Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Assessing The Impact Of Geosciences Laboratories On Student Learning: Who Benefits From Introductory Labs, Karl Nelson, Kristin Huysken, Zoran Kilibarda

Zoran Kilibarda

Laboratories serve as an integral part of geoscience education at most colleges and universities. While anecdotal evidence supports the beneficial impact of laboratories on science class learning, little quantitative research backs this statement. This study compared classroom data from students who completed a geoscience laboratory in conjunction with an introductory-level lecture-based course to those who completed the lecture course only. Laboratory-enrolled students performed better in the lecture class, resulting in an increase of 5.5% in their final class score. Even after controlling for GPA, laboratory enrollment accounted for a statistically significant proportion of the variance. Nontraditional students (age 25 and …