Discovering Biological Science I

What are inquiry-based labs, and how are they different from more traditional lab experiences?

Traditionally, the context for introductory biology labs is the exploration of a biological concept (metabolism, cell division, etc.), which from the student’s perspective can be quite abstract.  In inquiry-based labs, it is instead observations and questions, which are sometimes centered on issues that are relevant to students’ personal or civic lives, that initiate and set the context for lab exploration.  This is because research in science education has revealed that students are more engaged in their own learning when there is an initial context centered on student interests and experiences.  In inquiry-based labs, students also practice making critical decisions about hypotheses, predictions, and the design and execution of the experiment. This “student-centered” focus—rather than solely a “concept-centered” focus—fosters deeper student interest and investment in the outcomes, and helps students to more fully appreciate the creative aspects of science and understand how design decisions can influence the validity of their findings.

The Discovering Biological Science labs, developed by Dr. John Peters and Dr. Brian Scholtens, weave together a series of labs that explore important introductory biology concepts while providing students with experiences that lead them to understand and appreciate the collaborative, creative, and dynamic nature of science. There are two different introductory biology lab manuals that can be adopted as is, or instructors can select individual labs for building a customized lab solution. The series of inquiry-based biology labs are suitable for both major and non-major courses and are available for preview and adoption through Hayden-McNeil of Macmillan Learning.   

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