BIOL 2120L (Principles of Biology Laboratory II) is designed to be the second lab course in the introductory biology sequence at Iowa State University. It is required by most life-science-related majors at ISU. Typically, enrollment ranges from 1,100–1,200 students a year. In 2017, the teaching staff of BIOL 2120L developed an original lab manual specific to the needs of BIOL 2120L to provide background, instruction, and practice on weekly course content for students. This lab manual was published through a for-profit publisher.
The purpose of this project was to create a new, open education lab manual that fulfills the same needs as the previous manual. A digital version of the OER manual is provided to students for free and a printed version is required through printing services so students will have a physical lab manual for reference while completing their lab during class each week. The OER lab manual was created over the 2024-2025 academic year and was published in time to be used for Fall 2025.
Outcomes
Students regularly engage with the lab manual in class and report that they find it useful. In the Spring 2026 survey, 92% agree with the statement “I found the lab manual useful in my learning for this course.” Instructors are able to curate and update content so that it remains relevant to the course and in response to feedback from TAs and students. This allows greater flexibility from year to year and increases pedagogical innovation. Overall, the lab manual should save BIOL 2120L students $22,000-24,000 a year.
Citation: Manz, C. & Skelton, C. (2025). Biology laboratory manual: Introduction to molecular, cellular, and physiological principles. Iowa State University Digital Press. https://iastate.pressbooks.pub/isudp-2025-205/