Integration of an Experiential Learning Module Into an Upper Division Science Course 

Cohort: 2018
Fellow: Steven Vokes

Educational research has provided compelling evidence that science students learn most effectively when they are engaged in Experiential Learning, broadly defined as hands-on learning where students are doing meaningful work in their discipline under the guidance of experts. Ideally, students would be exposed to Experiential Learning at multiple stages. While programs have been successful in providing experiential approaches to underclassmen, no large-scale effort exists for upper division students at UT Austin. This project developed a writing-intensive Experiential Learning approach module modeled that occurred throughout the semester in an upper division course. Students worked with real genetic data and analyzed genomic variants in patients from a rare disease database. In the first year of implementation, students reported statistically significant gains on attitudinal survey. Compared to a matched control group of students, those in the class reported that they were significantly more likely engage in real-world skills, including analyzing data scientific writing. They also indicated that they were significantly more likely to engage in active learning approaches than students not in the class. This approach was broadly adaptable to online learning. A drawback to this approach is that it is work-intensive.