Experimental Design

Write a clear problem statement and show it to your instructor. Look at your Know/Need To Know board to help you with this. The Need To Know section of the board will guide you as you request background information. The chemistry 2 class is available to do the background research for this project, but you must explain the problem and request the information from them. Make sure that your request is understandable so that they will be able to answer your questions. Add this information to your Know/Need To Know boards.

Based on what you know and think you know so far, what do you think is happening that causes the sleepy students in the classroom? Go to the model building step and start to develop some ideas about what is happening in the test classroom. When you are satisfied with this beginning model, then return here and continue with your experimental design. Go to the Model Building section now.

Use the STELLA model to help you decide which of these variables you will purposefully change, the independent variable, and which of these variables you will measure as a result of the change, the dependent variable. Make sure that you take into consideration all of the other variables. These will be the factors that you will hold constant.

Use your beginning model and your problem statement to help you write a hypothesis. Your hypothesis should include an independent variable, a dependent variable and the relationship that you think exists between them. If you are having trouble writing a hypothesis, perhaps you need to work on your model some more. Don't forget to look at the background information. Use an experimental design diagram to help you plan your experiment.

Experimental Design Diagram

Problem:
Hypothesis:
Independent variable
Control	Level 1	Level 2	Level 3
# trials	# trials	# trials	# trials
Dependent variables:
Constants: