Designing Effective Inquiry-based Labs: Problem Solving Techniques

Develop a general strategy to:

·        Identify and clearly state the problem

·        Purpose and content objectives of the lab

·        Identify and clarify the question or hypothesis the lab will address

·        Lab introduction

·        Content or key concepts/terms pertinent to the lab

·        Teaching objectives

·        Collect, organize, and analyze information

·        Development of hands-on exercises and demonstrations

·        Lab/field investigate injury-based exercises

·        Research technology needs and available resources

·        Consult web and literature bases- modify existing lab exercises in subject taught but also draw from different fields of study

·        Generate, evaluate, and select among alternative solutions

·        Evaluate the logistics and timing of the exercises

·        Evaluate the difficulty of the exercise; match and challenge student abilities

·        Consider alternative types of activities

·        Develop a plan of action and strategy to implement the plan

·        Dry-run the lab

·        Work up the results

·        Do the homework

·        Implement the plan and then evaluate the results

·        Analyze/evaluate the lab (practical and homework) from yours and the student’s view point

·        conceptual understanding of subject

·        mastery of quantitative problems and data interpretation

·        application to real life situations (e.g. environmental implications or consequences)

·        Did the lab meet the teaching and content objectives?

·        How can the exercise be improved or expanded?

·        What could go wrong?  Anticipate alternative outcomes for results