My research concerns pedagogy in science labs. I am examining the impacts of individual variations in student working memory on student performance and learning in different formats of inquiry-oriented science labs. More specifically, inquiry-oriented science labs that are front-loaded, place a heavy cognitive burden on the students at the beginning of lab, in that they need to induce a hypothesis or design an investigation. In contrast, inquiry-oriented science labs that are back-loaded, such as expository or verification lab styles, reduce cognitive load at the beginning of lab through guidance. As a result, individual variations in working memory capacity or explanatory style may impact student learning. Utilizing this framework, I predict students with large working memory capacities and positive explanatory styles will excel in front-loaded situations, whereas students with smaller working memory capacity and negative explanatory style will excel in a back-loaded situation.
EBIO 1050 - Biology: A Human Approach Laboratory
Primary Instructor
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Spring 2018 / Fall 2018 / Spring 2019
One two-hour lab per week. Provides experiments and exercises relating to concepts presented in EBIO 1030 and EBIO 1040. Uses animals and/or animal tissues. Recommended for nonscience majors. When taken with EBIO 1030, meets the MAPS requirement for natural science: lab.
EBIO 1110 - Biology and Society Laboratory
Primary Instructor
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Fall 2019 / Spring 2020 / Summer 2020 / Fall 2020 / Spring 2021 / Summer 2021 / Fall 2021 / Spring 2022 / Fall 2022 / Spring 2023
One two-hour lab per week. Provides experiments and exercises relating to concepts presented in EBIO 1100. Recommended for majors and non-majors. When taken with EBIO 1100, meets the MAPS requirement for natural science: lab.
EBIO 1230 - General Biology Laboratory 1
Primary Instructor
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Summer 2018 / Fall 2018 / Summer 2019 / Fall 2019 / Summer 2020 / Fall 2020 / Summer 2021 / Fall 2021 / Summer 2022 / Fall 2022
One 3-hour lab per week. Consists of experiments and exercises to provide an extension of basic concepts and scientific approaches presented in General Biology 1. Intended for science majors. Recommended prerequisite or corequisite: EBIO 1210 (minimum grade C-).
EBIO 1240 - General Biology Laboratory 2
Primary Instructor
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Spring 2018 / Spring 2019 / Spring 2020 / Spring 2021 / Spring 2022 / Spring 2023
One 3-hour lab per week. Consists of experiments and exercises to provide an extension of basic concepts and scientific approaches presented in General Biology 2. Intended for science majors. Recommended prerequisite or corequisite: EBIO 1220 (minimum grade C-).
EBIO 3410 - Microbiology Lab
Primary Instructor
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Spring 2018 / Spring 2019 / Spring 2020 / Spring 2021 / Spring 2022 / Spring 2023
Accompanies EBIO 3400.
