TEMPLE, J.G.*; LOESSER, K.E.: Student Perceptions of Inquiry-Based and Traditional Laboratory Exercises in an Undergraduate Physiology Course

There is currently a movement in undergraduate biology education to employ inquiry-based (IB) exercises in which students are allowed to design their own experiments in the laboratory. This approach differs from the traditional approach in which students are provided detailed instructions about which experiments to conduct and how to conduct them. The goal of this study was to assess student opinions about the effectiveness of inquiry-based exercises and traditional exercises. Three IB exercises were incorporated with other traditional exercises into a human physiology course (n=43). Student perceptions were assessed by two surveys and written comments. Survey 1 was administered at the beginning and end of the semester to compare their confidence about performing scientific tasks. Survey 2 was designed to compare the students� perceptions of the traditional and IB exercises and was conducted only at the end of the semester. Survey 1 showed that the students were more confident analyzing physiology problems, setting learning objectives and performing independent experiments at the end of the semester. Survey 2 showed that the students rated the IB exercises higher in allowing them to think independently compared to the traditional exercises. The IB exercises were also rated higher with respect to remembering physiological concepts, gaining skills in communicating scientific ideas and the amount of work required. Although some students commented that the IB exercises were more time-consuming and stressful, more students felt that they learned more from that approach. This research was supported by a Jepson Funds-For-Excellence Grant from MWC.