Diagnostic Question Clusters to Improve Student Reasoning and Understanding in General Biology Courses

Hampshire College, Amherst MA

Investigators

Abstract

Biological Sciences (61). This project targets two challenges to the teaching of General Biology: 1) Most students do not address biological questions with the principles and reasoning used by biologists, and 2) Most faculty do not teach students how to use the principles and thinking of practicing biologists. To address these challenges, the project is using a set of interrelated Biological Diagnostic Question Clusters (DQCs) designed to "hook" biology faculty to question and learn about their students' understanding of core biological concepts and ways of thinking about biology. The DQCs assess students' abilities to trace energy and matter through four levels of biological complexity (subcellular-ecosystem). With a faculty development program, faculty from a range of institutions are working in teams to use the DQCs as the basis for changing how they teach general biology. How faculty volunteers modify their resources is being studied to gain insight about the utility of DQCs to change introductory biology teaching in a variety of settings. By analyzing students' responses to questions about core biological concepts and ideas, the DQC researchers identified problematic patterns in students' thinking to frame content in ways that lead to systematic approaches to biology content, and ultimately, better understanding. Intellectual Merit: the education research is based on a clear framework for biological reasoning and an iterative process of DQC development and refinement based on students responses. Broader Impact: faculty who are using the DQCs are changing introductory biology instruction for students in a wide range of institutions, including community colleges and underserved areas.