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Integrating undergraduate laboratories into the curriculum.
- Source :
-
The American journal of physiology [Am J Physiol] 1991 Jun; Vol. 260 (6 Pt 3), pp. S25-8. - Publication Year :
- 1991
-
Abstract
- Developing a curriculum that integrates laboratory, field, and nonlaboratory experiences requires solid planning, cooperation, and compromise among the faculty members in a department. This is especially true for laboratory experiences where basic skills and familiarity with the different groups of plants and animals carry over to upper-division courses. In an introductory Principles of Biology laboratory, for example, exercises can be designed to give students a clear idea of a statistical distribution and the consequences of random molecular motion. Both concepts are used in nearly all upper-division courses to some extent. Some important but "mechanical" features of courses within a curriculum, such as adopting within the department a single format for writing a scientific paper, will go a long way in tying together different laboratory experiences. Other similar but simpler ideas are to develop appendexes to laboratory exercises that can be used in introductory and upper-division courses, e.g., how to do dilutions, the use of SI units, etc. The latter may be a good way to stimulate departments to think more carefully about continuity and consistency in the design of the overall curriculum. Continuity of instruction from lower-division to upper-division courses and among upper-division courses requires communication between instructors at all levels.
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 0002-9513
- Volume :
- 260
- Issue :
- 6 Pt 3
- Database :
- MEDLINE
- Journal :
- The American journal of physiology
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 2058753
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1152/advances.1991.260.6.S25