Authentic research experiences are effective in fostering self-efficacy and increasing retention in STEM, particularly among minoritized student populations. Many instructors have sought to bring these to a wide range of students in the form of course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs). However, implementing CUREs can be challenging, especially at under-resourced institutions. To introduce an authentic inquiry-based experience without increasing the monetary, time, or teaching resources needed, we converted an existing traditional laboratory exercise into an inquiry-based lab at California State University Dominguez Hills (CSUDH), a Hispanic- and minority-serving comprehensive university. This inquiry-based module allows students to use the scientific process while focusing on investigating factors influencing diffusion through a dialysis membrane. Students engaged in activities such as gathering preliminary data, formulating hypotheses, designing experiments, and analyzing results, which helped students to increase their self-efficacy. Although many inquiry-based labs have been adapted from “cookbook” type lab activities, this example uniquely discusses making these changes in an under-resourced, majority-minority university. Similarly designed modules that utilize existing resources and require minimal instructor expertise may be more accessible to a wider range of institutions, including those more similar to CSUDH, than traditional CUREs. We used a pre- and post-survey to demonstrate the efficacy of this approach in enhancing student understanding of scientific processes as well as increasing belonging among students from historically-minoritized groups. Here we provide insights and practical guidelines for incorporating inquiry-based labs in undergraduate biology education, particularly in under-resourced institutions serving diverse student populations.

Primary Image: Students were asked to plan an experiment to test a hypothesis based on diffusion through a dialysis tubing membrane. This group of students hypothesized that if they hydrolyzed starch using heat first, it would be able to move through the membrane. Although their hypothesis was not supported, they were able to complete a report including generating a figure. Student Figure Legend: FIG 1 Room Temperature Starch beaker contents & Heated Starch beaker contents. The Iodine Test shows a negative result/no reaction.

With this case study, we aim to increase awareness of essential services plants provide to society, as well as the importance of fundamental aspects of ecology for other disciplines and the interconnectedness among different fields of science in general. The case study was designed to be implemented in two 75-minute class periods in an introductory university-level ecology course. This case study provides an interdisciplinary perspective by defining learning goals at the nexus of science and society, explicitly emphasizing (and embracing) the interconnectedness among different fields of science via student exploration and how an often under-appreciated sub-discipline of biology—plant science—is useful for other disciplines. We use plants from the family Lemnaceae (duckweeds or water lenses) as a hook to introduce what is needed to create a self-sustaining ecosystem in a habitat on the surface of a moon or planet, in orbit, or during long-duration crewed spaceflight. Following the 5E model of curriculum design, students explore their chosen scientific literature before presenting their findings. The structure of the case study and student presentations facilitate making connections between scientific practices, peers, and ecological concepts, enhancing understanding of science's interconnected nature and the importance of plants. After implementation of this case study in a Principles of Ecology course, students felt more comfortable interacting with, and making claims about, scientific material, better recognized the interdisciplinary nature of science, and were more aware of essential services plants provide for humans.

Primary Image: Creating a bioregenerative ecosystem in space. A diagram showing how duckweed plants and astronauts are connected and support each other. An artistic image of duckweed—a tiny plant that floats on water—is on the left side of the figure and is connected to an artistic representation of an astronaut on the right.