38 Journal of College Science Teaching This study is part of ongoing research investigating the experiences of undergraduate students who enroll in an integrated inquiry-based biology program during their freshman year. The purpose of this study was to explore students’ perspectives on the program and their perceptions of science and scientiic inquiry after completing the program. Five students from the irst cohort of students enrolled in the program were interviewed at the end of their second year and 17 students from the second cohort were interviewed at the beginning and end of their irst year. Students were asked how the program differed from their other science courses, what they learned about science as a result of enrolling in the program, and how the program prepared them for future science courses and research. Qualitative methods were used to analyze the data and identify students’ views. Analysis indicated that students had an overwhelmingly positive experience in the program, viewing it as a more effective way to learn science and an excellent preparation for future science endeavors. As a result of embarking on inquiry projects themselves, they had a greater understanding of the process of science and the type of work done by scientists. Exploring Students’ Perceptions of Science and Inquiry in a Reform- Based Undergraduate Biology Course By Mahsa Kazempour, Aidin Amirshokoohi, and William Harwood M ore than a decade into the 21st century, an ex- amination of introduc- tory undergraduate sci- ence courses continues to reveal sev- eral core components that remain as the central features of such courses. Large lecture halls, teacher-centered instruction, students passively listen- ing and taking notes, quizzes and examinations that require the regur- gitation of memorized facts and ig- ures from the lecture and textbooks, and dull cookbook laboratory ex- periences that are merely meant as conirmation of material discussed in the lecture all continue to be the dominating features of undergradu- ate students’ early experiences with science (National Research Council [NRC], 1996, 1999). This traditional approach to sci- ence instruction is “based on the outdated transmission model of teaching” (King, 1994, p. 15), which is inconsistent with recent research on cognition and the science educa- tion reform initiatives that are based on such research. It is currently understood that this type of passive, teacher-centered instruction ignores students’ prior understanding and ex- periences and assumes students enter the classroom as “empty vessels to be illed with knowledge” (Freire, 1993, p. 72) originating from the instructor. In contrast, inquiry-based instruc- tion, touted by the science education community and the National Science Education Standards (NRC, 1996), engages students in the construction of scientiic knowledge through an active, collaborative, and recurring process of posing questions, design- ing and conducting investigations, and analyzing and communicating indings. Inquiry learning is in line with the social constructivist theory of learning, which emphasizes the active process of constructing mean- ing through interactions with oth- ers and the environment (Driver, Asoko, Leach, Mortimer, & Scott, 1994). Students are provided the opportunity to (a) gain a better un- derstanding of complex concepts and the scientiic process (Handelsman, Ebert-May, & Beichner, 2004); (b) develop an increased sense of own- ership (McNeal & D’Avanzo, 1997); and (c) have an opportunity to relect on their learning, communicate and collaborate with peers, and apply and strengthen their critical-thinking and problem-solving skills (Loverude, Kautz, & Heron, 2002). The introductory undergraduate science courses are especially impor- tant, because they serve as the main medium for an array of students to develop an understanding of scien- tiic concepts; an appreciation for the nature and processes of science; and skills such as problem solving, argumentation, and decision making that are fundamental to scientific literacy (American Association for the Advancement of Science, 1990). Enhancing undergraduate students’ science experiences, and conse- quently their learning, attitude, and self-conidence in science, requires a major transformation in undergradu- ate science education and is a crucial step in achieving a scientiic, literate population.