About

An Inquiry-Based Approach

This is not a traditional freshman biology lab. BIOL 123 uses an inquiry-based approach to engage students in an authentic process of scientific discovery. This approach allows students to follow methods and practices similar to those of professional scientists in order to construct knowledge.
Asking and investigating questions in a scientific way does not only entail time spent on benchwork or in the field. Scientists also research existing knowledge in the context of their questions, analyze their data, and disseminate their findings. We will, therefore, also dedicate time to these activities. Review the comparison below and expect to notice some differences from a traditional lab setting in BIOL 123. This curriculum has been designed to mirror the concepts from BIOL 122 and to show how those concepts are operationalized in the process of DOING (not just knowing) science.

An inquiry-based approach to lab means your role, and that of your TA, will also be different.

From: Abdullah, Nabilah & Yaamat, Nurlatifah. (2013). Strategies of Teaching Science Using an Inquiry based Science Education (IBSE) by Novice Chemistry Teachers. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences. 90. 10.1016/j.sbspro.2013.07.129.

Course objectives & Summary

Course Objectives

Explain the philosophy of science focusing on: what qualifies as science, the reliability of scientific theories, and the ultimate purpose of science.
Expose students to the process of scientific inquiry, including: hypothesis generation, experimental design, data collection and analysis (through graphing and statistics) and dissemination.
Teach students how to conduct a scientific literature review, including: experience with existing data, grey literature, peer-reviewed literature, and common citation formats.
Prepare students to produce scientific documents, including: research proposals, technical reports, scientific posters, and manuscripts.
Educate students to use common laboratory equipment successfully and safely.
Train students to perform common laboratory techniques, appreciate their limitations, and understand and explain their purpose.
Allow for hands-on investigations of the biological concepts covered in BIOL 122, including: evolution, biodiversity, and ecology.

Please review the summary of each section above which will take from 3-4 weeks.

Like most large lab courses, BIOL 123 has a faculty coordinator with individual course sections taught by biology graduate teaching assistants or TAs. The TA assigned to your section and their contact information are located under the “Instructor Info” tab on Blackboard. Your TA is your FIRST contact with questions regarding this course. If you need to alert the faculty coordinator of an issue, please do so by forwarding the original communication with your TA to Dr. Mountjoy.
Faculty Coordinator: Dr. Natalie Mountjoy, [email protected], 270.745.3455, office in KTH 3017.

lab manual Organization

Each lab is divided into three main parts: a pre-lab (to do BEFORE lab), a protocol (what to do IN LAB), and a post-lab (to complete and submit before the next lab). Both the pre-lab quiz and post-lab assignment are part of a LABridge (LAB-bridge) which connects the labs from week to week.

Pre-Labs: Pre-Lab content is usually divided into three sections. The first two sections will provide access to content you will need know to be successful in upcoming lab. The last section of each pre-lab will give you an idea of "What we will do in lab and how we will do it" and will connect you to Blackboard so you can complete your pre-lab quiz before your next lab.
Protocols: The Lab Protocol section follows the Pre-Lab and lists the exercises, again usually three, that we will accomplish during lab. It begins with a list of the objectives for each lab and an outline of the exercises. It will house your Lab Notebook Guide.
Post Labs: The Lab Notebook Guide is your Post-Lab assignment. It will generally be in the form of a research proposal or results report. You will submit your Lab Notebook Guides in your LABridge before the next lab begins.

These "check-mark" icons are designed to walk you through the Pre-Lab. Before moving on from one section of the Pre-Lab to the next, be sure you've accomplished the task set out by the check-mark. Anything in the Pre-Lab may appear on your LABridge for the coming week and these icons alert you to that content.

Click here to get to WKU's blackboard to take your LABridge each week. These activities are meant to "bridge" one lab to next. In each LABridge you will submit your Notebook Entry from the last lab and be tested on the content in next week's Pre-Lab. You should have your submissions ready (as word.docs only) AND you should have already worked through ALL the Pre-Lab content. Please DO NOT try to answer these questions "as you go."

You will complete an electronic Lab Notebook Entry for every lab. Sometimes these entries will be in the format of research proposals, experimental designs, data and graphs or analyses and conclusions. For each lab, you have been provided with a Lab Notebook Guide to ensure you complete the lab and your notebook entry correctly. Every entry must in in the format of a word.doc. No other template is appropriate. These are submitted in LABridge before the following week's lab meets.

Before you leave, at the end of each lab, you will need to "check-out" with your instructor. The directions next to this icon will tell exactly how to clean your station and dispose of your materials. It is particularize important to check here for hazardous wastes disposal.

Button Links

Hyperlinks may be to outside content or images or documents. All hyperlinks in-text are in green and in bold. If it is linked to an image it will not open in a new window. If it is linked to a document or external web link, it will open in a new window. Sidebar links mat also appear as black bars (at left). Most images will open to larger versions if selected.

Faculty Spotlights are provided throughout the manual and intended to help you get to know the biology department a little better and to show how the techniques and principles we use in lab are used in real-world research. If you are a biology major, you will eventually have many of these faculty members as professors and you may even want to reach out to some of them for great research opportunities.

Usage Rights: This website is intended solely for use of BIOL 123 students at Western Kentucky University. Usage for any other persons is expressly prohibited. The information here is copyrighted (all rights reserved ©) or within "Fair Use" under the scholarship or education exemption (section 107 of the Copyright Act).