TEACHING AN INQUIRY-BASED SCIENCE COURSE CENTERED ON THE EVOLUTION AND EXTINCTION OF DINOSAURS

As part of the Discovery Program at Rider University, an inquiry-based science course was introduced to the curriculum for freshmen. While a major theme of the course was the nature of science, specific topics focused on evolution and extinction of dinosaurs, energy resources, geologic time, and global change. We started the program with a kayaking trip to a New Jersey barrier island, where we looked at the changeable geology of the barrier islands and bays, and collected samples of sediments for later analysis back in class. Other field trips involved visits to Late Cretaceous fossil sites where we studied stratigraphy and collected marine fossils from the K/Pg section; this stimulated a discussion of sea level and climate change over time. An evolution module started out with students constructing their own family tree, and then learning about cladistics by using MacClade to manipulate a tree of vertebrate animals, emphasizing that each cladogram is a hypothesis of evolutionary relationships. This set up a visit to the dinosaur halls of the American Museum of Natural History; the students were now prepared to answer questions based on their own observations of the displays. An extinction module started with a session on the three evolutionary marine faunas and the Big Five mass extinctions involving hands-on study of fossil specimens, including fossils collected by the students. We visited the site of the first dinosaur skeleton, Hadrosaurus foulkii, and studied its statue in downtown Haddonfield; this led to a consideration of history, art and science. A follow-up to this was a behind-the-scenes tour of the Academy of Natural Sciences to see the original bones of H. foulkii, and to learn about specimen preparation and curation. We then looked at the gradual and catastrophic explanations for dinosaur extinction at the K/T boundary. Students engaged in a formal debate over the proposed extinction hypotheses, reflecting something of the disputes of the original debate. This began a contemplation of modern endangered species and climate change, in which students selected an endangered species and researched it, presenting the strategies for saving and the difficulties involved in preserving that animal. The class ended with presentations of group projects involving constructing museum displays or organizing an expedition.