Vision and Change Implementation

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Integrate Core Concepts and Competencies throughout the Curriculum​

• Define learning goals so that they focus on teaching students the core concepts, and align assessments so that they assess the students’ understanding of these concepts 

• Relate abstract concepts in biology to real ­world examples on a regular basis, and make biology content relevant by presenting problems in a real ­life context 

• Stimulate the curiosity students have for learning about the natural world

• Demonstrate both the passion scientists have for their discipline and their delight in sharing their understanding of the world with students

 

Focus on Student ­Centered Learning

• Engage students as active participants, not passive recipients, in all undergraduate biology courses

• Use multiple modes of instruction in addition to the traditional lecture

• Ensure that undergraduate biology courses are active, outcome oriented, inquiry driven, and relevant

• Facilitate student learning within a cooperative context

• Integrate multiple forms of assessment to track student learning

• Give students ongoing, frequent, and multiple forms of feedback on their progress

 

Promote a Campus wide Commitment to Change

• Mobilize all stakeholders, from students to administrators, to commit to improving the quality of undergraduate biology education

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Engage the Biology Community in the Implementation of Change​

• Provide all biology faculty with access to the teaching and learning research referenced throughout this report, and encourage its application when developing courses 

• Create active ­learning environments for all students, even those in first ­year biology courses

• Encourage all biologists to move beyond the “depth versus breadth” debate. Less really is more