3 Issues with current labs Rationale and proposal for changes to the Biol100 Lab Program for 200820 Based on my readings in the field of Biology Education (mainly in Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education, CBE—Life Sciences Education, Bioscene, Journal of College Science Teaching and American Biology Teacher), I have several suggestions as to how to improve the Biology 100 Labs.  This isn’t to say that I agree with the idea the Biology 100 Labs are solely responsible for all our Departmental retention woes, rather that I recognise a need to change our pedagogy with regard to the labs (and the lectures, for that matter) at the First Year level to better reflect the learning styles and skill set of today’s students. The current lecture and display/cookbook style for introductory biology (Biol100) labs appears to be becoming less and less appropriate given the changing learning style and skill set of incoming students.  Today’s incoming students lack the internal and individual motivation to “go out and look at dead stuff in jars”.  I believe that focussing on a much more student-centred learning approach employing Collaborative Learning (CL) and a mixture of problem-based experimental, computer simulation and problem-based/case-based scenarios might be a better way to provide students with the opportunity to learn the skills needed for a future in science. Issues with the current slate of labs: Current Lab 1- Microscopy sub-exercise The more I think about this, the more I think we’re better off scaling this sub-experiment down, or omitting it entirely.  We could have a guide to using a compound microscope in an appendix, but the actual “lab exercises” should employ the scope as a tool for learning only.  Having the use of microscopes as an entity unto themselves fulfils none of our learning objectives, and in my experience with 220 students, most dodn’t learn how to use the microscope properly in 100/101 anyway. Current Lab 1- Scientific Method sub-exercise Cookbook style.  Boring. Current Lab 2 to 4 – Taxonomy and Animal Diversity These labs are passive and use displays and rote learning in a manner that isn’t remotely engaging or relevant.  This set of labs, more than any others, seems to bear the brunt of student negativity. Students now tend to lean more toward the “consumer side” than “scholar side” of learning, so seem to find these labs tedious, which leads to behaviour like leaving early (“I’ll just get if odd WebCT”).  While some do take responsibility for their own education, many lack the maturity to take responsibility for their own learning at this point in their university careers.   Current Lab 5 - Evolution The Gravel Divers exercise, while it employs group work, seems too “cookbooky” for the majority of the students to really understand the major concepts.  The “Evidence for Evolution” displays are of the same rote learning style as Taxonomy, and therefore not engaging.