Labs, especially organismal diversity labs, serve a major role within a biology curriculum for developing students? observational skills. Labs should train students to be active, iterative, patient, and critical observers; however, students? reliance on cell phone cameras to record observations, lack of patience, lack of practice with observational heuristics, and lack of skills or confidence in making sketches limits development of observational skills. In this lab, we present multiple fine arts-based observational and mark-making activities that focus on the process of observing. These activities are meant to be flexible and modular. For example, individual activities, or parts of activities, can be implemented in specific labs or woven into the structure of an entire course. The activities presented here have been used in both face-to-face and online formats in organismal biology labs at the University of British Columbia (UBC). Activities were also designed to be applicable to diverse types of labs where students make, interpret, or record visual observations, regardless of the specific organismal or disciplinary focus. Many activities involve making sketches as a tool to promote observation because making an accurate sketch requires structured, repeated, and careful observations, as well as the ability to critically evaluate and revise what has been recorded. The focus of these activities is on the process of making observations rather than the product (e.g. a formal scientific drawing), with the aim of helping students become active observers of material in labs and in the world around them using activities that defy the use of technology for recording observations (e.g. cell phone cameras) and require active participation in the process of making, recording, and revising observations. Methods of evaluation for these activities can include simple participation, reflective activities, and evaluation of recorded observations.
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