Brandi Geisinger serves as the evaluator for the Principles of Genetics Laboratory at Iowa State University, funded by a Miller Faculty Fellowship Award. This course made improvements to instructional delivery in order to deepen students’ understanding of genetics concepts and research. The evaluation of the instructional changes uses the Sirum and Humburg (2011) Experimental Design Ability Test (EDAT) to assess students’ ability to design a research experiment prior to and after engagement in either traditionally taught control sections or experimental sections which received the new instructional methods. Pilot study data demonstrated that students in the revised curriculum group scored slightly higher on the post-program EDAT than did students in traditional lab groups. In addition, laboratory section students scored significantly higher than lecture-only students on the EDAT at the end of the course.
Evaluation References
Sirum, K., & Humburt, J. (2011). The Experimental Design Ability Test (EDAT). Bioscene, 37(1), 8-16.