Dr. Eric J. Simon will present practical ways to promote and practice relevant skills in introductory courses, emphasizing process of science skills that will help all students.
Join Dr. Lourdes P. Norman-McKay to explore ways to shape students' STEM identity as a means of encouraging success and retention of underrepresented groups in STEM disciplines.
Join Dr. Justin R. St. Juliana for a presentation on online labs, including the pedagogy behind online biology labs, how to incorporate and implement them into your course, and how to keep your students engaged.
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Meet Lizabeth Allison, author on Biological Science
What course(s) do/did you teach and where?
I taught “Introduction to Molecules, Cells, & Development” at the College of William & Mary for many years and currently teach an upper division molecular genetics course and lab, along with an advanced seminar course on nuclear structure and gene activity.
What is a challenge that you’re currently facing in the classroom? How did/do you try to overcome this challenge?
Many students tend to immediately go to the internet when they are struggling with a concept, rather than using their textbook or other assigned readings as a resource. Negative impressions about textbooks being “boring” or “not helpful” seem to be established in high school and linger on throughout college.
When I taught introductory biology using Biological Science, the way I tried to overcome this challenge was to frequently point out to students in class how Biological Science tells an exciting story in each chapter, with an emphasis on the process of scientific discovery. I also made a point to highlight all the special student-focused, interactive features of the textbook that help them learn to think like biologists, provide opportunities for practice, and offer strategies for success.
What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned in the past few years regarding teaching biology?
As a scientist engaged in curiosity-driven, basic biomedical research that is far-removed from clinical application, I would have to say that I am fundamentally fascinated by all aspects of biology, whether they are directly relevant to my life or not.
The biggest lesson I’ve learned in the past few years is that students today, more than ever before, want to understand the relevance of course content to their lives. I strive even harder now to make links to current events and topics that resonate with students, such as making connections that highlight how understanding fundamental molecular and cellular processes has led to advances in biotechnology, treating human diseases, and understanding the potential impacts of climate change on human health.
What is one best practice that you use that you think works well and you would want to share with others, whether it's in a classroom setting, working in groups, or working one-on-one with a new teaching technology?
The best practice that I think works well to foster an inclusive environment in my classroom is that I use a variety of modalities to deliver content and conduct assessments, even in a large class.
I use PowerPoint lectures supplemented with videos, assigned readings in a textbook or from the primary literature, in-class group work on case study worksheets, short-answer exams that are based on a study guide made available before the exam, and a primary literature-based written assignment.
Within this suite of content-delivery and assessment modes, if students put in the effort, there is room for success across a diversity of learning styles and backgrounds.
What are you most proud of in your career?
In both the classroom and my research lab, I am proud of my success in cultivating talent and providing encouragement and opportunities for all biologists in the making, without arbitrary filters such as skin color, ethnicity, gender identity, or neurodiversity, to name but a few.
In your opinion, what is higher education going to look like in the next two to three years?
I think there will be an even greater emphasis on hands-on learning and developing specific practical skills that convey to the job market or better prepare students for post-graduate study.
The 8th Edition of Biological Science is being released this year. What excites you the most about this revision?
I am most excited about the addition of the Human Angle feature. It’s so important for students to feel a sense of belonging in biology and to discover the many diverse careers that are possible with a degree in biology. Flipping through the textbook and seeing photos of a diverse group of people whose careers employ biology concepts and/or skills featured in the textbook brings biology to life.
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The top 7 Mastering features you should be using
Upon mastering a course, it’s etched in our minds along with much satisfaction and pride. That’s what happens for faculty and students alike using Pearson’s Mastering® platform. It supports active, engaging, and immersive experiences while lightening the teacher’s workload.
You will see its interactive tutorials, real-time analytics, and tailored feedback become indispensable tools as you help prepare students for their academic journeys.
We’ve rounded up seven of Mastering’s best features that are sure to help the way you teach, engage, and ensure your students success.
7 Mastering features you can start leveraging today —
Dynamic Study Modules pose a series of question sets about a course topic that adapt to each student’s performance and offer personalized, targeted feedback to help them master key concepts. They can use their computer or the MyLab and Mastering app to access Dynamic Study Modules. Available for select titles.
Early Alerts help identify struggling students as early as possible — even if their assignment scores are not a cause for concern. With this insight, you can provide informed feedback and support at the very moment students need it, so they can stay — and succeed — in your course.
Gradebook records all scores for automatically graded assignments. Struggling students and challenging assignments are highlighted in red, giving you an at-a-glance view of potential hurdles students may face throughout your course.
Performance Analytics track student performance against specified learning outcomes at both the individual student and class level. Mastering problems are tagged to publisher-provided learning outcomes or added to course-specific, department-wide, or institution-wide learning outcomes.
Learning Catalytics allows you to pose a variety of questions to help students recall ideas, apply concepts, and develop critical-thinking skills. Students can respond using their smartphones, tablets, or laptops.
Pearson+ Channels feature an interactive hub of expert-curated short videos and practice materials providing best-in-class content for any student seeking more knowledge in a specific topic or subtopic. In addition to testing their knowledge with practice questions created by Pearson experts, users can visit the social community and discuss certain topics in message threads, ask for help with practice problems, and rank the videos and practice materials.
Scheduled Reading assigns a chapter or specific section to hold students accountable for their reading and help them prep for lectures, homework, and quizzes. Scheduled Readings populate to each student’s assignment page, and you can now link readings directly to Mastering assignments.
With real-time insights from Mastering’s analytics dashboard, you can personalize your lectures and labs, keeping pace with student life today while helping to boost student performance.
By putting more Mastering tools to work, you can help develop more confident, competent learners eager to embrace complex scientific challenges through mindful, meaningful ways and help them improve results.
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Making Room at the Table: Creating Inclusive Classrooms
Most of us teaching college today have encountered the drives and initiatives to create inclusive classrooms. The pandemic and debates over social justice have challenged many of us to examine and re-examine how and what we teach. Safety protocols, strong debates over the role of diversity, equity and inclusion in higher education may have left many teachers feeling burned out with adjusting.
With the enormity of changes in education, we sometimes need to take a breath and think about small changes we can make to yield big results for student success. James Lang writes in Small Teaching; we should consider taking “an approach that seeks to spark positive change in higher education through small but powerful modifications to our course design and teaching practices.”
I needed to find descriptions of what an inclusive classroom looks like or explanations of some of the terms used in these initiatives. I discovered this from the Office of Diversity and Inclusion at the University of Central Florida, “In an inclusive college classroom, the participants work together to create and maintain a climate of openness and respect that encourages individuals to share their perspectives and thought for the purposes of mutual understanding, growth, and development. Inclusive classrooms are welcoming, secure, diverse, and interactive. In an inclusive college classroom, instructors strive to be responsive to students as individuals with many intersectionalities, as well as cognizant of students’ uniqueness and value in relationship to the broader classroom culture.”
Intersectionality is the interconnection of social constructs such as race, class, and gender. And this construct applies to both individuals and groups. Intersectionality creates overlapping and interdependent systems that may foster discrimination and disadvantage, or conversely, may create privilege and entitlement.
How can we help our students develop attitudes that accept our differences and allow each individual room at our tables to be who they are, feeling comfortable, accepted, and welcomed? How do we address the almost infinite differences intersectionality creates with all the diverse opinions, ages, backgrounds, races, religious, sexual identities, gender identities and educational backgrounds, abilities and capabilities?
This just seemed absolutely daunting to me when I considered the vast and varied intersectionality presented in each of my students’ lives. However, after reading Lang’s Small teaching I felt more empowered to make changes in my teaching and course-room designs.