Analysis of Student Attitudes of a Neurobiology Themed Inquiry Based Research Experience in First Year Biology Labs.

Inquiry based research experiences are thought to increase learning gains in biology, STEM retention, and confidence in students of diverse backgrounds. Furthermore, such research experiences within the first year of college may foster increased student retention and interest in biology. However, providing first year students in biology labs with inquiry-based experiences is challenging given demands of large student enrollments, restricted lab space, and instructor time. Thus, we aimed to integrate a small neurobiology themed research experience within a three-week modular, first-year biology laboratory setting. For this, students first performed a whole class lab examining the effects of ethanol on movement and associative learning. Using skills they acquired, the students devised, executed, and presented their self-designed experiments and results. Using pre-and post-course surveys, we analyzed student attitudes on their experiences, including technical skills, inquiry-based learning styles in which experimental outcomes are often unknown, and research in their first year of biology. Analyzing data collected for three years, we found that students self-reported gains in technical skills and positive attitudes toward inquiry-based learning. In contrast, we found that students did not self-report increased interest in research experiences in general.