THE IMPORTANCE OF A LABORATORY SECTION ON STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES IN A UNIVERSITY INTRODUCTORY EARTH SCIENCE COURSE

Laboratory sections of university earth science courses provide hands-on, inquiry-based activities for students in support of lecture and discussion. The importance of the laboratory sections is argued by almost all science educators, using mostly anecdotal evidence to support their claims. However, there has been little direct research into the effect of laboratories on student learning outcomes in university science courses. Here, I conduct a test of the effectiveness of laboratory sections by administering the same independent assessment (Geoscience Concept Inventory) at the beginning and end of two Earth and Atmospheric Science courses at the University of Alberta (EAS 100, with a lab component, and 201, lecture only). T-tests were used to test for overall differences between pre- and post-course assessment scores, as well as a separate paired t-tests to compare before and after scores of students who volunteered their identities.

Students in both EAS 100 and EAS 201 demonstrated a significant increase in assessment scores over the span of the semester in both the general and the matched-identification analyses. However, the mean post-course assessment score for EAS 100 was 33% greater (43% greater for matched-identification analysis) than that of EAS 201. The only two notable differences between EAS 100 and 201 were that EAS 100 had a laboratory section whereas EAS 201 did not, and EAS 201 was a time-shortened course while EAS 100 spanned a full, traditional-length academic term. The same two instructors taught both courses. Because a great deal of research demonstrates that time-shortened, intensive university courses produce the same knowledge gains as traditional-length courses, the inclusion of the laboratory section with EAS 100 most likely led to the greater student knowledge gains in that course. Thus, having a laboratory component in an introductory-level, university earth science course maximizes the educational outcomes for students.