Inquiring Into Science
Things are changing in the labs of UTS.
Gone are the days of simply learning formulas, documenting reactions and writing reports.
Instead, students are being involved in innovative, cutting edge research, getting hands on experience with new technologies and tackling global issues, such as renewable energy sources and climate change.
Professor Les Kirkup of the School of Physics and Advanced Materials is pioneering this transformation, paving the way for research and inquiry based learning and teaching. Kirkup is passionate about improving the learning experience of undergraduate science students, particularly those in the first year.
Inquiry based learning in science isn’t new to UTS; in fact Kirkup believes it has been around since the mid 1990s. Its inception stemmed from feedback that showed that students were dissatisfied with their laboratory experience; teachers were also growing tired of the old ‘chalk and talk’ methods. New ideas focusing on research-inspired and practice-oriented learning were developed.
In 2011 Kirkup was awarded the Australian Learning and Teaching Council National Teaching Fellowship for his project into inquiry oriented learning (IOL) in science. Kirkup met up with Dr Cathy Foley, Chief of CSIRO Materials Science and Engineering, to develop a program aimed at introducing students to research and the work of the organisation. CSIRO materials scientist Dr Scott Watkins was brought on board, and the organic photo voltaic (solar) cells experiment was born.
“The next generation of scientists needs to be introduced to new ideas and innovative ways of thinking as early as possible,” Kirkup said.
The program involves CSIRO providing UTS with their latest organic solar cells, which the students then experiment with. They are given the opportunity to discuss and ask questions about the results of their tests with Dr Watkins.
Second-year Bachelor of Science student Gabriella Duddy enjoyed the CSIRO experiment and Physical Aspects of Nature subject so much that she changed her major from Biotechnology to Applied Physics.
“It converted me from bio tech to physics I enjoyed it that much…I feel like the subject has a lot of layers and a lot of depth to it which keeps it interesting.”
She found some of her subjects to be very content heavy, full of complex theories and equations.
“In one of the subjects I was doing previously, it wasn’t until the ninth week that I actually understood what we were doing.”
Duddy thinks the hands-on approach of the subject and experiment helped make sense of the theory and content they were learning.
“I liked the applications to a lot of real world situations as opposed to lots of hypothetical, abstract things. You get a deeper understanding of what you’re doing.”
“You could actually put a bit of intuitive thinking into it, and come up with something completely different… It pushes you to be more critical with your thinking, as opposed to being spoon fed what to do next, and you get that sense of satisfaction if you figure something out and you get the tick of approval from your demonstrator.”
This is what Kirkup was aiming for. “We want the students to behave as scientists do. So part of the inquiry learning process would be to make records like researchers, to present like researchers, to get up and stand in front of yours peers.”
“The exposure to the research gives them a broader picture of where physics, where their own discipline fits into the broader world,” said Kirkup.
The experiment has been a resounding success, and student satisfaction results for the subject have been very positive. The implementation of IOL based principles into many science subjects has seen similar feedback.
“It’s not just about getting people to do more research, it’s about introducing people to the value of research for the community.”
The collaboration with CSIRO was also a way for undergraduate science students to find out more about the national science organisation.
Dr Watkins believes it provided an important outreach to university students.
“CSIRO currently runs a variety of primary and secondary school based education programs, and with PhD students. Undergraduate level and especially early undergraduate level was not something we had a lot of mechanisms to interact with,” Watkins said.
Dr Watkins was impressed by the inquiry-based approach Professor Kirkup has taken to teaching science, as he recognises how vital the skills being taught are to professional researchers.
“I was really impressed by what Les was doing in this regard because its not just following steps on a sheet of paper…it’s actually them designing the experiments. I think that’s far closer to what real life science is. We need more people to be inspired and encouraged to do science and seeing what it’s really like, seeing the excitement of the unknown.”.
“In this field the majority of applicants for jobs come from outside of Australia. If were going to grow an area of industry here in Australia then we need to have trained scientists and engineers with this sort of background…who continue to pursue their studies in this direction.”
Kirkup believes that many teachers find it less of a risk to teach using traditional methods, where the teacher is firmly in control, rather than use an inquiry-based approach, which places the students at the helm.
“When you have an investigation and you give the students a chance to investigate themselves, you’re taking some of the control that you have and you’re giving it over to the student, and that is a scary thing.”
Despite this, inquiry-based learning is fast becoming a tool used nationally by universities, and the University of New England, Monash University, the University of Queensland and Charles Sturt University have already incorporated it into their curriculum.
As the 2012 recipient of the UTS Medal for Teaching and Research Integration, Professor Kirkup has been recognised for his significant contribution to the university’s academic landscape.
Kirkup ultimately believes inquiry oriented learning is about the student learning to educate and teach themselves.
“It’s the joy of discovery, even if it’s just the discovery that you find for yourself.”
“If you’re not giving students those experiences then they’re missing out.”
