Development of an Integrated Inquiry-based Curriculum in Ecology

生物科学（61）本项目旨在通过为主修生态学和海洋生物学的学生开发一系列综合实验单元，加强生态学本科课程。该项目是对佛蒙特州米德尔伯里学院开发的一个成功模式的改编，该模式通过以下方式努力提高班级之间的整合和凝聚力：（1）重新应用和加强多个班级的共同主题，包括实验设计，假设检验和统计，（2）建立共同的现场，以及（3）开发一系列遵循类似格式的基于探究的实验练习。实验室模块是根据Switzer和Shriner（2000）开发的基于探究的实验室设计的，该实验室使用教师指导的练习和学生设计的调查来模拟科学过程。通过该项目获得的设备使学生能够进行更广泛的野外和实验室实验，并改善了计算机辅助数据采集和分析的可用资源。该项目的主要目标是为学生提供更强大，更全面的生态学基础知识，同时提高他们的学习热情和对科学过程的欣赏。因此，改革努力的成功和有效性将通过评估学生的批判性思维能力、提出假设、设计实验和评估数据来评估。该项目的成果将通过以下方式在全国范围内传播：（1）在科学会议上的演讲，（2）开发互动网站和教师工作手册，以及（3）为教育工作者，教师和研究生举办夏季研讨会，为高中和大学生态课程创建有效的基于调查的实验室。

Biological Sciences (61) This project aims to strengthen the undergraduate curriculum in ecology through the development of an integrative series of laboratory modules for students majoring in ecology and marine biology. The project is an adaptation of a successful model developed at Middlebury College, VT, which strives to increase the integration and cohesiveness among classes through (1) the reapplication and reinforcement of common themes, including experimental design, hypothesis testing, and statistics, across multiple classes, (2) the establishment of common field sites, and (3) the development of a series of inquiry-based laboratory exercises that follow a similar format. The laboratory modules are patterned after the inquiry-based labs developed by Switzer and Shriner (2000), which use teacher-guided exercises and student-designed investigations to mimic the scientific process. Equipment secured through this project enables students to conduct a broader array of field and lab-based experiments and improves the resources available for computer assisted data acquisition and analysis.The primary goal of the project is to provide students with a stronger, more comprehensive background in the fundamentals of ecology while increasing their enthusiasm for learning and their appreciation for the scientific process. Thus, the success and effectiveness of the reform effort will be evaluated by assessing the students' ability to think critically, formulate hypotheses, design experiments, and evaluate data. The project results will be disseminated nationally through (1) presentations at scientific meetings, (2) development of an interactive website and instructors workbook, and (3) summer workshops for educators, teachers, and graduate students on creating effective inquiry-based laboratories for high school and college ecology classes.