INQUIRY-BASED LABORATORY COURSE IMPROVES STUDENTS’ ABILITY TO DESIGN EXPERIMENTS AND INTERPRET DATA

2003 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 26-33 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcella J. Myers ◽  
Ann B. Burgess
Keyword(s):  
Human Physiology ◽  
Experimental Analysis ◽  
Evaluation Tool ◽  
Laboratory Course ◽  
Designed Experiments ◽  
Initial Score ◽  
Physiology Laboratory ◽  
Challenging Question ◽  
Design Experiments ◽  
Analyze Data

We redesigned our intermediate-level organismal physiology laboratory course to center on student-designed experiments in plant and human physiology. Our primary goals were to improve the ability of students to design experiments and analyze data. We assessed these abilities at the beginning and end of the semester by giving students an evaluation tool consisting of an experimental scenario, data, and four questions of increasing complexity. To control for nontreatment influences, the improvement scores (final minus initial score for each question) of students taking both the laboratory and the companion lecture course were compared with those of students taking the lecture course only. The laboratory + lecture group improved more than the lecture-only group for the most challenging question. This evidence suggests that our inquiry-based curriculum is achieving its primary goals. The evaluation tool that we developed may be useful to others interested in measuring experimental analysis abilities in their students.

scholarly journals From proposal to poster: course-based undergraduate research experience in a physiology laboratory course

2020 ◽  
Vol 44 (3) ◽  
pp. 459-463
Author(s):  
Jonathan P. Rennhack ◽  
Valerie S. VanRyn ◽  
James M. Poteracki ◽  
Erica A. Wehrwein
Keyword(s):  
Human Physiology ◽  
Clinical Skills ◽  
Undergraduate Research ◽  
Michigan State University ◽  
State University ◽  
Research Experience ◽  
Laboratory Course ◽  
Draw Conclusion ◽  
Physiology Laboratory ◽  
Analyze Data

The laboratory course is an excellent venue to apply content, practice inquiry, improve critical thinking, practice key clinical skills, and work with data. The use of inquiry-based course projects allows for students to propose open ended questions, form a hypothesis, design an experiment, collect data, analyze data, draw conclusion, and present their findings. This comprehensive experience is ideal for a capstone (senior level) laboratory course that is the culmination of 4 yr of study in the degree. At Michigan State University, the capstone laboratory has incorporated a formal course-based research experience in human physiology. The rationale and logistics for running such an experience are described in this paper.

scholarly journals Using Retrospective Research Questions & Database Mining as a Basis for an Inquiry-Based Lab in an Undergraduate Human Physiology Course

2019 ◽  
Vol 81 (6) ◽  
pp. 449-451
Author(s):  
Cassy Cozine
Keyword(s):  
Human Physiology ◽  
Learning Outcomes ◽  
Database Mining ◽  
Large Database ◽  
Laboratory Course ◽  
Research Questions ◽  
Physiology Laboratory ◽  
Meaningful Data

Collecting meaningful data in an undergraduate human physiology lab course can be difficult for a variety of reasons. I describe a way of creating an inquiry-based, semester-long project that allows students practice in designing retrospective research questions using a large database containing common physiology data. The database generated during this project has the capability of adding new participants each semester the course is taught. This approach can be used with a variety of different physiology acquisition systems and can easily be specialized for the learning outcomes of a given physiology laboratory course.

scholarly journals Modeling and Measuring Pre-Service Teachers’ Assessment Literacy Regarding Experimentation Competences in Biology

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 140 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cora Joachim ◽  
Marcus Hammann ◽  
Claus H. Carstensen ◽  
Susanne Bögeholz
Keyword(s):  
Item Response ◽  
Science Teacher Education ◽  
Measurement Instrument ◽  
Assessment Literacy ◽  
Student Conceptions ◽  
One Dimensional ◽  
Research Perspectives ◽  
Answer Format ◽  
Design Experiments ◽  
Analyze Data

Assessment literacy is a crucial aspect of teachers’ professional knowledge and relevant to fostering students’ learning. Concerning experimentation, teachers have to be able to assess student achievement when students form hypotheses, design experiments, and analyze data. Therefore, teachers need to be familiar with criteria for experimentation as well as student conceptions of experimentation. The present study modeled and measured 495 German pre-service teachers’ knowledge of what to assess regarding experimentation competences in biology. We applied an open-answer format for the measurement instrument. For modeling we used item response theory (IRT). We argue that knowledge of what to assess regarding experimentation competences is a one-dimensional construct and we provide evidence for the validity of the measurement. Furthermore, we describe qualitative findings of pre-service teachers’ knowledge of what to assess, in particular difficulties concerning the assessment of student conceptions as well as the use of scientific terms in the assessments. We discuss the findings in terms of implications for science teacher education and further research perspectives.

A Mixed Course-Based Research Approach to Human Physiology

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karri Whitmer
Keyword(s):  
Human Physiology ◽  
Thinking Skills ◽  
Critical Thinking Skills ◽  
Modern World ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Pedagogical Approach ◽  
Literature Searches ◽  
Hands On ◽  
Research Questions ◽  
Design Experiments

The Biology 256 Laboratory course was designed to provide students with hands-on access to modern techniques in human physiological analyses using the course-based research pedagogical approach. In this course, students will learn how to perform literature searches; generate research questions and hypotheses; design experiments; collect, analyze, visualize and interpret data; and present scientific findings to others. The Biol 256L curriculum offers a high-impact human physiology experience that fosters the critical thinking skills required to be a successful citizen in a modern world filled with misinformation.

Making students do the thinking: team-based learning in a laboratory course

2014 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 49-55 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shawn R. Simonson
Keyword(s):  
Skill Development ◽  
Exercise Physiology ◽  
Laboratory Course ◽  
Teaching Pedagogy ◽  
Content Learning ◽  
Laboratory Courses ◽  
Student Teams ◽  
Learning Skill ◽  
Team Based Learning ◽  
Physiology Laboratory

Team-based learning (TBL) is a teaching pedagogy for flipping the classroom that moves the focus of the classroom from the instructor conveying course concepts via lecture to the application of concepts by student teams. It has been used extensively in lecture courses; however, there is little evidence of its use in laboratory courses. The purpose of this report is to describe the implementation of TBL in a graduate exercise physiology laboratory course. Using TBL in a graduate laboratory course was very successful and well received by both the students and instructor. Students reported increased content learning, skill development, and retention. They took on the responsibility for learning and were more accountable. The learners drove the process and were guided by the instructor rather than through instructor-centered delivery.

An Advanced Laboratory Course in the Experimental Analysis of Behavior

1975 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 165-169 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jack Michael
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Analysis ◽  
Response Probability ◽  
Research Experience ◽  
Experimental Analysis Of Behavior ◽  
Laboratory Course

Students investigate various particular questions from a broad topic of response probability and then integrate results to achieve a research experience.

scholarly journals Peer instruction in a physiology laboratory course in China

2018 ◽  
Vol 42 (3) ◽  
pp. 449-453 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hui Bian ◽  
Yan Bian ◽  
Jiao Li ◽  
Yue Li ◽  
Yanhua Ma ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Degrees Of Freedom ◽  
Incorrect Response ◽  
Peer Instruction ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Laboratory Course ◽  
Confidence Levels ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Laboratory Courses ◽  
School Year ◽  
Physiology Laboratory

Peer instruction has been used extensively in lecture courses; however, there is little evidence of its use in laboratory courses. The purpose of the present study was to describe the implementation of the peer instruction method in a physiology laboratory course in China. Second-year medical students attended a 6-wk physiology laboratory course in the fall semester of the 2016–2017 school year. In the six new physiology laboratory classes, peer instruction strategies were used to substitute for the traditional short, didactic lectures. The effects of peer instruction were measured by in-class quizzes and confidence levels. The students’ evaluations of peer instruction were measured by a Likert scale questionnaire. Peer instruction significantly improved the mean score on quizzes (0.53 ± 0.50 vs. 0.68 ± 0.47, P < 0.001) and confidence levels (2.36 ± 0.66 vs. 2.80 ± 0.45, P < 0.001). Furthermore, for individual incorrect answers, 39.07% changed to correct answers after peer instruction, whereas, for correct answers, 6.61% were changed to an incorrect response. Overall, significantly more students changed their answers from incorrect to correct than from correct to incorrect [χ2: 333.11; degrees of freedom (df): 1; P < 0.001]. Therefore, the positive effects of peer instruction were higher than the negative effects (χ2: 244.55; df: 1; P < 0.001). Moreover, student evaluations of peer instruction were highly positive. In conclusion, the implementation of peer instruction to the physiology laboratory course is an effective strategy to enhance students’ performance on in-class quizzes and confidence levels. In addition, the attitude of students toward peer instruction was favorable.

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