At present, BIOL 1114 Introductory Biology laboratory sections are divided into the two main groups: the honors students participating in the new approach and the other students being tought in the traditional fashion.  In their laboratory sections, both sets of students must generate hypotheses, design experiments, and write reports describing their experiments.  This inquiry-based approach to instructional laboratories encourages students to think about more than the material that they are learning in lecture and to be exposed to more than simple laboratory techniques.

The new laboratory experience for the honors students takes the inquiry-based approach to another level.  Instead of performing forteen individual experiments over the course of the semester, the honors students perform only four of these.  Throughout the semester, each team of four students create hypotheses and design their experiments as students in BIOL 1114 have done before, but they do not simply turn in a lab report.  They submit their manuscript to the Journal of Introductory Biology Investigations for peer review.  Whereas teachers assistants graded reports before, reviewers point to errors and make suggestions for experimental and writing improvement.

Students then use that information to redo their experiments, add to their data, correct manuscript errors, and so on in the next laboratory meeting.  Their own teachers assistants act as mentors by giving advice and suggesting new approaches.  The students then resubmit their manuscripts, and the process is repeated.  Only the third version of the students' papers are graded.  Those final papers will end up in the Journal of Introductory Biology Investigations as a public record of their contributions to science.

It is our hope that by treating students as budding professional scientists, we will better educate them so that they have a more fundamental understanding of what scientists really do and how scientists really think.  If the students can think of themselves as scientists and internalize what that means, then they can go on to succeed in their science education at Oklahoma State University and contribute great scientific knowledge to mankind.

Honors BIOL 1114 Lecture Syllabus

Invitation to Honors Students (BIOL 1114 Laboratory Syllabus)