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Redesigning Introductory Biology: A Proposal

    Authors: Eileen Gregory1,*, Craig Lending2, Amanda N. Orenstein3, Jane P. Ellis4
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    Affiliations: 1: Department of Biology, Rollins College, Winter Park, FL 32789; 2: Department of Biology, SUNY Brockport, Brockport, NY 14420; 3: Department of Biology, Centenary College, Hackettstown, NJ 07840; 4: Department of Biology, Presbyterian College, Clinton, SC 29325
    AUTHOR AND ARTICLE INFORMATION 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
    Source: J. Microbiol. Biol. Educ. May 2011 vol. 12 no. 1 13-17. doi:10.1128/jmbe.v12i1.293
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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.

References & Citations

1. Chaplin S 2009 Assessment of the impact of case studies on student learning gains in an introductory biology course J Coll Sci Teaching 39 72 80
2. Committee on Undergraduate Biology Education to Prepare Research Scientists for the 21st century 2003 Bio 2010: Transforming undergraduate education for future research biologists Washington, DC National Academies Press
3. Cooper S, Hanmer D, Cerbin B 2006 Problem-solving modules in large introductory biology lectures enhance student understanding Am Biol Teacher 68 524 529
4. Gregory E, Ellis JP, Orenstein AN 2011 A proposal for a common minimal topic set in introductory biology courses for majors Am Biol Teacher 73 16 21 10.1525/abt.2011.73.1.4 http://dx.doi.org/10.1525/abt.2011.73.1.4
5. Labov JB, Reid AH, Yamamoto KR 2010 Integrated biology and undergraduate science education: A new biology education for the twenty-first century? CBE-Life Sci Educ 9 10 16 10.1187/cbe.09-12-0092 20194802 2830155 http://dx.doi.org/10.1187/cbe.09-12-0092
6. McDaniel C, Lister B, Hanna M, Roy H 2007 Increased learning observed in redesigned introductory biology course that employed web-enhanced, interactive pedagogy CBE-Life Sci Educ 6 243 249 10.1187/cbe.07-01-0003 17785407 1964523 http://dx.doi.org/10.1187/cbe.07-01-0003
7. Morse D, Jutras F 2008 Implementing concept-based learning in a large undergraduate classroom CBE-Life Sci Educ 7 243 253 10.1187/cbe.07-09-0071 18519616 2424300 http://dx.doi.org/10.1187/cbe.07-09-0071
8. Regassa LB, Morrison-Shetlar AI 2007 Designing and implementing a hands-on, inquiry-based molecular biology course J Coll Sci Teaching 36 36 41
9. Report of the AAMC-HHMI Committee 2009 Scientific foundations for future physicians Washington, DC AAMC Retrieved October 14, 2010 from http://www.hhmi.org/grants/pdf/08-209_AAMC-HHMI_report.pdf
10. Timmerman BE, Strickland DC, Carstensen SM 2008 Curricular reform and inquiry teaching in biology: Where are our efforts most fruitfully invested? Integr CompBiol 48 226 240 10.1093/icb/icn064 http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/icb/icn064
11. Wood W 2009 Revising the AP biology curriculum Science 325 1627 1628 10.1126/science.1180821 19779176 http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.1180821

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/content/journal/jmbe/10.1128/jmbe.v12i1.293
2011-05-19
2021-03-01

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

Redesigning Introductory Biology: A Proposal
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Citation: Gregory E, Lending C, Orenstein A, Ellis J. 2011. Redesigning introductory biology: a proposal. J. Microbiol. Biol. Educ. 12(1):13-17 doi:10.1128/jmbe.v12i1.293
/content/jmbe/10.1128/jmbe.v12i1.293.f1-jmbe-12-1-13
FIGURE 1

Classification of topics by ranking as essential for year-long introductory biology sequence (n = 742). Twenty-five topics were selected as to be covered in a general biology course sequence for biology majors, at any depth of coverage; the remaining topics were classified as (a topic that should have been learned in high school and does not need revisiting in this course sequence), (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 for biology majors in this course sequence. Topics are sorted by their ranking as . All 36 survey topics are presented.

jmbe/12/1/jmbe-12-1-13f1_thmb.gif
jmbe/12/1/jmbe-12-1-13f1.gif
Image of FIGURE 1

Click to view

FIGURE 1

Classification of topics by ranking as essential for year-long introductory biology sequence (n = 742). Twenty-five topics were selected as to be covered in a general biology course sequence for biology majors, at any depth of coverage; the remaining topics were classified as (a topic that should have been learned in high school and does not need revisiting in this course sequence), (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 for biology majors in this course sequence. Topics are sorted by their ranking as . All 36 survey topics are presented.

Source: J. Microbiol. Biol. Educ. May 2011 vol. 12 no. 1 13-17. doi:10.1128/jmbe.v12i1.293
Download as Powerpoint
/content/jmbe/10.1128/jmbe.v12i1.293.f2-jmbe-12-1-13
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.

jmbe/12/1/jmbe-12-1-13f2_thmb.gif
jmbe/12/1/jmbe-12-1-13f2.gif
Image of FIGURE 2

Click to view

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.

Source: J. Microbiol. Biol. Educ. May 2011 vol. 12 no. 1 13-17. doi:10.1128/jmbe.v12i1.293
Download as Powerpoint
/content/jmbe/10.1128/jmbe.v12i1.293.f3-jmbe-12-1-13
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).

jmbe/12/1/jmbe-12-1-13f3_thmb.gif
jmbe/12/1/jmbe-12-1-13f3.gif
Image of FIGURE 3

Click to view

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).

Source: J. Microbiol. Biol. Educ. May 2011 vol. 12 no. 1 13-17. doi:10.1128/jmbe.v12i1.293
Download as Powerpoint

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