Research

Research in the Gardner Research Group aims to reveal undergraduate biology student knowledge while they are engaged in the practices of science so that we can design evidence-based instruction to enhance student learning. We take a primarily qualitative research approach, drawing on theory and methods from the fields of education, the learning sciences, and cognitive psychology.

The following are the main research projects underway in the lab:

1. Investigating and improving undergraduate data analysis and graphing practices in biology
2. Instructional design and evaluation of interdisciplinary biology/chemistry curriculum
3. Exploring the landscape of an integrative Biology Integration Institute (BII)
4. Understanding student performance in an undergraduate Anatomy and Physiology course

Past projects:

1. Features of undergraduate biology student mechanistic reasoning about biological systems
2. Scientific inquiry and experimental design in undergraduate biology
3. Evidentiary reasoning in biology