Investigative Laboratories for Intermediate Physiology

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Biological Sciences (61) The national educational process is frequently faulted for leaving its graduates without the deep conceptual understanding necessary to perceive connections among concepts and identify patterns within complex data. One effective strategy for promoting deep understanding, as well as appreciation for the scientific process and engagement with the excitement of research, involves investigative laboratories, in which students engage in an authentic research experience, one both "hands-on" and "minds-on." This project is implementing investigative laboratory experiences in undergraduate animal and plant physiology courses. Through the use of advanced equipment, these laboratory enhancements aim to bridge the intellectual gulf between avenues typically open to students and the type of work reported in journal articles. The project uses as a model a "Project Lab" paper by Deyrup-Olson and Riddiford (Physiology Teacher, 1975). The specific objectives, reflective of the project's intellectual merit, comprise: 1) implementation of the investigative laboratories; 2) development of students' scientific attitudes and appreciation of scientific inquiry; and 3) promotion of deep, coherent understanding of physiological concepts. The desired outcomes are a promotion of students' expertise and conceptual grasp of physiology and a positive shift in students' scientific attitudes and appreciation of scientific inquiry. The project's design and efficacy in achieving these objectives will be disseminated through presentations at national scientific meetings and via a manuscript written for submission to Advances in Physiology Education. The broader impacts are several-fold. Within Oberlin's Biology Department the proposed activities further advances efforts to adopt recommendations of the pivotal Bio2010 report of the National Academy of Science, especially for integration of teaching and research and involvement of students in meaningful research experiences. The true impact, however, will likely be greater, given that a high percentage of Oberlin graduates pursue careers in education, and it is believed that instructors tend to teach in the manner in which they were taught (Bransford et al., 2000).