Reworking the Recipe: Adding Inquiry and Reflection to College Science Labs

Abstract

Cookbook-style laboratories (labs), where students follow recipes and confirm known results are common, yet years of science teaching and learning research indicate they do not help college students develop the habits of mind and skills of a scientist. We describe the rationale, challenges, and initial changes made in our teaching and learning lab reform project in this article. The metaphor of cooking and following recipes aims to help readers visualize the fundamental changes we are making to college exercise physiology labs. Connections between changes to existing inquiry-based learning literature, four distinct levels of inquiry in science learning, student agency, and student reflection are made. Changes to teaching practices and supporting the instructional team in trying new strategies which support reformed lab learning activities is also described in this article. We invite readers to reflect on the changes we are making, and perhaps imagine ways they could translate our early reforms to their own college science lab teaching and learning context.

Keywords:

• Laboratory reform
• College science learning
• inquiry-based learning
• Student agency
• Inquiry labs
• Reflection in STEM

Disclosure Statement

We have no known conflict of interest to disclose.