Infusing Technology into Non-Science Major Laboratory Instruction

Sonoma County Jr College District, Santa Rosa CA

Investigators

Abstract

Biological Sciences (61) The Departments of Life Science and Earth and Space Science serve a variety of students: those who are majoring in the sciences, those who are entering allied health programs, and those who need a general education science requirement, frequently for entrance into a teaching credential program. Many of our students are women, under-represented minorities and reentry students with weak science, math and computer backgrounds. The co-principal investigators on this project represent faculty from the Life Science and Earth and Space Science departments who have recognized the need to enhance the delivery of instruction and remove the barriers to success for non-science majors and traditionally under-represented students. Our goal is to improve student performance through the introduction of computer technology in the laboratory portions of the non-major's courses for the Life Sciences and Earth and Space Sciences departments. The investigators determined that the primary instructional improvements needed for these students are: 1) to incorporate simulations and animations into the laboratory curriculum; and 2) to integrate experimentation, real time data analysis and manipulation to the laboratory portion of the courses. These activities are aimed at increasing student retention and success rates and subsequently student transfer rates. In addition, the project aims to enhance students' computer and scientific literacy as well as their grasp of abstract and challenging scientific concepts. The inspiration for this effort comes from extensive study of the science education literature, such as the Journal of College Science Teaching.