Incorporating Authentic Scientific Research in an Introductory General-Education Course for Nonmajors | NSTA

Incorporating Authentic Scientific Research in an Introductory General-Education Course for Nonmajors

Nonscience majors enrolling in introductory science courses may not have a chance to conduct authentic scientific research and therefore may develop a distorted view of science. This article describes how authentic research activities were incorporated in an introductory geoscience course. Pairs of students investigated research questions related to volcanoes using online earthquake data and ArcMap 9.x software, and then presented their results in a public session. Such activities can be effectively used in a variety of science courses.

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