Science literacy in the United States has been reported to be declining to a pre-World-War II level. Both in and out of the classroom, a lack of critical thinking skills contributes to a growing sense of frustration regarding the public's ability to understand scientific research, among nonscientists and scientists alike. To counter this trend, the department is offering an undergraduate biology laboratory experience that helps prepare students, especially those in Elementary Education, for a lifelong commitment to self-education in biology. Unfortunately, students often lack a sense of self-confidence, inhibiting their ability to utilize their real-world experiences as a basis for analyzing and interpreting experimental results. The project aims to build on students' life skills to develop computerized models of familiar cause-and-effect situations and then to have these students apply their skills to build simulation models of biological systems using results obtained in the undergraduate laboratory. However, a shortage of computer equipment, accessory equipment, and software in our biology laboratories has resulted in inadequate student access and limited computer use. To solve the problem, the department is obtaining the necessary equipment to implement a semester-long, hands-on laboratory unit to study a freshwater aquatic ecosystem. Observations are recorded by traditional methods and by newer ones, such as digitization of video recordings. Students build simple STELLA II models based on their observations. The results of field studies and laboratory exercises are then used to run simulations of their models. In this way, Elementary Education students develop a variety of computer skills that stimulate the use of the computer as an active learning tool, while conveying the dynamic nature of biosystems. The STELLA II models can be evaluated by education and science faculty on-campus and at Purdue University/West Lafayette. The laboratory exercises and models may be disseminated to various STELLA-based organizations over the World Wide Web, by Internet e-mail, and in related conference reports such as AACE and EDUCOM.
