Research and Teaching: Visual Literacy in Biology: A Comparison of Visual Representations in Textbooks and Journal Articles

Journal Article | August 2011

Using course materials to promote visual literacy skills is an important aspect of undergraduate science education. A comparison study was undertaken to determine the composition of visual representation, specifically…

Writing Toward a Scientific Identity: Shifting From Prescriptive to Reflective Writing in Undergraduate Biology

Journal Article | October 2015

Analytical writing enhances retention of science learning and is integral to student-centered classrooms. Despite this, scientific writing in undergraduate programs is often presented as a series of sentence-level…

Implementing Pedagogical Change in Introductory Biology Courses Through the Use of Faculty Learning Communities

Journal Article | October 2013

This article discusses the implementation of student-centered learning in introductory biology classses that is being facilitated by the use of faculty learning communities.

A Novel Interdisciplinary Science Experience for Undergraduates Across Introductory Biology, Chemistry, and Physics Courses

Journal Article | June 2014

This article describes the mobilization and implementation of a community-oriented Interdisciplinary Science Seminar (ISS) that adds interdisciplinary content to traditional introductory science courses without a…

Research and Teaching: Midterm and First-Exam Grades Predict Final Grades in Biology Courses

Journal Article | October 2014

This article describes a study in which the authors analyzed the extent to which two standard forms of feedback, midterm and first-exam grades, correlated with final grades in several biology courses.

The Effectiveness of a Case Study-Based First-Year Biology Class at a Black Women’s College

Journal Article | October 2010

The authors used a case study-based approach in the introductory biology course at Spelman College. The course taught to entering freshmen was divided into three modules—ecology, evolution, and biodiversity, each…

Analysis of Students’ Downloading of Online Audio Lecture Recordings in a Large Biology Lecture Course

Journal Article | December 2008

This paper address three questions apropos of those posed by Kadel (2006) in the context of a large introductory-level undergraduate science lecture course. These questions include how podcasting is used by professors…

The Learning-Focused Transformation of Biology and Physics Core Courses at the U.S. Air Force Academy

Journal Article | December 2008

An institution-wide focus on deep learning has made significant changes in the biology and physics core course curriculum at the U.S. Air Force Academy. The biology course director has reworked course objectives to…

Closing the Loop: Involving Faculty in the Assessment of Scientific and Quantitative Reasoning Skills of Biology Majors

Journal Article | June 2011

The Biology Department at James Madison University assesses scientific and quantitative reasoning skills in STEM majors in a content-independent manner by using a multiple-choice exam called the Natural World-9. The…