Pre-nursing students of an introductory Microbiology laboratory class, having learnt typical microbiological techniques during the semester, gained the confidence of conducting an inquiry-based project as part of their lab course work. Students cooperatively performed a microbiological analysis, to evaluate safety of sushi. This paper presents…

Self-regulated learning conducted through metacognitive monitoring and scientific inquiry can be influenced by many factors, such as emotions and motivation, and are necessary skills needed to engage in efficient hypothesis testing during game-based learning. Although many studies have investigated metacognitive monitoring and scientific inquiry…

Investigative- and cooperative-based learning strategies have been used effectively in a variety of classrooms to enhance student learning and engagement. In the General Microbiology laboratory for juniors and seniors at James Madison University, these strategies were combined to make a semester-long, investigative, cooperative learning experience…

Argues that data analysis problems can be used successfully in large introductory microbiology courses, even when exams consist entirely of multiple-choice questions and out-of-class contact with the instructor is limited. Discusses course organization, problem structure, student performance and response, advantages of using data analysis…