Benefiting from an open-ended experiment? A comparison of attitudes to, and outcomes of, an expository versus an open-inquiry version of the same experiment

Berg, Craig A.; Bergendahl, V. Christina B.; Lundberg, Bruno K. S.; Tibell, Lena

doi:10.1080/09500690210145738

Cited by 185 publications

(122 citation statements)

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“…All of them agreed that all parts of the course were essential to allow students of different educational backgrounds to integrate their knowledge. In agreement with other reports [8][9][10], the students commented that allowing for openness in how to explore the cases including choice of methods and interpretation of unexpected results improved their ability to apply new knowledge. Representative student comments (translated as closely as possible from the original Swedish) indicate an appreciation for open-ended research-based laboratory course.…”

supporting

confidence: 86%

Open‐ended assignments and student responsibility

Brauner

Carey

Henriksson

et al. 2007

Biochem Molecular Bio Educ

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An inquiry-based laboratory course was created in an effort to increase student responsibility in learning and to improve teaching in areas related to molecular medicine. Authentic medical cases with both scientific and clinical aspects formed the basis of a project-oriented course that also included student laboratory work focused on the disease-related proteins. Students used basic biochemical techniques to develop and test hypotheses relating their results to the clinical findings. The course also included patient demonstrations to personalize students' knowledge of case presentations, lectures on basic biochemical principles relevant to the molecular basis of the cases, and seminars by invited guests with expertise in translational medicine. Students developed proposals for future research as part of the final examination. An inquiry matrix was used to evaluate the degree of learning responsibility taken during the course. By allowing for openness in how to explore the case including choice of methods and interpretation of unexpected results, students gained confidence in their ability to solve problems, formulate and test hypotheses, and collaborate with both clinical and non-clinical professionals.Keywords: Protein biochemistry, interprofessional, case methodology, undergraduate education.Independent and critical thinking and problem-solving are among the desired outcomes of successful university education [1]. The student's ability to explore a situation or problem needs to be encouraged in order to construct his or her own knowledge and thereby reach a higher level of understanding. Achieving this is to a large extent dependent on the degree of responsibility that students accept for their own learning. Several different methods of teaching can be employed in order to promote students' search for additional information, ability to pose questions, and desire to discuss solutions with each other and perform peer coaching [2,3]. In inquiry-based methods, learners are given case scenarios to stimulate their need for knowledge. Authentic cases provide realistic training grounds for students, while tutors on their part facilitate learning by encouraging critical reflection and challenging students' assumptions [4].An advantage with case-based methods is that they can be used to integrate different perspectives, e.g., medical and basic science. Future progress in relating protein functionality to disease will require collaboration among several disciplines including both those with and without direct patient contact. However, structural and molecular biology training has often focused on methodology, and thus does not attract medically trained students. Thereby, medical students are restricted from getting a comprehensive understanding of disease-related molecular mechanisms. In addition, students from biomedical and engineering disciplines typically acquire only very limited knowledge of clinical problems and diseases during their undergraduate studies. Yet these students will play an important future role in ...

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supporting

confidence: 86%

Open‐ended assignments and student responsibility

Brauner

Carey

Henriksson

et al. 2007

Biochem Molecular Bio Educ

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“…Ön-testte 4 öğretmen adayı bakır örneklerin askıda kalacağını belirtirken son-testte bu sayı 1'e düşmüştür. (Berg, Bergendahl and Lundberg;, bu çalışmada adayların çoğunluğunun, amaca yönelik doğru deneyler düzenlemede ve doğru verileri kaydetmede gösterdikleri başarıya ait bulguları destekler niteliktedir. Bunun yanı sıra adayların açık sorgulama düzeyindeki etkinlikleri ilk kez uyguladıkları dikkate alındığında, öğretmen adaylarına bu uygulamalar için daha fazla fırsat tanındığında soruların ve deneylerin düzenlenmesinde deneyim kazanarak başarılarını arttıracakları (Morrison;2008) ve bu tür etkinliklerin derslerdeki kullanılabilirliğini fark ederek meslek yaşamlarına yansıtabilecekleri (Haefner and Zembal-Saul; düşünülmektedir.…”

Section: Kavram Testine Ait Bulgularunclassified

The Effect of Open Inquiry-Based Laboratory Activities on Prospective Teachers' Misconceptions about Matter

Akben¹

2015

IOJES

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This research that requires prospective classroom teachers to conduct experiments at open inquiry level investigates prospective classroom teachers' ability to conduct experiments at open inquiry level, and the effect of these experiments on their misconceptions. To this end, firstly a test on the relationship among "shape of matter, density of matter, and floating" was administered to prospective teachers, and the test results indicated that prospective teachers had misconceptions about this topic. Then prospective teachers were asked to conduct an observation related to this topic, to ask questions based on their observations, to design an experiment to answer their questions, and to conduct this experiment in the classroom. Extended Summary PurposeThe importance of inquiry in science education is frequently emphasized in science curricula that are aimed at developing scientific literacy in learners. The purpose of inquiry, based on the research method used by scientists to understand the nature and containing descriptions based on scientific evidence, is to ensure that learners become aware of a problem as a result of observation, conduct research and observation to find solutions to that problem, test their hypothesis, and reach a result based on their experiments. Laboratory practice plays an important role in achieving this target.The research related to inquiry-based laboratory activities at various levels indicates that these activities have a positive effect on science teaching and learning. It is known that especially inquiry-based experiments at open inquiry level are effective in formulating higher level questions and developing a positive attitude towards the course. However, the research demonstrates that teachers do not utilize these kinds of activities in their classes due to lack of practice in teacher preparation programs.Against this background, this research requires prospective teachers to design and to conduct experiments at open inquiry level, and is aimed at answering the following questions investigating the effect of these experiments on prospective teachers' misconceptions:1 Corresponding author's address:

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“…Stimulation of deeper learning and understanding as well as increased motivation and enthusiasm for the subject have been achieved in classes from 40 to 400 students by scientific teaching strategies in fields as disparate as astronomy (Powell, 2003), genetics (Pukkila, 2004), and chemistry (Wright et al, 1998;Berg et al, 2003). The University of Oregon's Workshop Biology curriculum (Udovic et al, 2002) became one of several experimental teaching approaches in the life sciences that succeeded during the 1990s in enhancing students' conceptual learning, attitudes toward science, and problem solving capacities (see also Ebert-May et al, 1997;Lawson, 2003).…”

Section: Classroom Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Impending Revolution in Undergraduate Science Education

2005

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There is substantial evidence that scientific teaching in the sciences, i.e. teaching that employs instructional strategies that encourage undergraduates to become actively engaged in their own learning, can produce levels of understanding, retention and transfer of knowledge that are greater than those resulting from traditional lecture/lab classes. But widespread acceptance by university faculty of new pedagogies and curricular materials still lies in the future. In this essay we review recent literature that sheds light on the following questions:• What has evidence from education research and the cognitive sciences told us about undergraduate instruction and student learning in the sciences? • What role can undergraduate student research play in a science curriculum?• What benefits does information technology have to offer?• What changes are needed in institutions of higher learning to improve science teaching? We conclude that widespread promotion and adoption of the elements of scientific teaching by university science departments could have profound effects in promoting a scientifically literate society and a reinvigorated research enterprise.

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Benefiting from an open-ended experiment? A comparison of attitudes to, and outcomes of, an expository versus an open-inquiry version of the same experiment

Cited by 185 publications

References 10 publications

Open‐ended assignments and student responsibility

Open‐ended assignments and student responsibility

The Effect of Open Inquiry-Based Laboratory Activities on Prospective Teachers' Misconceptions about Matter

The Impending Revolution in Undergraduate Science Education

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