Creating Linkages through Institution-wide
Reform of the Science Curriculum

Funded by the Division of Undergraduate Education
National Science Foundation

Principal Investigator: Dr. John Askill
Co-Principal Investigator: Dr. Clarence Josefson


Project Goals
  1. Identify methods of inquiry that are common to all areas of science.
  2. Develop modules that illustrate overarching principles of scientific inquiry; modules should give a flavor for the specific field but be appropriate for students studying other disciplines.
  3. Pilot test a lab course on fundamental methods of scientific inquiry.
Updated Project Description

A team of faculty from Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Astronomy, Mathematics, Psychology, and Education are working to develop a series of laboratory modules that illustrate the fundamental methods of scientific inquiry. Their work is based on a list of ten principles of inquiry that have been identfied by the team as common to all or most areas of scientific study.
Each module is based on content selected to illustrate one or more special characteristics of a specific field. The exercise is designed to illustrate one or more of the fundamental principles of scientific inquiry.
A major focus of the project is preparation of prospective elementary and middle school teachers. A faculty member from the teacher education program works with those designing modules to ensure that the fundamental principles are presented in a way that can be applied to the teaching of science at all levels. In certain sections, students are encouraged to create analogous exercises appropriate to the level at which they will eventually teach.
A recent development has been the application of modules from several different fields to the introductory chemistry laboratory course for science majors. It was felt that the modules developed to present non majors with a holistic view of scientific inquiry could serve as an effective introduction for science majors as well.

Innovations or Unique Successes to Date

The multidisciplinary faculty team has identified a series of fundamental methods of inquiry that are common to all or most of their disciplines. This list has served to focus developmental work on modules.
Faculty in chemistry, physics, biology and psychology have found several areas in which similar issues are investigated from seemingly different perspectives. A series of parallel exercises are being created to compare and contrast the way in which different fields study and quantify perception of sound and/or light.
Pilot courses that use laboratory modules drawn from several disciplines have been evaluated. Preliminary results suggest that both faculty and students feel that the laboratory exercises were better learning tools than a comparison group from traditional courses.

Disciplines involved in the project: 


           Astronomy  Biology Chemistry  Education  Mathematics  Physics  Psychology
Pedagogical Approach

Students focus in depth on a selected special topic in science. At the same time they work in teams to complete a series of laboratory modules designed to present science as a way of knowing based on a series of overarching approaches to inquiry. The modules provide a broad-based perspective of their focused study on a special topic.

Laboratory Exercises Developed during 1997, 1998, and 1999

During the summers of 1997, 1998, and 1999, 55 separate laboratory exercises were developed by the faculty from the departments of Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics, and Psychology. They are listed here. The project will be completed in the summer of 2000 with a student pilot course.

Conferences

Three faculty members (Provost Ditzler, Dr. John Askill, department of Physics and Astronomy, and Dr. Judith Parrish, department of Biology) and a student (Chemistry major Nicole Tester) attended an AAHE Conference on "Institutional Change" held in Washington D.C. on November 21-23, 1998. The students held their own sessions. A summary of their concerns and Nicole's notes on the sessions may be found here.
The principal investigators of the project were invited to present a paper at a Sigma Xi conference in Minneapolis in November, 1999 on
Reshaping Undergraduate Science and Engineering Education: Tools for Better Learning.

Faculty Retreats

The faculty involved in the project held a retreat at the Turkey Run State Park in Indiana at the beginning of summer 1997. A second retreat was held at the Eagle Creek State Park in the summer of 1998. The 1999 retreat was held on June 18th on the Millikin campus.

Secondary Chemistry Instrumentation Laboratory Network

As part of this NSF curriculum development initiative, a collaboration between Millikin University, Olivet Nazarene University, and Rockford College, has formed a Secondary Chemistry Instrumentation Laboratory Network. Details of this program can be viewed here.


Links