Reinforcing experimental concepts with focused in-class literature discussion

Drill, E.

This talk covers a specific approach to literature discussion that focuses on the component methods: how individual steps were completed and the relevance to the research question.  This was implemented in an upper-level biology laboratory course where student groups worked towards a research goal by dividing tasks and each focusing on one aspect. Although this encourages a collaborative research environment, one challenge is ensuring that all students can understand and interpret all parts of the project and how each contributes towards the goal.  To actively reinforce the steps and importance of each experiment, students worked in small groups followed by class discussion to analyze selected methods from a paper that paralleled the class project. I will share a sample worksheet used to facilitate this activity in Experimental Cell and Developmental Biology. This activity could be adapted for any research paper where multiple methods are used to arrive at a conclusion. 

Emily Drill, Biological Sciences