Professional development (PD) workshops designed to help faculty move from teacher- learner-centered science courses for undergraduates are typically evaluated with self-reported surveys that address faculty's satisfaction a workshop, what they learned, and applied in the classroom. outcomes seldom through analysis of observed teaching practices. We analyzed videotapes biology following PD three questions: (1) How learner centered was their teaching? (2) Did data about differ independent...

Introductory biology courses are widely criticized for overemphasizing details and rote memorization of facts. Data to support such claims, however, surprisingly scarce. We sought determine whether this claim was evidence-based. To do so we quantified the cognitive level learning targeted by faculty in introductory-level courses. used Bloom's Taxonomy Educational Objectives assign levels course goals as articulated on syllabi individual items high-stakes assessments (i.e., exams quizzes)....

Plants, to many, are simply not as interesting animals. Students typically prefer study animals rather than plants and recall more poorly, underrepresented in the classroom. The observed paucity of interest for has been described plant blindness, a term that is meant encapsulate both tendency neglect environment lack appreciation plants’ functional roles. While blindness suggests perceptual or attentional component neglect, few studies have examined whether there real differences how...

The availability of reliable evidence for teaching practices after professional development is limited across science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines, making the identification "best practices" effective models change difficult. We aimed to determine extent which postdoctoral fellows (i.e., future biology faculty) believed in implemented evidence-based pedagogies completion a 2-yr program, Faculty Institutes Reforming Science Teaching (FIRST IV). Postdocs (PDs) attended...

Systems, as a core and crosscutting concept in science, can serve unifying paradigm for biology that helps frame how is taught. This article presents the systems-thinking (BST) framework, which describes requisite skills thinking about biological systems.

Biology of the twenty-first century is an increasingly quantitative science. Undergraduate biology education therefore needs to provide opportunities for students develop fluency in tools and language disciplines. Quantitative literacy (QL) important future scientists as well citizens, who need interpret numeric information data-based claims regarding nearly every aspect daily life. To address QL education, we incorporated concepts throughout a semester-long introductory course at large...

Assessments and student expectations can drive learning: students selectively study learn the content skills they believe critical to passing an exam in a given subject. Evaluating nature of assessments undergraduate science education can, therefore, provide substantial insight into learning. We characterized compared cognitive routinely assessed by introductory biology calculus-based physics sequences, using domain Bloom's taxonomy educational objectives. Our results indicate that both...

Abstract Research in contemporary biology has become increasingly complex and organized around understanding biological processes the context of systems. To better reflect ways thinking required for learning about systems, we developed implemented a pedagogical approach using box‐and‐arrow models (similar to concept maps) as foundational tool instruction assessment an Introductory Biology course on genetics, evolution, ecology. Over one semester, students iteratively constructed, evaluated,...

Research in science education has documented achievement gaps between men and women math physics that may reflect, part, a response to perceived stereotype threat. efforts reduce by mediating the impact of threat have found success with short values-affirmation writing exercise. In biology biochemistry, however, little attention been paid performance comparison or perceptions threat, despite documentation leaky pipelines into professional academic careers. We used methodologies developed...

Human Anatomy and Physiology (HAP) has long been recognized as a difficult course. A 2007 study (Michael J. Adv Physiol Educ 31: 34–40, 2007) sought to better understand this difficulty by asking faculty for their perceptions of why students struggle learn in HAP. Later research built on these findings investigating find physiology (Sturges D, Maurer T. Internet J Allied Health Sci Pract 11: 1–10, 2013). However, without replication, claims are limited generalizability. There is need...

Mutation is the key molecular mechanism generating phenotypic variation, which basis for evolution. In an introductory biology course, we used a model-based pedagogy that enabled students to integrate their understanding of genetics and evolution within multiple case studies. We student-generated conceptual models assess origin variation. By midterm, only small percentage articulated complete accurate representations variation in models. Targeted feedback was offered through activities...

Phylogenetic trees are widely used visual representations in the biological sciences and most important evolutionary biology. Therefore, phylogenetic have also become an component of biology education. We sought to characterize reasoning by introductory students interpreting taxa relatedness on trees, measure prevalence correct taxa-relatedness interpretations, determine how student correctness change response instruction over time. Counting synapomorphies nodes between were common forms...

Biology majors often take introductory biology, chemistry, and physics courses during their first two years of college. The various sometimes conflicting discourse about explanations matter energy in these may contribute to confusion alternative conceptions (those that differ from scientific consensus) biology learners. An important area education research—students' conceptions—has produced a lengthy list related students' understanding flow through biological systems processes such as...

Drawings are an underutilized assessment format in Human Anatomy and Physiology (HA&P), despite their potential to reveal student content understanding alternative conceptions. This study used student-generated drawings explore knowledge a HA&P course. The drawing tasks this focused on chemical synapses between neurons, abstract concept HA&P. Using two preinstruction tasks, students were asked depict synaptic transmission summation. In response the first task, 20% of (n = 352) created...

As an instructional tool, models can transform the student experience from static to dynamic, flat 3D, and siloed integrated. Few practical resources exist help instructors transition toward model-based classroom practices. The Modeling in Classroom evidence-based teaching guide provides with a tool kit for incorporating modeling into their classrooms (https://lse.ascb.org/evidence-based-teaching-guides/modeling-in-the-classroom). discusses underpinnings of as core scientific practice, one...

Contextual features of assessments can influence the ideas students draw from and ways they assemble knowledge. We used a mixed-methods approach to explore how surface-level item context impacts student reasoning. In study 1, we developed an isomorphic survey capture reasoning about fluid dynamics, crosscutting phenomenon, in two contexts (blood vessels, water pipes), administered different course contexts: human anatomy physiology (HA&P) physics. observed significant difference 16...

As active learning pedagogies continue to increase in popularity higher education, new questions have emerged about how instructors can manage all of the associated 'moving parts' learning, including and when deliver feedback. Currently, little is known students perceive effects verbal feedback during in-class activities. This study examined two large sections introductory biology held an SCALE-UP (Student-Centred Active Learning Environments with Upside-down Pedagogies) classroom. Thematic...

Phylogenetic trees have become increasingly essential across biology disciplines. Consequently, learning about phylogenetic has an important component of education and area interest for research. Construction tasks, in which students generate from some type data, are often used instruction. However, the impact these exercises on student is uncertain, part due to our fragmented knowledge what construct during tasks. The goal this project was develop a more robust method describing...

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy is vital to synthesis and provides rich problem-solving opportunities organic chemistry students. Using the theories of scaffolding, interleaving, blocking, our research systematically explores how textbooks introduce reinforce spectral features when teaching students solve ¹H NMR problems. Specifically, we investigated presented in worked examples practice problems across four undergraduate textbooks. We examined frequency ordering...

In this qualitative study, we examined the process of active learning from perspective undergraduate students in a high-enrollment introductory biology class. Eight participated series five interviews throughout semester that their experiences during and after Grades were collected for each student at regular time points semester. Here, present in-depth case studies four who described profoundly different responses to same in-class tasks. We particularly highlight variation students'...

Biologists frame fluid dynamics problems differently from physicists and engineers, which may have consequences for instruction learning.

Note: William Bromer is the editor of Ecology 101. Anyone wishing to contribute articles or reviews this section should contact him at Department Natural Sciences, University St. Francis, 500 N. Wilcox, Joliet, IL 60435, (815) 740–3467, e-mail: wbromer@stfrancis.edu. ECO 101 highlighting some ecological education workshops and presentations from 2011 ESA Annual Meeting. Because travel concurrent sessions, you may have missed these, so here are summaries two one presentation. Other interested...