College Learners and Biology Laboratory Education
College Students as Emerging AdultsI teach the laboratory component for the introductory biology courses at a liberal arts college. If science is to be taught effectively at the college level, however, it is first important to understand college students as learners. As Jeffrey Arnett (2000) contends, many college students are no longer adolescents, yet they still lack certain characteristics that often define adulthood (definitive career, financial independence, etc.). In this document, I examine college students as “emerging adults” (a term coined by Arnett), and make the argument that certain adult learning methods may be beneficial for emerging adult populations.
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A shift has begun in Biology education, away from the superficial coverage of a vast array of biological topics, and toward a focus on core concepts, scientific process, and student-driven investigation. At the undergraduate level, the American Association for the Advancement of Science (Brewer & Smith, 2010) calls for inquiry-based instructional methods. At the high school level, the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) emphasize student engagement with authentic science practices. Each of the artifacts below emphasize my concerted effort to align my practice with these shifts, and better prepare my students for the realities of 21st century science.
Proposal for an Inquiry-Based Laboratory SequenceIn this comprehensive program proposal, I consider the substantial changes necessary to transform a two-week ecology laboratory into a three-week, student-driven inquiry sequence. The revisions I address include clear articulation of goals and objectives, proposed instructional methods, assessment measures, and logistical concerns. Rationale for these revisions draws upon adult learning literature and the current climate of science education. I hope to carry out this plan, or one similar, in my lab in the near future. Click the image to read the proposal.
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NGSS Practice-Based Laboratory ExerciseAlthough the NGSS were written as high school guidelines, their focus on authentic science process is relevant to the first-year undergraduate biology majors I teach. In this document, I describe a laboratory exercise I developed to address specific NGSS Performance Expectations regarding common ancestry and evolution through natural selection. More specifically, I designed the lesson to engage students in two NGSS Science Practices: Engaging in Argument from Evidence, and Obtaining, Evaluating, and Communicating Information. For more information on these performance expectations and practices, see the NGSS website for the high school level Disciplinary Core Idea of Biological Evolution.
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Visual Overview and Reflection: NGSS-Based LaboratoryIn this Padlet presentation, available here in PDF format, I reflect, visually, on the NGSS-based laboratory plan described above. I carried out the lab exercise last fall, and will run it again this semester. I hope to address some of the improvements I recommend in the Padlet. Click the image to the left to access the PDF.
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Essential Small-Scale Revisions to an Inquiry-Based Lab SequenceIn addition to the larger-scale revisions and developments I addressed in the documents above, I have also worked to improve my students’ learning at a smaller scale. In this document, I reflect upon minor, yet essential revisions I made to an already inquiry-based animal behavior investigation (for more information on this investigation, see the video). The paper examines my articulation of learning objectives for student benefit, and reveals my awakened realization that learning objectives serve an important purpose. Additionally, I discuss concrete improvements to assessment measures, and my use of literature-recommended techniques to enhance student group cohesion. Click the image to read the paper.
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Learning Science By Doing ScienceIn this video, I contrast the traditional lecture-based learning model still often used in college science courses with the student-driven inquiry model mentioned above. The laboratory sequence depicted is a three-week, student-driven investigation into animal behavior . Although I didn’t design the lab initially, I have modified it substantially over the years. To provide rationale for student-driven instructional methods, I draw from several different learning theories.
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21st Century Science Education
Using Technology to Enhance Instruction
Collaboration is an essential component of the scientific process. In today’s increasingly interconnected world, internet-based technologies have the potential to enhance both scientific discourse and foster world-wide collaboration. If students are to be prepared to enter this dynamic scientific world, demonstrating the affordances of technology in the science classroom is essential.
Digital AssessmentTo emphasize the affordances of digital technologies, I reimagined the assessment measures for a community ecology laboratory sequence. This Prezi represents my own construction (or exemplar) of a hypothetical student project. Instead of writing a formal discussion section of a lab report, a student might create a Prezi, or use another form of digital media, to draw connections among experimental results, scientific literature, and course concepts. Click the image to the left to access the presentation.
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Google Drive for Peer Review
Google Drive is an internet-based platform I have increasingly integrated into my teaching in recent semesters. In the past, I used Google Drive for peer review, but my own limited experience with the technology produced confusion among my students. To reduce student confusion and more clearly emphasize the collaborative affordances of Google Drive, I examined the use of video tutorials. In the first video, I discuss Google Drive’s capacity to enhance student learning. The second video is an actual tutorial I created for my students this semester.
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Support for College Science Students with Disabilities
The three pages below are separate sections from a website I developed to provide science educators with resources to support postsecondary students with disabilities. Click the image to the left or right of each description to access the respective page.
Assistive TechnologiesThis page examines the importance of diversity in science education and describes some of the current issues facing many students with disabilities in the sciences. To address these issues, I recommend several course design strategies, instructional methods, and assistive technologies that may enhance the participation of students with disabilities in college science courses. The strategies and methods recommended are consistent with Universal Design for Learning principles. (Figure credit: NSF 1996, 2004, 2006, as cited in Moon, Todd, Morton, & Ivey, 2012, p. 11)
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Scientific Literacy DevelopmentThis second page examines literacy supports that may improve the learning of students with disabilities, particularly learning disabilities, in college science courses. The recommendations I examine include Reading Apprenticeship and a number of assistive technologies to support writing development.
Laboratory AccommodationsThis third page examines laboratory accommodations that may improve participation of students with mobility or visual impairment in lab science courses. Some the recommendations I discuss include wheelchair accessible workbenches, 3D images, and electronic access to readings and other laboratory materials.
(Image credit: Duerstock et al., 2014, p. 13) |