Research Coordination Networks in Undergraduate Biology Education (NSF)

2021 ◽  
Vol 45 (24) ◽  
pp. 2-2
Keyword(s):  
Biology Education ◽  
Coordination Networks ◽  
Undergraduate Biology

scholarly journals A Community-Building Framework for Collaborative Research Coordination across the Education and Biology Research Disciplines

2018 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. es2 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nancy Pelaez ◽  
Trevor R. Anderson ◽  
Stephanie M. Gardner ◽  
Yue Yin ◽  
Joel K. Abraham ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Biological Sciences ◽  
Community Building ◽  
Relevant Literature ◽  
Biology Education ◽  
Faculty Members ◽  
Coordination Networks ◽  
Undergraduate Biology ◽  
Disciplinary Boundaries ◽  
Professional Network ◽  
Collaborative Efforts

Since 2009, the U.S. National Science Foundation Directorate for Biological Sciences has funded Research Coordination Networks (RCN) aimed at collaborative efforts to improve participation, learning, and assessment in undergraduate biology education (UBE). RCN-UBE projects focus on coordination and communication among scientists and educators who are fostering improved and innovative approaches to biology education. When faculty members collaborate with the overarching goal of advancing undergraduate biology education, there is a need to optimize collaboration between participants in order to deeply integrate the knowledge across disciplinary boundaries. In this essay we propose a novel guiding framework for bringing colleagues together to advance knowledge and its integration across disciplines, the “Five ‘C’s’ of Collaboration: Commitment, Collegiality, Communication, Consensus, and Continuity.” This guiding framework for professional network practice is informed by both relevant literature and empirical evidence from community-building experience within the RCN-UBE Advancing Competencies in Experimentation–Biology (ACE-Bio) Network. The framework is presented with practical examples to illustrate how it might be used to enhance collaboration between new and existing participants in the ACE-Bio Network as well as within other interdisciplinary networks.

scholarly journals Summit of the Research Coordination Networks for Undergraduate Biology Education

2016 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. mr1 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carrie Diaz Eaton ◽  
Deborah Allen ◽  
Laurel J. Anderson ◽  
Gillian Bowser ◽  
Mark A. Pauley ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Education Reform ◽  
Online Communication ◽  
Biology Education ◽  
Washington Dc ◽  
Coordination Networks ◽  
Undergraduate Biology ◽  
National Science ◽  
Effective Network ◽  
Key Aspects ◽  
Science Educators

The first summit of projects funded by the National Science Foundation’s Research Coordination Networks for Undergraduate Biology Education (RCN-UBE) program was held January 14–16, 2016, in Washington, DC. Sixty-five scientists and science educators from 38 of the 41 Incubator and Full RCN-UBE awards discussed the value and contributions of RCNs to the national biology education reform effort. The summit illustrated the progress of this innovative UBE track, first awarded in 2009. Participants shared experiences regarding network development and growth, identified best practices and challenges faced in network management, and discussed work accomplished. We report here on key aspects of network evaluation, characteristics of successful networks, and how to sustain and broaden participation in networks. Evidence from successful networks indicates that 5 years (the length of a Full RCN-UBE) may be insufficient time to produce a cohesive and effective network. While online communication promotes the activities of a network and disseminates effective practices, face-to-face meetings are critical for establishing ties between network participants. Creation of these National Science Foundation–funded networks may be particularly useful for consortia of faculty working to address problems or exchange novel solutions discovered while introducing active-learning methods and/or course-based research into their curricula.

Crossing Boundaries in Undergraduate Biology Education

2016 ◽  
Vol 045 (03) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dirk Vanderklein ◽  
Mika Munakata ◽  
Jason McManus
Keyword(s):  
Biology Education ◽  
Undergraduate Biology

scholarly journals Investigating Novice and Expert Conceptions of Genetically Modified Organisms

2017 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. ar52 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa M. Potter ◽  
Sarah A. Bissonnette ◽  
Jonathan D. Knight ◽  
Kimberly D. Tanner
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Modification ◽  
Real World ◽  
Genetically Modified Organisms ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Genetically Modified ◽  
Biology Education ◽  
Undergraduate Biology ◽  
Biology Students ◽  
Molecular Behavior ◽  
Biology Majors

The aspiration of biology education is to give students tools to apply knowledge learned in the classroom to everyday life. Genetic modification is a real-world biological concept that relies on an in-depth understanding of the molecular behavior of DNA and proteins. This study investigated undergraduate biology students’ conceptions of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) when probed with real-world, molecular and cellular, and essentialist cues, and how those conceptions compared across biology expertise. We developed a novel written assessment tool and administered it to 120 non–biology majors, 154 entering biology majors, 120 advanced biology majors (ABM), and nine biology faculty. Results indicated that undergraduate biology majors rarely included molecular and cellular rationales in their initial explanations of GMOs. Despite ABM demonstrating that they have much of the biology knowledge necessary to understand genetic modification, they did not appear to apply this knowledge to explaining GMOs. Further, this study showed that all undergraduate student populations exhibited evidence of essentialist thinking while explaining GMOs, regardless of their level of biology training. Finally, our results suggest an association between scientifically accurate ideas and the application of molecular and cellular rationales, as well as an association between misconceptions and essentialist rationales.

scholarly journals Curriculum Alignment with Vision and Change Improves Student Scientific Literacy

2017 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. ar29 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Jo Auerbach ◽  
Elisabeth E. Schussler
Keyword(s):  
Active Learning ◽  
Scientific Literacy ◽  
Biology Education ◽  
Curriculum Alignment ◽  
Final Report ◽  
Process Skills ◽  
Student Collaboration ◽  
Undergraduate Biology ◽  
Learning Techniques ◽  
Academic Year

The Vision and Change in Undergraduate Biology Education final report challenged institutions to reform their biology courses to focus on process skills and student active learning, among other recommendations. A large southeastern university implemented curricular changes to its majors’ introductory biology sequence in alignment with these recommendations. Discussion sections focused on developing student process skills were added to both lectures and a lab, and one semester of lab was removed. This curriculum was implemented using active-learning techniques paired with student collaboration. This study determined whether these changes resulted in a higher gain of student scientific literacy by conducting pre/posttesting of scientific literacy for two cohorts: students experiencing the unreformed curriculum and students experiencing the reformed curriculum. Retention of student scientific literacy for each cohort was also assessed 4 months later. At the end of the academic year, scientific literacy gains were significantly higher for students in the reformed curriculum (p = 0.005), with those students having double the scientific literacy gains of the cohort in the unreformed curriculum. Retention of scientific literacy did not differ between the cohorts.

scholarly journals GCAT-SEEKquence: Genome Consortium for Active Teaching of Undergraduates through Increased Faculty Access to Next-Generation Sequencing Data

2011 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 342-345 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vincent P. Buonaccorsi ◽  
Michael D. Boyle ◽  
Deborah Grove ◽  
Craig Praul ◽  
Eric Sakk ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Biology Education ◽  
Next Generation Sequencing Data ◽  
Next Generation ◽  
Sequencing Data ◽  
Undergraduate Biology ◽  
Active Teaching ◽  
Nextgen Sequencing ◽  
A Genome ◽  
Genome Consortium

To transform undergraduate biology education, faculty need to provide opportunities for students to engage in the process of science. The rise of research approaches using next-generation (NextGen) sequencing has been impressive, but incorporation of such approaches into the undergraduate curriculum remains a major challenge. In this paper, we report proceedings of a National Science Foundation–funded workshop held July 11–14, 2011, at Juniata College. The purpose of the workshop was to develop a regional research coordination network for undergraduate biology education (RCN/UBE). The network is collaborating with a genome-sequencing core facility located at Pennsylvania State University (University Park) to enable undergraduate students and faculty at small colleges to access state-of-the-art sequencing technology. We aim to create a database of references, protocols, and raw data related to NextGen sequencing, and to find innovative ways to reduce costs related to sequencing and bioinformatics analysis. It was agreed that our regional network for NextGen sequencing could operate more effectively if it were partnered with the Genome Consortium for Active Teaching (GCAT) as a new arm of that consortium, entitled GCAT-SEEK(quence). This step would also permit the approach to be replicated elsewhere.

scholarly journals Learning Progressions: An Empirically Grounded, Learner-Centered Framework to Guide Biology Instruction

2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. es5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily E. Scott ◽  
Mary Pat Wenderoth ◽  
Jennifer H. Doherty
Keyword(s):  
Biology Education ◽  
Student Thinking ◽  
Learning Progressions ◽  
Introductory Biology ◽  
Educational Tools ◽  
Undergraduate Biology ◽  
Learner Centered ◽  
Core Concepts ◽  
Key Topics ◽  
Biology Instruction

Vision and Change challenged biology instructors to develop evidence-based instructional approaches that were grounded in the core concepts and competencies of biology. This call for reform provides an opportunity for new educational tools to be incorporated into biology education. In this essay, we advocate for learning progressions as one such educational tool. First, we address what learning progressions are and how they leverage research from the cognitive and learning sciences to inform instructional practices. Next, we use a published learning progression about carbon cycling to illustrate how learning progressions describe the maturation of student thinking about a key topic. Then, we discuss how learning progressions can inform undergraduate biology instruction, citing three particular learning progressions that could guide instruction about a number of key topics taught in introductory biology courses. Finally, we describe some challenges associated with learning progressions in undergraduate biology and some recommendations for how to address these challenges.

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