Biology has changed radically in the last few decades and so has what we know about how people learn. It is time to reconsider how we approach biology undergraduate education. To this end the American Association for the Advancement of Science sponsored a series of conversations to enable a wide spectrum of the biological sciences community to provide insight into the changes that need to take place and how best to effect those changes. The report from those conversations is being produced and will serve as the basis for this project, a major meeting of faculty, students, administrators, professional societies to address the need for change and exchange information concerning effective efforts to upgrade undergraduate biology so that the biology taught to undergraduates reflects the approaches and concepts current in the discipline and takes advantage of new teaching technologies and findings. The published proceedings and the meeting itself are designed to produce an informed biology community and enhanced undergraduate education in the discipline, resulting in a transformative activity that engages a broad spectrum of the science community.
Intellectual Merit: The intellectual merit of this project resides in the opportunity to have a vigorous discussion and exchange of information on ways to upgrade biology undergraduate education so that the content taught, the experiences offered to students and the pedagogy used truly represents the needs and resources of the 21st century. The proceedings will provide a resource for those engaged in biology education but who could not attend the meeting itself.
Broader Impact: The broader impact of this project is in the diversity of the people who attend the conference, the diversity of the subdisciplines within biology and the institutions of higher education they represent, and the varied skills and experiences they bring to changes in approach to undergraduate education The dissemination plan includes both a printed and web based publication and is flexible enough to encompass other methods developed at the conference itself. In addition this meeting will include input from the three major funding agencies currently supporting advances in undergraduate education, the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, thus enlarging the scope of its influence.
In 2006, staff from the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Directorates for Education and Human Resources (EHR) and for the Biological Sciences (BIO), prompted by changes in the biological sciences discipline, as well as emerging research in the learning sciences, formed a working group that recognized the need within the biology community to discuss a shared vision for undergraduate biology education and the changes needed to achieve that vision. This led to the idea of hosting a series of regional conversations with faculty and administrators, culminating in a large national conference that could crystallize the vision and change(s) and give momentum to any community initiatives toward transformation. Intellectual Merit In 2007, the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), with principal support from NSF and additional support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) Minority Opportunities Research Programs (MORE), initiated a series of regional conversations with more than 200 leading biology faculty, administrators, and other stakeholders from around the country. The conversations sought direction on how to improve undergraduate biology education to better prepare all undergraduates for the biology-related challenges of the 21st century. In July 2009, using the findings of these regional conversations, NSF and AAAS, with the guidance of an advisory board, hosted an invitational national conference on Vision and Change in Undergraduate Biology Education (V&C) that attracted more than 500 biology faculty, college and university administrators, representatives of professional societies, and students and postdoctoral scholars from around the country Broader Impacts The conferences resulted in a blueprint for change, Vision and Change in Undergraduate Biology Education: A Call to Action. Cutting across diverse sub-disciplines and institutions, this 2011 report represents the collective wisdom of hundreds of leading biological scientists and others who contributed to the conversations and invitational conference. A summary of recommendations discussed in the V&C report include the following action items: 1. Integrate Core Concepts and Competencies throughout the Curriculum Introduce the scientific process to students early, and integrate it into all undergraduate biology courses. 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. Develop lifelong science-learning competencies. Introduce fewer concepts, but present them in greater depth. Less really is more. 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. 2. 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. Introduce research experiences as an integral component of biology education for all students, regardless of their major. Integrate multiple forms of assessment to track student learning. Give students ongoing, frequent and multiple forms of feedback on their progress. View the assessment of course success as similar to scientific research, centered on the students involved, and apply the assessment data to improve and enhance the learning environment. 3. Promote a Campus-wide Commitment to Change Mobilize all stakeholders, from students to administrators, to commit to improving the quality of undergraduate biology education. Support the development of a true community of scholars dedicated to advancing the life sciences and the science of teaching. Advocate for increased status, recognition, and rewards for innovation in teaching, student success, and other educational outcomes. Require graduate students on training grants in the biological sciences to participate in training in how to teach biology. Provide teaching support and training for all faculty, but especially postdoctoral fellows and early-career faculty, who are in their formative years as teachers. 4. Engage the Biology Community in the Implementation of Change Promote more concept-oriented undergraduate biology courses, and help all students learn how to integrate facts into larger conceptual contexts. Ensure that all undergraduates have authentic opportunities to experience the processes, nature, and limits of science. Provide all biology faculty with access to the teaching and learning research referenced throughout the V&C report, and encourage its application when developing courses. Create active-learning environments for all students, even non-majors in first-year biology courses. Encourage all biologists to move beyond the "depth versus breadth" debate. The report and the Executive Summary, edited by Carol Brewer and Diane Smith can be located at (http://visionandchange.org/files/2011/03/Revised-Vision-and-Change-Final-Report.pdf) and (http://visionandchange.org/files/2011/03/VC-Brochure-V6-3.pdf). A related report on the conversations, written by Marsha Matyas, Yolanda George, Shirley Malcom, and Catherine Fry in June 2009 is also on the website (http://visionandchange.org/files/2010/03/VC-Prelimary-Reports-from-Conversations1.pdf).
