Improving Laboratory Experiences for Science Majors and Non-majors through Implementation of Inquiry Based Learning and State of the Art Equipment

化学（12）本项目的目标是提高本科生的科学素质，包括非科学专业和化学和生物专业的学生在他们的学术生涯的各个阶段。为了实现这一目标，化学和生物系正在修改和加强他们的几门课程。该项目正在将指导性探究活动纳入非理科专业普通科学课程的实验室;重组大学一级的分析化学实验室-定量分析;加强仪器分析和环境毒理学实验室;智力优势：通过借鉴其他机构的成功实施，将基于问题的学习（PBL）教学法引入这些课程。 PBL适合各种学习风格，并已被证明能激发学生对科学的兴趣。在PBL中，学生学习直接影响他们生活的真实的科学问题，并自己发现这些问题的解决方案。有意义的PBL经验导致学生谁拥有更多的知识，谁可以将这些知识转移到其他情况。在这些课程中使用了一种新的电感耦合等离子体光发射光谱仪，以便能够研究感兴趣的相关科学问题。课程优化预期会带来以下成果：1）提高科学素养; 2）改善学生对科学的态度; 3）提高学生解决问题的能力;及4）提高学生跨学科思考的能力。 目前正在通过半年期形成性评价和总结性评价，在三年期内评估预期成果。更广泛的影响：每年，大约有250名阿巴拉契亚学生受到拟议的课程变化的影响，其中一半以上是非科学专业。在非科学专业的学生中，44%是职前K-8教师。参加科学和数学暑期创业（SVSM）的高中生也受到了该项目的影响，其中许多学生来自代表性不足的群体。新的ICP-OES正在改善生物学，化学和地质学系学生的本科研究机会，并增加这些学科教师之间的合作。一个区域性的研讨会，动手研讨会为基于问题的学习，正在计划汇集来自社区学院，四年制学院，并在北卡罗来纳州，南卡罗来纳州，格鲁吉亚，田纳西州和弗吉尼亚大学的教师，以扩大PBL的使用和刺激新的PBL活动的发展。

Chemistry (12)The goal of this project is to improve the quality of science for undergraduate students, including nonscience majors and chemistry and biology majors at various stages in their academic careers. To reach this goal, the Departments of Chemistry and Biology are modifying and enhancing several of their courses. The project is incorporating guided-inquiry activities into the laboratory of the General Science course for non-science majors; restructuring the sophomore-level analytical chemistry laboratory, Quantitative Analysis; and enhancing the laboratories offered in Instrumental Analysis and Environmental Toxicology.Intellectual Merit:Problem-based learning (PBL) pedagogy is being introduced into these courses by adapting successful implementations from other institutions. PBL is suitable for a variety of learning styles and has been shown to excite students about science. In PBL, students study real scientific issues which directly impact their lives, and discover solutions to these issues on their own. Meaningful PBL experiences result in students who have more ownership of knowledge and who can transfer that knowledge to other situations. A new inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometer (ICP-OES) is being used in these courses to enable the study of interesting and relevant scientific problems. The curricular enhancements are expected to result in the following outcomes: 1) improvement in scientific literacy; 2) improvement in students' attitudes toward science; 3) improvement in students' problem-solving abilities; and 4) improvement in students' abilities to think across disciplines. The expected outcomes are being assessed over a three-year period through biannual formative evaluations and a summative evaluation. Broader Impact:Each year, approximately 250 students at Appalachian are being impacted by the proposed curricular changes, and over one-half of them are non-science majors. Of the non-science majors, 44% are pre-service K-8 teachers. High school students participating in Summer Ventures for Science and Math (SVSM) also are being impacted by the project, and many of these students come from underrepresented groups. The new ICP-OES is improving the undergraduate research opportunities for students in the Departments of Biology, Chemistry, and Geology, and is increasing collaboration among faculty in these disciplines. A regional workshop, Hands-On Workshop for Problem-Based Learning, is being planned to bring together instructors from community colleges, four-year colleges, and universities in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, and Virginia in order to expand the use of PBL and stimulate the development of new PBL activities.