Post on 07-Jan-2016
description
Challenges: Faculty range of familiarity and comfort with evidence-based student-centered pedagogy;
Biology curriculum constrained by general and organic chemistry, physics, and calculus pre-requisite courses.
Barriers: Lower division quantitative course not supported without analysis of entire biology major pre-requisite requirements;
Curricular alignment with Vision and Change will require coordination with other departments and post-graduate programs.
Resources: Science Literacy Program;
Interdisciplinary environment on campus to support interdepartmental curricular conversations;
College General Education Renaissance.
Allies: Department head;
Retreat planning and curriculum committees.
ACCOUNTABILITY
STRENGTHS
ACTIONS BARRIERS & CHALLENGES
SUSTAINABILITYRESOURCES & ALLIES
NW-PULSE @ NW BIO 2014
• Department head committed to having an annual biology retreat with faculty professional development on teaching.
• Visit each other’s institutions as the faculty professional development expert.
• Expand regional conversation to address pre-requisite barriers.
Team: Perspectives of a faculty development professional and a research active faculty member.
Institution: Resources committed to student-centered curricular design and development;
History of interdisciplinary research collaboration;
Momentum around bioinformatics education.
VISION – Our vision was to explore the adoption of a new early course focused on quantitative biology.
ELEANOR VANDEGRIFT & KAREN GUILLEMIN
STARTING THE CONVERSATION ABOUT VISION AND CHANGEUNIVERSITY OF OREGON
MAIN GOAL – We planned and facilitated a biology department retreat focused on curriculum, teaching and learning. We are participating in an ad hoc committee to explore the pre-requisites required for a biology major.
Products: Biology faculty retreat;
Ad hoc committee looking at pre-requisites and curriculum requirements.
Assessments: Initial faculty survey of biology course concepts and competencies.
• Biology faculty retreat planning and facilitation.
• Modified Vision and Change rubrics for interactive activity.
• Ad hoc curriculum committee to explore alignment of biology pre-requisite courses.
This work was supported in part by NSF EAGER #51588
Figure 1. Faculty perspectives of their own teaching on a instructor- to student-centered scale.
Figure 2. Vision and Change core concepts taught in different course levels identified at faculty retreat.
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