Life Sciences Education, 2018
Providing opportunities for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics undergraduates to engage in authentic scientific practices is likely to influence their view of science and may impact their decision to persist through graduation. Laboratory courses provide a natural place to introduce students to scientific practices, but existing curricula often miss this opportunity by focusing on confirming science content rather than exploring authentic questions. Integrating authentic science within laboratory courses is particularly challenging at high-enrollment institutions and community colleges, where access to research-active faculty may be limiting. The Authentic Inquiry through Modeling in Biology (AIM-Bio) curriculum presented here engages students in authentic scientific practices through iterative cycles of model generation, testing, and revision. AIM-Bio university and community college students demonstrated their ability to propose diverse models for biological phenomena, formulate and address hypotheses by designing and conducting experiments, and collaborate with classmates to revise models based on experimental data. Assessments demonstrated that AIM-Bio students had an enhanced sense of project ownership and greater identification as scientists compared with students in existing laboratory courses. AIM-Bio students also experienced measurable gains in their nature of science understanding and skills for doing science. Our results suggest AIM-Bio as a potential alternative to more resource-intensive curricula with similar outcomes.
Biomind — A new biology curriculum that enables authentic inquiry learning
Journal of Biological Education, 2004
In recent years, the science teaching community and curriculum developers have emphasised the importance of teaching inquiry and teaching science as inquiry. One way of developing learners' skills for planning and carrying out scientific research is by allowing them to perform independent research, guided by a teacher. It was recently discovered that there are considerable differences between experiments conducted by scientists and those conducted by students, with regard to the cognitive processes that the experimenters go through. Developing inquiry study activities that emphasise authentic inquiry was suggested in order to introduce students to cognitive activity that more closely resembles that of scientific professionals. This article describes the Biomind programme, intended for students of Grades 11 and 12 (ages 16 to 18 years) majoring in biology. The curriculum, developed by biology teachers, enables students to conduct independent research under teacher guidance. The curriculum emphasises the learning process, not just the outcome, and so students must reflect upon the work in progress. Moreover, the Biomind curriculum follows the principles of authentic inquiry. Biomind may improve students' scientific thinking abilities, expand the guidance aspect of teachers' work, and inspire curriculum developers to further emphasise inquiry.
Engaging students and improving learning outcomes with inquiry based biology practical classes
By providing tertiary students with practical laboratory experiences that are academically stimulating, students are more likely to engage meaningfully with the task and subsequently achieve a higher assessment grade. The importance of basing practical experiences on realistic inquiry is recognised throughout the literature and is more consistent with constructivist approaches to learning than traditional content driven practical activities ; tertiary educators were initially slow to change their methodologies (Sundberg, Armstrong, Dini and Wischusen 2000) but an increasing number are incorporating inquiry based approaches (Sundberg, Armstrong and Wischusen 2005) with good results and support from national science and education organizations .
Teaching Outside the Can: A New Approach to Introductory Biology
We describe a new approach to teaching introductory biology. Our introductory experience for undergraduates is a laboratory course that is entirely inquiry and discovery based. We introduce our students to fundamental concepts in biology in the framework of three multi-week laboratory modules, each of which is an open-ended investigation of a current area of biological study. Students read the primary literature about the research question, learn techniques and statistical approaches, and conduct student-designed experiments. We focus on the process of doing biology, rather than on acquiring a particular body of facts. Students are actively engaged in integrative thinking about biology, and they emerge from the laboratory experience with a strong grasp of quantitative and experimental approaches and skills. Our assessments indicate that this process-based approach is an effective way to approach introductory biology.
Curricular reform and inquiry teaching in biology: where are our efforts most fruitfully invested?
Integrative and …, 2008
Synopsis University faculty often express frustration with the accuracy of students' understanding of science in general and of evolution in particular. A rich research literature suggests that inquiry-based pedagogies are more effective in producing meaningful learning than are traditional, didactic approaches. A pragmatic investigation into the efficacy of inquiry-based curricular reforms compared to traditional laboratory activities was undertaken in the introductory biology course for majors at a large state university in the southeastern United States. The topics of the course focused on biodiversity, evolution, and plant and animal anatomy and physiology. Students' learning in the inquiry versus traditional units was compared using both a test of pre-post content knowledge as well as open-ended written responses in which students described events in which there was meaningful learning and conceptual changes. The pre-post tests were replicated over five semesters of the same course (n ¼ 1493 students). Students' misconceptions as well as examples of meaningful learning were gathered for two semesters in the same course (n ¼ 518 students). Results consistently revealed that descriptive, concrete topics such as anatomy can be taught effectively using traditional didactic methods; average effect sizes (a measure of the difference between pretest scores and posttest scores) range from 1.8 to 2.1. The inquiry units also increased knowledge of content on the topics of evolution and biodiversity by a significant degree (average effect sizes range from 1.0 to 1.1), despite the fact that students spent less than half the instructional time on these units compared to the didactic units. In addition, a literature review indicated that highly abstract or mathematical concepts such as evolution or geologic time require greater formal reasoning ability and that students often show lesser gains in these areas compared to more concrete topics. It was therefore especially notable that the frequency of meaningful learning events was significantly higher in the units on evolution compared to the traditional units ( 2 P50.5 to 0.001). A catalog of students' misconceptions (some of which were quite unexpected) was also generated and found useful for future teaching. Therefore, we feel that when time and resources for curricular reform are limited, those efforts should prioritize abstract and foundational topics such as evolution. Didactic teaching appears sufficient for more concrete topics such as anatomy.