Faculty-led Inquiry into Reflective and Scholarly Teaching (FIRST)
UNL Faculty Course Portfolios
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Date of this Version
Spring 6-2-2026
Document Type
Portfolio
Citation
Garcia-Ruiz, Hernan. 2026. FIRST course portfolio for PLPT 803 Fundamentals of Scientific discovery
UNL Faculty Course Portfolios
Abstract
PLPT 803 Fundamentals of Scientific discovery is a new curse in the Department of Plant Pathology at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. I designed and developed this course from the ground up. Initially, it was offered as a special topic (PLPT 892-014) for four years. PLPT 803 was approved by the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources curriculum committee in September of 2025. PLPT 803 is unique within the University of Nebraska system and will be offered for the first time in the fall of 2027. The course is designed for students to learn fundamental scientific skills such as scrutinize, systematically analyze, interpret, and critically evaluate scientific publications; identify knowledge gaps, formulate testable hypotheses with potential to generate new knowledge; design a scientifically sound experimental plan to test the hypothesis; collect and analyze the data; display the results in simple figures or tables; draw conclusions, and communicate the findings in standard venues such as seminars, conferences, and peer reviewed publications. The teaching method is based on inquiry-based and deliberate practice approaches tailored to each individual student’s needs. To enhance engagement and motivation, a semester-long assignment is used as a guide to accomplish the learning objectives. Thus, students choose to prepare a research proposal to be submitted to a federal agency for competitive for funding, prepare for a candidacy or comprehensive exam; develop their dissertation research project, scrutinize their current research project, prepare a manuscript for publication, or critically evaluate a manuscript in progress. The choice is based on student’s personal interest and development needs and is presented in a symposium open to the public as the final exam following standard conference requirements.
Included in
Curriculum and Instruction Commons, Higher Education Commons, Higher Education and Teaching Commons, Immunology of Infectious Disease Commons, Science and Mathematics Education Commons
Comments
Copyright 2026, Herman Garcia-Ruiz. Used by permission