The materials described in this study were developed for a non-science majors introductory
biology laboratory class taken by university undergraduates to fulfill the life sciences general
education requirement. The course met two consecutive hours per week in small sections of
20 students. Data were collected over two consecutive semesters (Fall of 2006 & Spring of
2007) from 72 lab sections with a total of 1300 students. Over both semesters, half the lab
sections were taught in one room using traditional course content that had been taught
successfully for over 10 years, the other half were taught in an adjoining room using a
“guided inquiry” curriculum developed by the authors. Students registered for the
laboratory course without prior knowledge about the type of instruction that they would
receive. Demographic information including gender, year in school, and ethnicity were
collected to demonstrate that there were no significant differences between students in the
two lab treatments. Additionally, initial pre-test scores were collected for the instruments
used in the study during the first week of labs for both lab treatments.