The National Science Foundation has awarded Dr. Sarah Gerken and Dr. Dayna DeFeo a three-year grant to research the role of the introductory biology lab in the general education curriculum. The new project, Identifying the Learning Objectives of Biology Laboratories in the General Education Curriculum and Exploring Gaps Between Objectives and Practice (NSF # 2044101) was awarded through the Division of Undergraduate Education’s Improving Undergraduate STEM Education (IUSE) program. This $300,000 grant allows Gerken and DeFeo to expand on preliminary questions identified during a current NSF IUSE project, Transforming Introductory Biology at UAA (NSF# 1823935).
Laboratory experiences are generally regarded as a fundamental part of the science curriculum, but they are also expensive in terms of student and faculty time, physical resources and consumable supplies. Identifying the highest priority experiences for students who are not majoring in science will be crucial in shaping the future of the liberal arts science curriculum, say Gerken and DeFeo.
Students need a basic level of science literacy, but 79% will not pursue degrees in science. Gerken and DeFeo will investigate how experts in biology education describe the ideal goals of the introductory-level science lab for non-science majors, and compare how the ideal goals align with current biology lab practices.
“We expect the data will be used to create more meaningful and purposeful laboratory experiences, and the findings will be potentially transformative for liberal arts and general education science curricula,” say the researchers.
ISER Director Ralph Townsend explained the significance of this award for the University of Alaska Anchorage. “The National Science Foundation has made improving undergraduate science curriculum one of its priorities. Effective undergraduate education in the sciences is crucial to developing a workforce and a society that can understand and navigate the rapid technological change around us. UAA is very fortunate to have talented faculty and researchers like Dr. Gerken and Dr. DeFeo who can successfully compete for national funding to literally make UAA a laboratory for improving undergraduate science education.”
Dr. Dayna DeFeo is Director of the Center for Alaska Education Policy Research (CAEPR) and a Research Assistant Professor at the Institute of Social and Economic Research (ISER). She holds a PhD in Curriculum & Instruction from New Mexico State University. Dr. DeFeo’s primary research interests include college and postsecondary transitions, particularly in the career and technical fields and for underrepresented populations; teacher turnover, supply, and demand; and representation and hegemony in the curriculum and institutional systems.
Dr. Sarah Gerken is a Professor in UAA’s Department of Biological Sciences, and she teaches both majors and non-majors introductory biology, among other courses. She holds a PhD in Oceanography from the University of Maine, Orono, and her research interests include crustacean systematics and biology education.
