Project Lead: Bridgette Clarkston, Botany
Project description
Biol 320, a third-year algae lab course, includes a multi-week creative project. Students are tasked with creating something (e.g., book, game, etc.) that teaches an audience of their choosing about algae. Students complete a proposal, two drafts and a final product that is shared during a last-class showcase. The project is ungraded. Many projects have been published and used in outreach at schools and the Beaty Museum. I want to explore a) how students feel about a creative project that ‘leaves the classroom’, and b) how they feel about ungrading as a practice to assess a creative project.
Research questions
- What if any benefits do students perceive they are getting from a creative project in a biology course that has the potential to teach or inspire outside the classroom?
- What, if any, benefits do students perceive to having their artistic/creative work ungraded?