Experimental design skills are improved by a modular guided inquiry method

Competence in experimental design (ED) is generally regarded to require both the ability to evaluate and synthesize. Not only must students be able to identify and articulate the strengths and weaknesses of designs created by others, they must also be able to construct their own. The present study reports the development of a modular guided inquiry ED (GuIED) intervention implemented across three unique undergraduate contexts. GuIED activities yielded significant improvements in ED competence by introducing learners to a shared conceptual framework and vocabulary, facilitating the iterative practice of ED components across a wide range of diverse science topics. Results in the first context demonstrated learner participation in research-intensive activity alone yields only minimal improvements in ED competence, pointing to the need for ED-specific programming. Results in the second demonstrated the speed of ED acquisition can differ significantly between student cohorts, highlighting the need for context-specific implementation. Results in the third demonstrated GuIED offers value as a preparatory curriculum, helping improve outcomes in a primary literature course. Surprisingly, the long-term retention of ED skills appeared to depend on the length of inactivity students experienced between initial learning and the subsequent reuse of those skills, identifying sustained application as an important consideration in ED skill retention. Together, these results expand upon our mechanistic understanding of ED skill acquisition, supporting the idea that ED evaluation and synthesis are best viewed as amalgamations of simpler skills, each trainable in a targeted manner using guided inquiry methods.