Changing the Way We Get Our Majors Started

Changing the Way We Get Our Majors StartedMark Hens UNC Greensboro

Incorporating Research into the Introductory Biology CourseDeb Pires UCLA

Changing the way we get out majors started

42% “unsuccess”

Evidence that there are better ways

What next?

Introductory Biology Task Force

Backward design

Principles of Biology I and II (1,800 students)

UNC Greensboro, urban, 18,000

OBJECTIVE- Create a resource

Changing the way we get out majors started

Who’s interested in the course redesign process

Who’s been through the course redesign process

Objectives / tasks

At your table:

Changing the way we get out majors started

#3 What does the ideal intro course look like?

Obstacles to putting that course in place

Solutions for getting past those obstacles

On the back of the form

Changing the way we get out majors started

20 min- discuss (groups of 4)

5 min- report out

5 min- fill out the form

Not much time to workForms on BLC WIKIPeruse at leisure

Changing the Way We Get Our Majors StartedMark Hens UNC Greensboro

Incorporating Research into the Introductory Biology CourseDeb Pires UCLA

Research Experiences for Introductory Biology Students

Enacting curricular change for the benefit of your students

CurricularChange

Incorporate Scientific

Teaching into Classes

Faculty Development

Where does the process begin?

Why incorporate research?

What started off our process?NYT article 2/17/09

• Students Expectations Seen as Causing Grade Disputes– “If you put in all the effort

you have and get a C, what is the point? He added. “If someone goes to every class and reads every chapter in the book and does everything the teacher asks of them and more, then they should be getting an A like their effort deserves. If your maximum effort can only be average in a teacher’s mind, then something is wrong.”

How do we create an engaged student?

• Create a more active learning environment• Include students in the process of discovery• Provide them the opportunity to engage in

discussion and construct their understanding of difficult topics.

Goals of a project • Actively engage students in the creative process of scientific inquiry

• HYPOTHESIS-DRIVEN OR DISCOVERY-BASED EXPERIMENTS

• Provide skills necessary for success in the modern research laboratory

• LAB TECHNIQUES & HIGHER ORDER COGNITIVE SKILLS

• Foster interest in and excitement about scientific research

• NO ONE ELSE HAS DONE IT BEFORE (TRUE DISCOVERY)

The Original Model

LS187Lab Techniques

LS3Intro Molecular Biology

genomics Ammonifex

Newer Model

MIMG 121

LS 1

MCDB

MIMG 121• Soil microbial ecology• Enrichment cultures• Sequencing

LS1 - Plant growth

• Utilized bacterial strains isolated in an upper division capstone course (MIMG 121)

• Identified two different plant strains to be used

Assessment and Evaluation

• LS 1 – Content Knowledge– Conceptual Knowledge

• MIMG 121– Content Knowledge– Conceptual Knowledge– Procedural Knowledge

• Longitudinal

Survey says….

CurricularChange

Incorporate Scientific

Teaching into Classes

Faculty Development

Partnerships FundingAgencies

DedicatedTeachingFaculty

InformativeAssessment

Data

Faculty andAdministrative

Advocates