Redesigning Introductory Biology: A Proposal
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Authors:
Eileen Gregory1,*,
Craig Lending2,
Amanda N. Orenstein3,
Jane P. Ellis4
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Published 19 May 2011
- *Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Biology, Rollins College, Winter Park, FL 32789-4499. Phone: 407-646-2430. Fax: 407-646-2138. E-mail: [email protected].
- Copyright © 2011, American Society for Microbiology
Abstract:
With the increasing complexity and expansion of the biological sciences, there has been a corresponding increase in content in the first-year introductory biology course sequence for majors. In general this has resulted in courses that introduce students to large amounts of material and leave little time for practicing investigative science or skill development. Based on our analysis of data compiled from 742 biology faculty at a variety of institutions across the United States, we verified that there is strong agreement on the content appropriate for introductory biology courses for majors. Therefore, we propose that faculty teaching these courses focus primarily on the topics identified in this study, and redesign their courses to incorporate active learning strategies that emphasize the investigative nature of biology and provide opportunities for skill development.
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Abstract:
With the increasing complexity and expansion of the biological sciences, there has been a corresponding increase in content in the first-year introductory biology course sequence for majors. In general this has resulted in courses that introduce students to large amounts of material and leave little time for practicing investigative science or skill development. Based on our analysis of data compiled from 742 biology faculty at a variety of institutions across the United States, we verified that there is strong agreement on the content appropriate for introductory biology courses for majors. Therefore, we propose that faculty teaching these courses focus primarily on the topics identified in this study, and redesign their courses to incorporate active learning strategies that emphasize the investigative nature of biology and provide opportunities for skill development.

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Author and Article Information
-
Published 19 May 2011
- *Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Biology, Rollins College, Winter Park, FL 32789-4499. Phone: 407-646-2430. Fax: 407-646-2138. E-mail: [email protected].
- Copyright © 2011, American Society for Microbiology
Figures
Classification of topics by ranking as essential for year-long introductory biology sequence (n = 742). Twenty-five topics were selected as Essential to be covered in a general biology course sequence for biology majors, at any depth of coverage; the remaining topics were classified as Prior Knowledge (a topic that should have been learned in high school and does not need revisiting in this course sequence), Higher Level (a topic that will be covered in a higher level course and does not require more than a brief introduction during this course sequence), or Not Essential for biology majors in this course sequence. Topics are sorted by their ranking as Essential. All 36 survey topics are presented.

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FIGURE 1
Classification of topics by ranking as essential for year-long introductory biology sequence (n = 742). Twenty-five topics were selected as Essential to be covered in a general biology course sequence for biology majors, at any depth of coverage; the remaining topics were classified as Prior Knowledge (a topic that should have been learned in high school and does not need revisiting in this course sequence), Higher Level (a topic that will be covered in a higher level course and does not require more than a brief introduction during this course sequence), or Not Essential for biology majors in this course sequence. Topics are sorted by their ranking as Essential. All 36 survey topics are presented.
Classification of topics by depth of coverage for year-long introductory biology sequence (n = 742). For topics identified as essential; respondents were required to specify if the material should be covered to provide in-depth understanding or basic understanding, or if the students should only be exposed to the topic. Topics are sorted by their ranking as requiring in-depth understanding. All 36 survey topics are presented.

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FIGURE 2
Classification of topics by depth of coverage for year-long introductory biology sequence (n = 742). For topics identified as essential; respondents were required to specify if the material should be covered to provide in-depth understanding or basic understanding, or if the students should only be exposed to the topic. Topics are sorted by their ranking as requiring in-depth understanding. All 36 survey topics are presented.
Percentage of laboratories that should require student experimentation at a lab bench utilizing scientific equipment and materials. Responses were categorized as: all respondents (blue, n = 742), two-year institution (red, n = 177), four-year institution with focus primarily on undergraduates (green, n = 314), or four-year institution with undergraduate and graduate programs (purple, n = 235).

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FIGURE 3
Percentage of laboratories that should require student experimentation at a lab bench utilizing scientific equipment and materials. Responses were categorized as: all respondents (blue, n = 742), two-year institution (red, n = 177), four-year institution with focus primarily on undergraduates (green, n = 314), or four-year institution with undergraduate and graduate programs (purple, n = 235).