Fig. 3

Students successfully achieved course learning objectives. A Grade distribution for group research proposals to examine how variation in honey bee DNA can be analyzed in relation to relevant phenotypes, such as colony survival or resistance to pesticides. Average group score = 92%. n = 14 groups. B Grade distribution for group poster presentations on proposals to improve native plant habitats of locations on the DU campus or proposals to include community in sustainability education initiatives. Average group score = 99%. n = 14 groups. C Grade distributions for individual research proposals to examine an evolutionary topic in depth. Average individual score = 89%. n = 45 students. D Quality of individually written explanations of evolutionary theory. Written explanations of evolutionary theory were collected pre and post and coded to determine presence or absence of themes. There were no significant statistical changes in frequency of themes in explanations by McNemar’s test for mechanistic or phenomenological explanations, although percentage of answers containing teleological reasoning decreased significantly from pre to post (McNemar’s test; Chi-square value 9.1; p = 0.003). n = 48 students