Improvement of Laboratory Instrumentation in the Freshman General Biology Course for Science Majors

这所大学主要吸引非裔美国学生。许多学生是带着对科学的兴趣来到这个系的，但就像大多数大学新生一样，他们对科学家的实际工作以及成为专业科学家所需的条件了解有限。当他们发现生物学职业的技术性质和严格要求时，许多人变得灰心丧气，寻求不同的职业，除非他们得到个人指导和鼓励，并允许他们在生物学入门水平上体验成功使用现有科学设备的兴奋。这个项目的目标是通过使用苏格拉底方法提供更有效的个人指导，辅以视频/显微镜系统，以及通过使用不同类型的科学仪器提供更多既能带来兴奋又能培养科学技能的实践经验，来提高学生从事生物职业的兴趣。目标学生是对生物职业有初步兴趣的大一新生。这个项目的成功可以从以下几个方面体现出来：普通生物学I和II考试和报告的成绩提高，在课程评估工具上对这门课程表现出更积极的态度，减少了大一及以后的学生自然流失率，获得生物学理科学士学位的学生比例更高，进入生物职业的比例更高。这将导致非洲裔美国人在生物专业中的代表性增加。该项目的结果将向俄亥俄州科学院教育部门报告。

This university attracts primarily African-American students. Many students come to this department with an interest in science but, as with most college freshmen, a limited understanding of what scientists actually do and what is required to become a professional scientist. As they discover the technical nature and rigorous demands of a career in biology, many become discouraged and seek a different career, unless they are given personal instruction and encouragement and allowed to experience the excitement of using current scientific equipment successfully at the introductory biology level. The objective of this project is to increase student interest in pursuing a biological career by providing more effective personal instruction using the Socratic method, aided by a video/microscope system, and by providing more hands-on experiences that both provide excitement and build scientific skills through the use of different kinds of scientific instruments. The target students are the freshmen who indicate an initial interest in a biological career. The success of this project can be indicated by increased performance on General Biology I and II examinations and reports, a greater positive attitude toward the course as expressed on course evaluation instruments, reduced student attrition during the freshman year and beyond, a higher percentage of students graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology, and a higher percentage entering biological careers. This will result in increased representation by African-Americans in the biological professions. The outcomes of this project will be reported before the Education Section of The Ohio Academy of Science.