| Introduction Objectives Recommended Materials |
Recommended Web Resources Getting Around the Tutorial Development Credits |
"Asteroid Eros Yields Secrets From Time Before Earth Was Born"
"Discovery Of Armored Viruses May Inspire New Designs For Nanotechnology"
"Mechanism Found Behind Drug-Free Acceptance Of Transplants"
"Combination Of Radiation And Hormone Suppression Therapy Shown To Effectively Treat
Early-Stage Prostate Cancer"
"UF Technique Detects Tiny, Potentially Harmful Airborne Particles"
"Research Measures Migraine's Impact On "Typical" Sufferer, Links Migraine
And Depression"
"Stress Could Increase Risk Of Heart Disease In Women"
"Out Of Time: Researchers Recreate 1665 Clock Experiment To Gain Insight Into Modern
Synchronized Oscillators"
The above are headlines from science stories posted in a single day (Sep. 25, 2000) on just one science news Web site, ScienceDaily.com. These are not unlike dozens of other stories we see every week in the media reporting the latest research findings and how they may impact our lives.
According to a 1999 survey by the National Science Foundation (NSF), Americans have great confidence in science, but little understanding of the process underlying scientific research. "Only 21 percent were able to explain what it means to study something scientifically…and only a third knew how an experiment was conducted " (Entomological Society of America, "Newest Survey Shows Most Americans Have Confidence in Science, But Lack Understanding" [ESA Newsletter, August 200, vol. 23, no. 80, online]).
The purpose of this tutorial is to demystify the process of science. Once you are familiar with the basic elements of a good research study you will be able to read news stories like the ones listed above with a more critical eye. You will understand that the headlines reported by the media and the research conclusions often are not the same, and you will know why.
In addition to this introduction section, this tutorial is organized into five main sections. "Science Surrounds Us" discusses the relevance of science in our everyday lives. "What Is Science?" defines and outlines the basic principles of science. "The Scientific Method" describes the general steps of most research studies and explains how experiments are carried out. "Theories in Science" defines one of the most misunderstood words in science: theory, and contrasts theories with hypothesis, facts, and natural laws. Science is only one of many ways of looking at the world. In the final section, "The Limits of Science," the methods and purposes of science are compared to those of philosophy, religion and the Arts. This section also defines "pseudoscience" and explains how it differs from true science. The tutorial is interactive throughout and designed to be engaging. In the words of Albert Einstein, "The most beautiful experience we can have is the mysterious. It is the fundamental emotion that stands at the cradle of true art and true science" ("The World as I See It," in Living Philosophies [New York: Simon & Schuster, 1931], 7).
After completing this tutorial, you should be able to:
Hatton, John, and Paul B. Plouffe. 1997. Science and Its Ways of Knowing. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall. (Strongly recommended.)
Carey, Stephen S. 1998. A Beginner's Guide to the Scientific Method. 2nd ed. Belmont: Wadsworth. 1998. (This is helpful for those wishing to go into more detail into the logic and methods of research.)
To view a short video clip in the Science Surrounds Us section of this tutorial, you will need to use the the latest version of the RealPlayer media player, which is a free download available from Real.com. (Scroll down to the link for the free player which is found on the left side of your screen.)
Scientific Method:
Rutherford, F. James, and Andrew Ahlgren. "The Nature of Science," in "Science for All Americans On-line." American Association for the Advancement of Science: Project 2061. http://www.project2061.org/tools/sfaaol/chap1.htm (Accessed 14 Nov. 2000).
Wolfs, Frank. "Introduction to the Scientific Method" Home Page of Frank Wolfs. http://teacher.nsrl.rochester.edu/phy_labs/AppendixE/AppendixE.html (Accessed 14 Nov. 2000). (Frank Wolfs is a physics professor at the University of Rochester.)
Science News:
The following Internet sites provide reports of recent discoveries in the sciences. Many of these articles may be appropriate for use in writing assignments or class conferences. They are also provided to show how basic scientific investigations can relate directly to practical everyday issues. Enjoy your explorations!
Science Daily Magazine. Contains many articles on science and technology updated daily. Includes archive and search engine.
SciCentral. Gateway to a wealth of science resources. Includes news, links, databases and much more.
New Scientist. Includes articles from a variety of science fields with an extensive archive and search engine.
Each of the six sections of this tutorial is accessible from the main menu. You can return to the main menu at any time by clicking the Science Method Tutorial button at left. For your first time through the tutorial, we recommend that you proceed in the order of the numbered menu sections.
Throughout the tutorial, you will encounter questions and activities that are designed to allow you to think about and apply the concepts presented. These questions and activities can help you monitor your progress throughout the tutorial.
This tutorial was developed by and for Undergraduate Programs (UGP), University of Maryland University College (UMUC).
Christina M. Sax, Ph.D., associate professor and academic director of natural science, UGP, provided curriculum review of this tutorial.
Alfred J. Fournier, author of this tutorial, is an adjunct professor who teaches biology courses for UMUC. Currently, he is an entomologist at Purdue University.
Steven Kronheim, Ph.D., professor and academic director of the psychology program at UMUC, provided peer review of this tutorial.
Sharon Biederman, director, Course Development, UGP, supervised the development and publication of this tutorial.
Kim Kehler Devine, provided instructional design review and served as the project manager for this tutorial.
Craig Caplan, senior editor, edited the tutorial.
Sharon Clark, Web publishing specialist, contributed desktop publishing, graphics, and html coding support and input the materials into the template.
Sarah Trzepacz, assistant editor, secured permissions for copyrighted material and assisted with the quality assurance and publishing of this tutorial.
Nancy Benson, multimedia graphic artist, provided graphic support for this tutorial.
Traicy Garey, assistant director of course development, managed the quality assurance and publishing of this tutorial.