1. Angela Hodgson North Dakota State University
Combining Mastery Learning and Open Biology Labs to Improve Science Process Skills
Angela Hodgson
North Dakota State University

2. General Biology Lab I – Course Objectives
Use the scientific process proficiently to answer scientific questions and construct new knowledge, including
Generating of hypotheses,
Designing experiments,
Recording and analyzing data,
Testing significance of hypotheses,
Interpreting and synthesizing results

3. Class Demographics Enrolls 600 students
9 Teaching Assistants who each teach 3 lab sections

4. Inquiry Labs - 2015 Completed 3 inquiry labs in groups of 4
Each lab lasted approximately 4 weeks
Kirby Bauer Experiment, Photosynthesis Experiment, PTC Genetics Experiment

5. Inquiry Labs
Students were assigned roles: Data recorder, Lab Supervisor, Lab Technicians
Inquiry Lab Design
Pretest
Week 1 – Design experiment
Week 2 and 3 – Perform Experiment
Week 4 - Analyze Data and Interpret Results
Complete post-investigation exam,
Each student would write an individual analysis of results

6. Mastery Learning
“. . . Aptitude is the amount of time required by the learner to attain mastery of a learning task”
Bloom (1968)
“If students are normally distributed with respect to aptitude for some subject and all students receive the same instruction , the end result will be a normal distribution on an appropriate measure of achievement”

7. Factors influencing movement to new lab format
Upper division faculty wanted students to know how to use a spreadsheet, how to visualize data and how perform basic statistical tests Different students need different amounts of time to learn and practice lab skills. Students “understanding” the process of science, but not about to “do” the process of science. Hard to perform a skill in front of others when you feel that you can not perform it well. Some students lack motivation because they resent having to take the class

8. Mastery learning and completion of 3 inquiry labs Open Lab
Mandatory attendance in assigned lab section
Week
1 and 2
Weeks
3 - 14
Mastery learning and completion of 3 inquiry labs
Open Lab
Two 24-person lab rooms are open 28 hours per week. Each room staffed by 1 Graduate Teaching Assistant.
Students can come to lab at any time and spend as little or as much time in lab as they want.

9. Students must complete “job” training before being allowed to start working for NDSU Biological Consulting
Students must complete:
4 HHMI Biointeractive Google Sheets Tutorials with > 90% accuracy
Google Sheets and Hypothesis Testing Skills Exam with > 90 % accuracy
SimBio Experimental Design module with > 80% accuracy
Pipetting skills test with 100% accuracy
Students receive continued instruction and repeat each assessment until achieving mastery.

12. Students complete 3 consulting jobs
You have been hired by ABC Foods, Inc., to determine whether there is a natural plant-based compound that they could use in their commercial food production factories to replace the synthetic antimicrobials that they are currently using.
Kirby Bauer Experiment
You have been hired by North Dakota Ethanol Producers to assist in optimizing the process for conversion of cellulosic biomass to ethanol.
Enzymatic digestion and fermentation
You have been hired by Gorongosa National Park in Mozambique, Africa, to analyze wildlife camera-trap data. (data available from HHMI Biointeractive)
Seasonal habitat selection by animals

14. For each experiment, a student must
Pass a pre-test of their knowledge of the biological system.
Design an approved experiment;
Conduct experiment, record data, and create a graphical visualization of data;
Use statistical test(s) to determine support for hypothesis,
Write an interpretation of their results,
Complete a post-experiment test

15. Contract Grading To receive an A, a student must
Complete all 3 laboratory investigations
Receive a >85% AVERAGE quality score Data Analysis and Interpretation of Results
Receive a > 80% AVERAGE on Post-Experiment tests
To receive an C, a student must
Complete all 2 laboratory investigations
Receive a >70% AVERAGE quality score Data Analysis and Interpretation of Results
Receive a > 70% AVERAGE on Post-Experiment test

18. Mastery Learning
“Most students can master what we have to teach them, and it is the task of instruction to find the means which will enable the student to master the subject under consideration.”
Bloom (1968)

19. What is mastery education?
Adapted from Wikipedia: Students must demonstrate mastery of prerequisite knowledge before moving forward to learn subsequent information. If a student does not achieve mastery, they are allowed to review the information and then assessed again. This cycle continues until the learner accomplishes mastery, and they may then move on to the next stage.”