Modifying Traditional Labs to Target Scientific Reasoning

Abstract

AbstractThis article showcases how a physics lab course was successfully redesigned to promote important reasoning abilities not explicitly addressed in the typical college setting. Student development of such abilities is essential for sound decision making, particularly when living in an information age. Essential features of our guiding curricular framework are presented. These include operationally defined scientific reasoning subskills around which all prelab and inclass activities and assessments are designed to provide repeated, deliberate practice. Details are provided for how the curriculum was developed to promote students' abilities in one reasoning domain, namely, the identification and control of variables. Results indicate that students improve on subskills in the lower and intermediate ranges for reasoning involving controlling variables but do not improve on the higher end subskills. Suggestions for bridging students into these advanced reasoning skill sectors are discussed. Because the targeted skills are transferrable across science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), we expect that others can use features of our curricular framework to redesign their own courses and promote similar abilities in their students. Additional informationNotes on contributorsKathleen KoenigKathleen Koenig ([e-mail]) is an associate professor in the Department of Physics at the University of Cincinnati in Cincinnati, Ohio.Krista E. WoodKrista E. Wood is an associate professor in the Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Department at the University of Cincinnati Blue Ash College.Larry J. BortnerLarry J. Bortner is a lab manager in the Department of Physics at the University of Cincinnati.Lei BaoLei Bao is a professor in the Department of Physics at The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio.