Designing Effective Introductory Biology Labs: Part I – Fostering a Spirit of Inquiry
John S. Peters
Tested Studies in Laboratory Teaching, 2018, Volume 39
Abstract
Consider the experiences of students enrolled in your college’s introductory biology labs. Do your students come to value the spirit of scientific inquiry? By this, I mean; do they have diverse opportunities to experience the creativity involved in scientific discovery? Do they come to value the collaborative nature of science? Does that which motivates scientists to explore nature also motivate your students? Traditional guided & concept-focused labs (the follow directions and answer questions approach) often ignore these questions, simply assuming that just because labs are “hands-on”, and mimic “the scientific method” that students will come to appreciate scientific inquiry. In this first of a two-part workshop, participants will experience labs and associated pedagogies designed to foster student engagement, a creative mindset, independence of thought, and effective collaboration. At the end of the workshop, participants will be able to examine the entire inquiry-based lab approach utilized in our large-enrollment introductory biology labs along with samples of instructional resources provided to our graduate (Masters-level) lab teaching assistants.
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