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panels D
Laboratory Experience in AP and IS
Biology Courses
The AP manual (Educational Testing Service, 1999) suggests "since one-
fourth to one-third of the credit in comparable college courses is derived
from laboratory work, AP courses should likewise emphasize laboratory
work." There are 12 recommended laboratory exercises:
Lab 1 Diffusion and Osmosis
Lab 2 Enzyme Catalysis
Lab 3- Mitosis and Meiosis
Lab 4—Plant Pigments and Photosynthesis
Lab 5—Cell Respiration
Lab 6 Molecular Biology
Lab 7 Genetics of Organisms
Lab Population Genetics and Evolution
Lab 9 Transpiration
Lab 10 Physiology of the Circulatory System
Lab 11 Animal Behavior
Lab 12 Dissolved Oxygen and Aquatic Primary Production
The AP laboratories are not inquiry based and involve little instrumenta-
tion. The write-up varies from laboratory to laboratory and involves prima-
rily filling in the data table and/or blanks along with providing some "short"
extended responses. There is no external check on whether the laboratories
are completed.
An example is AP Lab 6, Molecular Biology. Lab 6a demonstrates bacte-
rial transformation using E. cold and the pAMP plasmid. Students are given a
step-by-step procedure. The analysis consists of four questions: #1 is a cell
count; #2 is a comparison; #3 leads students through a calculation of the
transformation efficiency; and #4 is open ended and asks students to discuss
factors influencing transformation efficiency. Lab 6b is called "Restriction
Enzyme Cleavage of DNA and Electrophoresis." Students are told to conduct
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CONTENT PANEL REPORT
the lab following directions provided either by their teacher or by the kit
they are using. Students do not perform their own digest; they merely load
DNA that has been digested for them. They are provided with a photo of a
gel carrying size markers and asked to represent graphically the relationship
between migration rate and fragment length. They then analyze their own
gels to determine the size of their fragments by measuring the migration
rates.
The IB program requires that 25 percent of the teaching hours "be spent
following an internally assessed scheme of practical/investigative work, re-
lated to all aspects of the program including the options." The subject and
design of the labs are at the teacher's discretion. These are used to create a
portfolio and must be written using a specified format. The "criteria" are as
follows:
Planning (a)
Planning (b)
Data collection
Defined problemVs), research questionts); formulated
hypothesiskes); selected any relevant variables.
Designed realistic procedures to include appropriate
apparatus, materials, methods for both the control
of variables and collection of data.
Observed and recorded raw data with precision and
presented them in an organized way (using a range
of appropriate scientific methods/techniques).
Data analysis Transformed, manipulated and presented data (in a
variety of appropriate ways) to provide effective
communication.
Evaluation
Evaluated the resultts) of experimentVs) and evalu-
ated procedurets); suggested modifications to the
procedurefs), where appropriate.
A summative evaluation is done of the following three skills:
Manipulative skills
Personal skills (a)
Personal skills (b)
Carried out a range of techniques proficiently with
due attention to safety; followed instructions.
Worked within a team; recognized contributions of
others; encouraged the contributions of others.
Approached experiments/investigations/projects and
problem-solving exercises with self-motivation and
perseverance and in an ethical manner; paid due
attention to the environmental impact.
The portfolio accounts for 24 percent of the student's final grade, de-
rived from the internal assessment by the teacher. The teacher grades both
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BIOLOGY
the Group 4 project (interdisciplinary investigation) and the labs, which to-
gether constitute the portfolio.
IB teachers are required to submit a description ("practical scheme of
work") of laboratory work done in their class to an external examiner. The
examiner moderates the overall practical scheme of work experienced by
the students and provides feedback to teachers and schools on their compli-
ance with the IBO internal assessment requirements. Portfolios from indi-
vidual students are sampled by the examiners to enhance standardization of
grades across the program.
There is no laboratory in the IB program that is directly comparable to
the above AP example. Teachers may select any molecular genetic activities
they wish. However, teachers are provided with an "inquiry template" that
specifies what components a laboratory should include. Recommended com-
ponents are Background Information, Question/Hypothesis, Design/Proce-
dure, Data Collection, Data Analysis, Evaluation, and Manipulative and Per-
sonal Skills. Students are charged to work collaboratively but with individual
accountability and to pay attention to the ethical and environmental implica-
tions of the investigation. Not all laboratories must include all the above
components, but each component must be assessed twice during the course
(and teachers are encouraged to "address" each component multiple times).
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Representative terms from entire chapter:
personal skills
