Developing the Critical Thinking Skills of Astrobiology Students through Creative and Scientific Inquiry
Abstract
Scientific inquiry represents a multifaceted approach to explore and understand the natural world. Training students in the principles of scientific inquiry can help promote the scientific learning process as well as help students enhance their understanding of scientific research. Here, we report on the development and implementation of a learning module that introduces astrobiology students to the concepts of creative and scientific inquiry, as well as provide practical exercises to build critical thinking skills. The module contained three distinct components: (1) a creative inquiry activity designed to introduce concepts regarding the role of creativity in scientific inquiry; (2) guidelines to help astrobiology students formulate and self-assess questions regarding various scientific content and imagery; and (3) a practical exercise where students were allowed to watch a scientific presentation and practice their analytical skills. Pre- and post-course surveys were used to assess the students' perceptions regarding creative and scientific inquiry and whether this activity impacted their understanding of the scientific process. Survey results indicate that the exercise helped improve students' science skills by promoting awareness regarding the role of creativity in scientific inquiry and building their confidence in formulating and assessing scientific questions. Together, the module and survey results confirm the need to include such inquiry-based activities into the higher education classroom, thereby helping students hone their critical thinking and question asking skill set and facilitating their professional development in astrobiology. Key Words: Scientific inquiry—Critical thinking—Curriculum development—Astrobiology—Microbialites. Astrobiology 15, 89–99.
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Copyright 2015, Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.
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Published online: 15 January 2015
Published in print: January 2015
Published ahead of print: 4 December 2014
Accepted: 17 October 2014
Received: 30 August 2014
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J.S.F. and J.D.L. conceived of and developed the materials used in the scientific inquiry exercise. J.S.F. taught the course and implemented the exercise. J.S.F. and J.D.L. wrote the manuscript.
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No competing financial interests exist.
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