Redesigning Introductory Biology Lisa Elfring University of Arizona

Introductory Biology ~1800 students per year, ~1500 in fall This is a course for majors (>25 different majors) Six fall sections taught by 6-8 faculty Lecture sections of students No graduate student TAs Undergraduate tutors assist in class Traditional lecture-style presentation Variable use of instructional technology

Goals of our redesign 1. Enhance student learning by using more active- learning techniques and increasing students’ out-of- class time spent on the course 2. Promote students’ view of biology as a rapidly changing, interdisciplinary endeavor 3. Increase the uniformity in course content and instructional approaches among the different sections 4. Increase student success rates in the class (number of students who achieve overall scores ≥ 60% in the course). 5. Develop mechanisms that enable these changes and accommodate anticipated increased student enrollment without a concomitant increase in personnel.

Key features of redesign Pre-class tutorials and quizzes In-class and discussion section activities that promote student interaction and higher-level learning Undergraduate tutors use technology to provide out-of-class help Learning materials adopted from Pearson Publishing- Mastering Biology Assessment: Pre- and post-tests, “post-post” tests in ensuing biology courses

Progress report Pilot section Spring 2008 is utilizing pre- class tutorials, active-learning exercises Website to collect resources, make available to all faculty Piloting activities designed for discussion sections Challenges: Changing instructor lineup, text adoption, uniformity of approach, student response

Assessment Pre- and post-tests: use instrument that has been administered for 4 years Emphasize conceptual knowledge, not lower-level/recognition Use some common exam questions from instructors who have taught previously Design a “post-post” instrument for administration in next-step courses (Genetics, Molecular Biology) We have secured IRB approval for student record review and data collection