The purpose of this project is to extend our proof-of-concept project (NSF 0230779, Converting Cookbook Laboratories into Inquiry) in three ways: 1) by transforming more cookbook laboratories into the CUES mini-journal format, 2) through professional development for faculty and future faculty members at our university and partner institutions, and 3) by conducting research and evaluation about teaching and learning in CUES classrooms. The ultimate goal is to improve student understanding of science through improving the introductory science experience.

We present laboratories that model the activities of scientists: reading the professional literature, generating new hypotheses, designing experiments, collecting and analyzing data, and writing up findings.

This website provides both a guidebook for instructors of undergraduate science courses to use to construct their own inquiry-based labs, as well as a set of field tested labs and assessments.