Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
- Discipline
- Institution
- Publication Type
Articles 1 - 2 of 2
Full-Text Articles in Education
Promoting Critical Thinking In General Biology Courses: The Case Of The White Widow Spider, Joseph S. Wilson
Promoting Critical Thinking In General Biology Courses: The Case Of The White Widow Spider, Joseph S. Wilson
Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence
It is generally accepted that critical thinking is an important and, likely, essential, component of success in college and beyond. Despite the unanimity, only a low percentage of students in the U.S. can demonstrate critical thinking proficiency on standardized exams. This phenomenon may result from instructors using a reductionist view of critical thinking and focusing on learning processes rather than on evaluation of intellectual resources. In general biology courses, I use a non-threatening, active-learning, group activities to promote critical thinking. For example, students are presented with an email from a member of the community and asked to formulate a response …
Development Of An Active-Learning Lesson That Targets Student Understanding Of Population Growth In Ecology, Elizabeth Trenckmann
Development Of An Active-Learning Lesson That Targets Student Understanding Of Population Growth In Ecology, Elizabeth Trenckmann
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Integrating quantitative literacy skills into the undergraduate biology curriculum has been advocated as a way to better reflect the tools and practices used by scientists. One area where students often need and can develop quantitative skills is population ecology, and previous studies have shown that students often have conceptual difficulties in this area. The focus of this thesis project was to explore student thinking about population ecology and develop an in-class active-learning lesson that incorporates quantitative skills for use in large-enrollment undergraduate biology courses. The development of this lesson was guided by in depth reviews of literature, textbooks, and online …