Using the inquiry approach to teach experimental design concepts

Background/Question/Methods

Many times changes are made in teaching strategies without systematic evaluation of whether these changes actually improve student learning. By applying a research approach to learning assessment, teachers may be able to determine if the changes in pedagogy are effective. As part of an assessment of the effectiveness of Teaching Issues and Experiments in Ecology (TIEE), ESA members from a variety of institutions participated in a workshop to evaluate potential impacts of TIEE on classroom teaching.  In this study at the Rochester Institute of Technology, student understanding of experimental design was assessed at the beginning and again at the end of a General Ecology course in order to understand the impact of guided inquiry activities. Students participated in a series of labs in which they had increasing levels of responsibility for designing experiments or observational studies. Concepts of experimental design were also emphasized in inquiry-based components of the course lecture.  Student understanding of experimental design was assessed using a pre- and post-test format (N = 46).

Results/Conclusions

Analysis of the pre-test results indicated that the best predictor of correct responses to questions about experimental design is whether the student self-reported participation in undergraduate research (p = 0.046). By the end of the course, all students improved on the post-test (26%; p < 0.001) and there was no difference in post-test scores between groups of students with or without undergraduate research experience. The inquiry-based approach in the course may have provided experiences that were similar to some aspects of research for those students who lacked such experience. These findings have led to further changes in teaching strategies for the course, including a change in the focus ecosystems and refining of questions addressed by the students.