Integrating Research Experiences into Introductory Biology Laboratories to Engage Undergraduate Students in STEM Learning

The Biology Department at the University of Mary Washington has been implementing changes in our curriculum to meet the recommendations of Vision and Change. One aspect of this process is to include authentic research experiences in the introductory biology laboratory. Significant evidence suggests that incorporating research experiences into introductory biology courses can improve student learning, their understanding of the research process, and their interest in their biology course. We developed three new laboratory modules, each of which is based upon a short research project. All students in our sections of introductory biology completed the three modules during the first 8 weeks of the semester. In the second 8 weeks, they carried out the laboratories traditionally performed in the introductory course. We are currently evaluating the effectiveness of the new lab modules in producing student gains in content knowledge, understanding of the research process, and attitudes toward science. To assess student content knowledge and understanding of the research process, we gave pre‐ and post‐tests for each new module and before and after the traditional introductory laboratories. To assess students' perceptions of their understanding of the scientific process and their attitude toward science, students completed surveys at the beginning and end of the semester. We will present analysis of these assessment instruments.