Critical Thinking Exercises for Introductory Biology Courses

BioScience ◽  
1991 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-46 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robin W. Tyser ◽  
William J. Cerbin
Keyword(s):  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Introductory Biology ◽  
Biology Courses

Don’t Believe Everything About Science Online: Revisiting the Fake Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus in an Introductory Biology College Course

2021 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 159-163
Author(s):  
Shem Unger ◽  
◽  
Mark Rollins ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Academic Success ◽  
Pacific Northwest ◽  
Thinking Skills ◽  
Critical Thinking Skills ◽  
Online Media ◽  
Online Information ◽  
Introductory Biology ◽  
College Course ◽  
Critical Skills

Evaluating the veracity and reliability of online media in science is an integral part of developing critical skills in science. Moreover, the 1st year biology courses should provide an avenue for students to acquire these skills for academic success. This study evaluated whether students (n = 90) exposed to an apparently credible website were able to distinguish whether a species existed as part of two short online activities. Surprisingly, a high number of students did not question the species in the initial activity and assumed it was real. However, most as part of the second assessment did report it was false. Some students failed to recognize the species as fake and thought the species was real even after watching a parody or satirical video on YouTube. All students agreed that critical thinking in science was important and the majority of students gave positive feedback on the activity. Potential explanations for students’ inability to adequately assess information included students completing the assignment quickly and lack of further research. This kind of activity is recommended to expose the 1st year biology majors to critical thinking skills and accurate assessment of online information in science.

scholarly journals Erratum to:Using Avida-ED for Teaching and Learning About Evolution in Undergraduate Introductory Biology Courses

2009 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 742-742
Author(s):  
Elena Bray Speth ◽  
Tammy M. Long ◽  
Robert T. Pennock ◽  
Diane Ebert-May
Keyword(s):  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Introductory Biology ◽  
Biology Courses

scholarly journals From Bio 101 to Pillars of Biology: A Pedagogical Experiment

2016 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 86
Author(s):  
Michelle E. Maxson ◽  
Sabrina A. Volpi ◽  
Sandeep N. Wontakal
Keyword(s):  
Cell Biology ◽  
Journal Club ◽  
Albert Einstein College ◽  
Albert Einstein ◽  
Introductory Biology ◽  
Research Article ◽  
New Students ◽  
Biology Courses ◽  
Classic Paper

Within the Department of Cell Biology at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, each student is required to present a research article of his or her choosing for the department journal club. As new students entering the Department, it was unclear to us (Sabrina Volpi and Sandeep Wontakal) whether there were any rules for choosing the papers we would pres- ent. Should the paper relate to work performed within the Department? Did the paper have to be published within the last year, or five years, or could we select a “classic” paper from the early 1900s? While pondering these questions, we realized we shared a great interest in reading the original “landmark” papers we had once learned about in our introductory biology courses, the papers that laid the foundation of what we know as biology today.

scholarly journals From Bio 101 to Pillars of Biology: A Pedagogical Experiment

2016 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 86
Author(s):  
Michelle E. Maxson ◽  
Sabrina A Volpi ◽  
Sandeep N. Wontakal
Keyword(s):  
Cell Biology ◽  
Journal Club ◽  
Albert Einstein College ◽  
Albert Einstein ◽  
Introductory Biology ◽  
Research Article ◽  
New Students ◽  
Biology Courses ◽  
Classic Paper

Within the Department of Cell Biology at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, each student is required to present a research article of his or her choosing for the department journal club. As new students entering the Department, it was unclear to us (Sabrina Volpi and Sandeep Wontakal) whether there were any rules for choosing the papers we would present. Should the paper relate to work performed within the Department? Did the paper have to be published within the last year, or five years, or could we select a “classic” paper from the early 1900s? While pondering these questions, we realized we shared a great interest in reading the original “landmark” papers we had once learned about in our introductory biology courses, the papers that laid the foundation of what we know as biology today.

scholarly journals Pengaruh Laboratorium Virtual Berbasis Problem Solving Terhadap Kemampuan Berpikir Kritis

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 11
Author(s):  
Ewi Mellysa Barus ◽  
Terry Noviar Panggabean
Keyword(s):  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Problem Solving ◽  
Molecular Biology ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Thinking Skills ◽  
Critical Thinking Skills ◽  
Virtual Laboratory ◽  
Study Program ◽  
Pharmacy Department ◽  
Biology Courses

The availability of facilities and infrastructure in learning Cell and molecular biology courses is needed to support the achievement of learning objectives. Based on the results of observations in the Imelda University, Pharmacy Department, the lack of implementation due to the lack of facilities and infrastructure that support the practicum causes a lack of improvement in students' critical thinking skills. The ability to think critically is the main factor affecting student understanding. In this case, the media that can support this is a problem solving-based virtual laboratory to encourage students' critical thinking skills. This study aims to identify the effect of a problem solving-based virtual biology laboratory on the critical thinking skills of students in the Pharmacy Undergraduate Study Program at Imelda University, Medan. The research design was one group pre-test posttest. Data collection was carried out starting in January 2020, followed by data processing and analysis. The sample in this study were all students of the first semester Pharmacy Department at Imelda University, totaling 63 people. The sampling technique in this study is total sampling. The statistical analysis used was one sample T-test. Based on the results of the discussion based on the problems and research objectives, it can be concluded that there is a positive and significant effect with p 0.00 <0.05 in the use of problem solving-based virtual laboratories on students' critical thinking skills in the cell and molecular biology courses at the Imelda University Pharmacy Department. With the virtual laboratory, students learn the principles of science in a fast, effective and fun way through virtual laboratory interactions and navigation.

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