A. Basic Skills:
     1. College Reading and Writing ____
     2. Oral Communication ____
     3. Mathematics ____
     4. Physical Development and Wellness ____

Syllabus - Outcomes Grid

1
Understand
scientific
approaches

2
Apply
scientific
methods

3
Use
scientific
reasoning

4
Independent,
collaborative
learning

5
Search for
additional
information

6
Evaluate
scientific
information

7
Recognize,
correct mis-
conceptions

Initially, students learn the history of science and the thought process of science from their required  readings and by attending lectures.  They are then forced to abstract and project their learning.  This is especially done through group activities and discussion of group activities.  For example,  the first group activity requires each student to independently demonstrate that they know "the scientific method" by writing an outline of a problem which is solved by "the scientific method" and giving a coordinated example for each part of "the scientific method".   Next, the independent examples are exchanged with each other member of an in class group and critically read by each other.  Oral critique and discussion within the group follows.  Students are allowed to amend and emend their original writings to reflect new understandings (which are turned in to the instructor at the end of the class period and graded by the next class period).  Each class group also shares its best example of "the scientific method" to the rest of the class, where the instructor and the rest of the class critiques and validates the example.  Perhaps the most learning occurs in this group activity when mistakes are made,  discovered, and then corrected.  This often happens when students present an example that lacks an adequate control, or chooses and example which tries to measure "best" or an example which  otherwise does not map to "the scientific method".

Required readings and lectures provide methods and examples of how scientists have view the world and how they have applied the methods of science to solve problems.  Perhaps the greatest application of science to solve problems comes when students prepare written answers to questions posed for groups activities.  For example, one group of students are asked to answer "Imagine that you are a bacterial parasite. What must you do to invade a human body?", and a cognate group of students are asked to answer "Imagine that you are the immune system of a human body.  What must you do to protect yourself from a bacterial parasite?".   The two groups are brought into class room discussion at the same time in a debate style presentation, and the rest of the class is asked to evaluate whether the bacteria group or the immune group "won".   Principles of how we protect ourselves from parasites are solidified and it becomes abundantly clear that often parasites "win", espe

Required readings, lectures, group activities, class room discussion, and examinations apply as in the answer to question 2, above.  However, the most relevant group activity is that of the two-point discrimination which is explained at "http://bio.winona.edu/reuter/117us/group/005/w15ga.htm".    After measuring and collecting their data during a class room group activity, students enter their data into an anonymous class data bank using a WWW form.  From here, students are able to download all the class data from the completed class WWW data bank, import the data into an Excel spreadsheet, sort their data appropriately, and perform elementary statistics and data analysis.  The results of their analysis is then presented in class and compared to the analysis completed in class as a demonstration by the instructor.  (Currently, many students without computers are WOWed when they see how fast and simple it is to use Excel to answer a question!)

Certainly, performing the required readings and attentively attending lectures promotes students' abilities to engage in independent and collaborative learning.  However, the most important part of the course for this goal is fostered by the independent preparation for group activities and the collaborative learning stimulated by the group activities.  Also, independent and collaborative learning is stimulated by my making prior tests available on the web for study purposes, and too, independent and collaborative learning is stimulated when I reveal "promised" questions that will be on the next examination.  (This I know from answering questions of the class in review sessions, before examinations.)

For the beginning part of this course, which focuses on the methods of science, I find virtually all introductory human biology text book to be inadequate.  Thus, I supplement and provide information from other sources for lecture.  In addition, students are encouraged to read about the methods of science from other sources, especially the relevant parts of their social science texts and mathematics texts, to gain a perspective of how similar the different disciplines cover the same subject matter.  Proper prior preparation for some of our class group activities requires that students go beyond the text.  For example, see the group activities on renal related diseases, which requires that students search for additional information on symptoms of renal-related diseases and how the kidney is involved in these diseases.  However, most of the new knowledge for this course is contained in the text book.

All parts of the course - required readings, lectures, preparation for group activities, group activities, class room discussion, and preparation for examinations - promote students' abilities to critically evaluate both source and content of scientific information.   The most relevant part of the course for activity involves students writing independently in preparation for group activities and students partaking in the ensuing class room discussion.  Also, examples of bad scientific reasoning, often from tabloids and newspapers, and sometimes from weekly news journals are brought to the attention of the class for discussion when the topics are relevant the subject matter of the course unit.

All parts of the course - required readings, lectures, preparation for group activities, group activities, class room discussion, and preparation for examinations - promote students' abilities to recognize and correct scientific misconceptions.  The most relevant parts of the course in which the instructor becomes aware of students' misconceptions is during discussion, the correcting of group assignment homework and, of course, the evaluation of examinations.  These problems with misconceptions are then discussed at the beginning of classes during our open question, review, and review of examination sessions.   Certain topics always bring forth misconceptions.  For example, the ideas of evolution, development, creation, that bone is living, that the mind is closely related to the function of the brain, etc., etc.  Although these misconceptions are addressed in the text reading and again in lecture, I find that often class questions and answers and discussion is a good way to address many of these misconceptions.  To promote freer discussion of deeply-seated, emotionally-charged misconceptions, next fall semester I plan to make use of an anonymous web discussion forum.