Integrating Inquiry-Based Learning, Student Feedback, and Lecture in a Science Course

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Undergraduate science instructors are concerned that the traditional lecture centered approach may not be the most effective. The objective of this work was to integrate alternative teaching methods into a small, upper-division course that had previously been taught as a lecture course, and thus impart a current understanding of biogeography to the students. An upper-division lecture course on biogeography with a focus on global climate change and natural resource use was the forum for a combination of conventional methods and interactive inquiry-based learning methods. The conventional lecture aspect of the course was retained to ensure that essential material was presented, although the number of lectures was reduced. Inquiry-based learning was incorporated through an in-class student modeling exercise. The students researched components of the global C cycle and then used these components in cooperative construction of a model. After model construction, modification and improvement, the students used the model in a series of thought experiments, exploring a variety of policy scenarios. Evaluation methods focused on tasks that a student continuing in a scientific career would face, rather than on examinations. These included time-limited oral presentations with an accompanying abstract, and term papers that functioned as original scientific inquiries or as abbreviated literature reviews. The emphasis was on effectiveness and flexibility. Throughout the course, student feedback was used to improve the structure of assignments and the way class time was used. Good student performance and student evaluations indicated successful integration of alternative methods with the traditional lecture.