Efficacy of Active Learning in Remediating Misconceptions in Undergraduate Physiology

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

How can physiology faculty best help undergraduate students correct misconceptions and master physiology? This one-year pilot project is the first step in a broader research program that involves faculty at 11 institutions and is designed to examine three elements critical to answering this question: 1) the entry state (i.e., misconceptions held and the knowledge and skills base of entering students); 2) methods that promote active learning (i.e., help students test and modify their mental models); and 3) the definition of mastery. This pilot project is examining the entry state and the active learning environment of the student laboratory. The context, respiratory physiology, is a subject known to be difficult for students. Our undergraduate student population is science and non-science majors taking introductory physiology at 2- and 4-year institutions. To study the entry state, we are: 1) determining the actual knowledge and skills that entering students have and examining how these match faculty expectations; 2) identifying common misconceptions and determining their prevalence among entering students; and 3) determining the extent to which students view physiology from a teleological perspective. We will also determine if the design of student laboratory protocols is important in helping students correct misconceptions and adopt a mechanistic approach to physiology. Students will participate in a traditional "wet lab", in which they do spirometry on one another, or in a computer laboratory, in which they manipulate a mathematical model of respiratory function. For each lab format, students will follow either the common "observe and record" type of protocol or one requiring them to predict the results of a perturbation before conducting the experiment. Our hypothesis is that the "prediction" design will be more effective than the "observe and record" design. This project will yield essential information about the actual entry state of students in a prototypical science course and w ill provide information about the most effective way to remediate misconceptions and teleological thinking in a student laboratory setting.