BEN Scholars Program & Institute & the Biological Sciences Pathway Presentation by Yolanda S. George, AAAS

About the BEN Scholars Program The goal of the BEN Scholars Program is to promote the use of digital library resources and student-centered teaching and learning methods in higher education, specifically in biological sciences lecture and laboratory courses, and in research training programs. The program works both directly with faculty, as BEN Scholars, and indirectly through outreach activities led by BEN Scholars. Outreach activities are aimed at biological sciences faculty and are carried out on campus with departments, locally throughout the region, and nationally through professional societies.

Program Objectives - As a result of the BEN Scholars Program, both BEN Scholars and those involved in their outreach activities will: A. Increase their use of digital libraries and e-resources, specifically: The BEN portal and its resources; The digital libraries and e-resources of BEN Collaborators; The NSDL University Faculty Page, including the Expert Voices to biological science. B. Submit a learning object to one of the BEN Collaborator libraries or the BEN Portal OR consider submitting a learning object to one of the BEN Collaborator libraries or the BEN Portal.

Goals of the BEN Scholars Institute are to provide Scholars with: A framework for using digital libraries and student- centered teaching and learning in higher education, specifically in biological sciences lecture and laboratory courses and in research training programs. Resources and strategies to promote the use of digital libraries and student centered learning to their faculty colleagues.

Goal of the NSDL Biological Sciences Pathway The BiosciEdNet (BEN) Collaborative is working with the NSDL Core Integration (CI) Team and other NSDL Pathways to expand its stewardship role for biological sciences professional societies and coalitions that provide resources, tools, and professional development for biological sciences educators in higher education institutions, including community colleges. Some BEN resources are useful for use in high school biology classes

Institute Objectives – As a result of the BEN Scholars Institute: A.BEN Scholars will increase their facility in using and actual use of the following digital resources: The BEN portal; The digital libraries of BEN Collaborators; and The NSDL and NSDL Pathways libraries. B. BEN Scholars will increase their understanding of student- centered learning methods, including: Inquiry-based teaching; Interactive lectures; Authentic assessment; Problem-based learning; Use of technology in teaching; and Career information integration.

BiosciEdNet (BEN) Collaborative BEN serves as a catalyst for professional societies or coalitions that seek to: Build biological sciences education-focused digital libraries that include high quality, inquiry-driven, active, and engaging STEM education Contribute resources to the BEN portal. Collaborate in terms of pedagogy, authentic assessment, and development of multidisciplinary biological sciences resources.

Collaborators (*Founding Collaborators) AAAS-American Association for the Advancement of Science (EHR, STKE, Science)* ABLE-Association of Biology Lab Educators AIBS-American Institute of Biological Sciences* APS-American Physiological Society* APS-American Phytopathological Society* ASBMB-American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology* ASCB-American Society for Cell Biology ASM-American Society for Microbiology* BCC-BioQUEST Curriculum Consortium Bio-Link-the NSF Advanced Technological Education Center for Biotechnology BSA-Botanical Society of America ESA-Ecological Society of America* EntDL-Entomology Digital Library FUN -Faculty for Undergraduate Neuroscience HAPS-Human Anatomy and Physiology Society MLER-Microbial Life Education Resources NABT-National Association of Biology Teachers* NAHSEP-National Association of Health Science Education Partnerships NBII-National Biological Information Infrastructure* NLM-AE-National Library of Medicine-Access Excellence* SDB-Society for Developmental Biology SICB-Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology SOT-Society for Toxicology*

Roles of BEN Collaborators Building biological sciences education digital libraries for use by faculty in higher education institutions Converting e-resources to biological sciences education digital libraries Cataloging e-resources that are useful in biological sciences education in higher education institutions Conducting outreach workshops that foster student centered learning and use of digital libraries, particularly for faculty Archiving and preservation of biological sciences education resources Use of the society services to foster cultural change in the teaching of biological sciences in higher education

BEN Inventory of Resources (4,589) (11-06) AAAS (152 lesson plans and multimedia resources) ABLE (66 lab exercises and teaching strategies ) AIBS (255 teaching and learning resources) APS (501 teaching and learning resources) APSNet (56 plant disease lessons and phytopathological career materials) ASM (1540 teaching and learning resources) BSA (948 annotated images) ESA (192 teaching and learning resources) FUN (28 journal articles) HAPS (266 journal and newsletter articles) NHM-Access Excellence (206 lesson plans and teaching strategies) SOT (9 articles and toxicology career materials) STKE (370 reviews, perspectives, and multimedia resources)

Topics agriculture & aquaculture anatomy anthropology & archaeology bacteriology behavioral science biochemistry biocomplexity biodiversity bioengineering bioethics bioinformatics biophysics biostatistics biotechnology botany & plant science cardiology cell biology conservation biology cryobiology developmental biology ecology education endocrinology entomology environmental sciences epidemiology evolutionary biology exercise & kinesiology exobiology forestry gastroenterology genetics & heredity genomics geography glycobiology hematology histology human biology hydrology & water resources immunology invertebrate biology marine biology metabolism microbiology molecular biology mycology natural history nephrology neurobiology nutrition & food sciences oceanography paleontology parasitology pathology pharmacology phylogeny physiology population biology proteomics psychology public health range science reproductive biology respiratory biology sociobiology soil biology structural biology systematics taxonomy & classification theoretical biology toxicology vertebrate biology virology wildlife science zoology

Learning Resources Types AnimationApplicationAudioDiagram Digital PresentationDiscussion GroupGraph/ChartIllustration ImageMapOnline toolPhotograph SimulationSoftwareTableVideo AbstractBookBook ChapterJournal Journal ArticleMeeting PresentationMemoNewsletter Non-journal ArticlePamphlet/BrochureProceedingsReport BibliographyDatabaseDatasetDictionary/Glossary Discussion ArchiveIndexManualReview Assessment: ExamAssessment ToolAssignment (non-lab)Career materials Course SyllabusEducation StandardsField Trip GuideLaboratory Manual Lecture/Lecture OutlineLesson PlanTeaching Strategies

Challenges & Where We Need Your Help A. Increasing Numbers of Biological Sciences Faculty that Use The BEN Portal from about 7,500 to 15,000 Users by December B. Increasing Peer Reviewed Resources in the BEN Portal from about 4,600 to 27,000 by September of 2010 ***Identifying collaborators that want to catalog resources ***Increasing submissions of new resources by faculty (2,700 new faculty submissions by 2010)

Challenges & Where We Need Your Help (Continued) C. Fostering Departmental Involvement ***Student centered learning in the biological sciences ***Incentives for faculty that develop teaching & learning projects & resources, particularly e-resources D. Improving Quality of BEN Portal Search – A Work in Progress (Community Building) ***Peer Reviewers ***Site Reviewers ***Metadata Reviewers ***Faculty on Sabbatical

Coordinating Council AAAS Yolanda S. George, Deputy Director Linda Akli, Senior Program Associate Kirstin Fearnley, Program Associate Nancy Gough, Managing Editor/STKE AIBS Susan Musante, Manager, Education Programs ASM Amy L. Chang, Director, Education Department APS Marsha Lakes Matyas, Education Officer Melinda E. Lowy, Higher Education Programs Coordinator ESA Jason Taylor, Director of Education