Project-based learning (PBL) and traditional teaching methods represent two opposing pedagogical philosophies. A PBL Biology lab course was designed and taught concurrently with its traditional counterpart to compare student success. The PBL course investigated the effects of simulated acid rain on the rate of adaptation in two species that differ in complexity and rate of reproduction, Caenorhabditis elegans and Paramecium caudatum . The species with the highest number of survivors at the end of six week's exposure to acid rain was deemed to have adapted best. In two out of three semesters students concluded that P. caudatum responded to acid rain with the greatest rate of adaptation. Student success was compared between both types of courses using four methods of assessment: student academic performance, retention rate, transfer rate to four-year institutions, and participation points. The results of two methods of assessment out of four were statistically significantly higher in the PBL courses. Considering that the other two methods of assessment did not favor traditional pedagogy, but produced comparable student success in the traditional and PBL courses, it can be concluded that PBL pedagogy is a highly desirable alternative to traditional teaching methods in biology courses at the community college level.

Laboratory experience and skills are not only essential for success in science studies, but are the most exciting and rewarding aspects of science for students. As a result, many biology teachers have become critical of the efficacy of cookbook-type laboratory activities as well as the purposes, practices, and learning outcomes of lab experiments conducted in this regimented way. In our proposed lab approach, instead of asking students to compare and contrast living cells from various kingdoms, we ask that students design and conduct lab experiments to obtain the empirical evidence to disprove both Schleiden’s and Schwann’s generalizations that all living things, including plants and animals, are composed of identical units called “cells.” Students must then write up their findings in a paper intended for publication in a peer-reviewed scientific journal. Through this process, students learn the scientific method; concepts such as testability, falsifiability, and repeatability; and the requirements of communicating scientific findings through peer-reviewed publication.