scholarly journals Preparing for Class: Actions and Resources of Introductory Biology Students

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tina M. Ballard ◽  
Sabah Sattar ◽  
Kendra D. Wright ◽  
Jaime L. Sabel ◽  
Heather E. Bergan-Roller
Keyword(s):  
Introductory Biology ◽  
Undergraduate Biology ◽  
Biology Students ◽  
Class Actions

Instructors want students to be prepared for class. There are several different resources and activities available to help students prepare for class, but very little is known about how students choose to prepare for class in the context of undergraduate biology.

scholarly journals Differences in Metacognitive Regulation in Introductory Biology Students: When Prompts Are Not Enough

2015 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. ar15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julie Dangremond Stanton ◽  
Xyanthe N. Neider ◽  
Isaura J. Gallegos ◽  
Nicole C. Clark
Keyword(s):  
Student Performance ◽  
Learning Strategies ◽  
Metacognitive Knowledge ◽  
Introductory Biology ◽  
Undergraduate Biology ◽  
Biology Students ◽  
Self Evaluation ◽  
Metacognitive Development ◽  
Metacognitive Regulation ◽  
Introductory Biology Course

Strong metacognition skills are associated with learning outcomes and student performance. Metacognition includes metacognitive knowledge—our awareness of our thinking—and metacognitive regulation—how we control our thinking to facilitate learning. In this study, we targeted metacognitive regulation by guiding students through self-evaluation assignments following the first and second exams in a large introductory biology course (n = 245). We coded these assignments for evidence of three key metacognitive-regulation skills: monitoring, evaluating, and planning. We found that nearly all students were willing to take a different approach to studying but showed varying abilities to monitor, evaluate, and plan their learning strategies. Although many students were able to outline a study plan for the second exam that could effectively address issues they identified in preparing for the first exam, only half reported that they followed their plans. Our data suggest that prompting students to use metacognitive-regulation skills is effective for some students, but others need help with metacognitive knowledge to execute the learning strategies they select. Using these results, we propose a continuum of metacognitive regulation in introductory biology students. By refining this model through further study, we aim to more effectively target metacognitive development in undergraduate biology students.

scholarly journals An invitation to modeling: building a community with shared explicit practices

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kam D Dahlquist ◽  
Melissa L Aikens ◽  
Joseph T Dauer ◽  
Samuel S Donovan ◽  
Carrie Diaz Eaton ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Scientific Inquiry ◽  
Biological Models ◽  
Introductory Biology ◽  
Small Shift ◽  
Undergraduate Biology ◽  
Biology Students ◽  
Hardy Weinberg Equilibrium ◽  
Biological Concepts ◽  
Use Of Models ◽  
Models And Modeling

Models and the process of modeling are fundamental to the discipline of biology, and therefore should be incorporated into undergraduate biology courses. In this essay, we draw upon the literature and our own teaching experiences to provide practical suggestions for how to introduce models and modeling to introductory biology students. We begin by demonstrating the ubiquity of models in biology, including representations of the process of science itself. We advocate for a model of the process of science that highlights parallel tracks of mathematical and experimental modeling investigations. With this recognition, we suggest ways in which instructors can call students’ attention to biological models more explicitly by using modeling language, facilitating metacognition about the use of models, and employing model-based reasoning. We then provide guidance on how to begin to engage students in the process of modeling, encouraging instructors to scaffold a progression to mathematical modeling. We use the Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium model to provide specific pedagogical examples that illustrate our suggestions. We propose that by making even a small shift in the way models and modeling are discussed in the classroom, students will gain understanding of key biological concepts, practice realistic scientific inquiry, and build quantitative and communication skills.

scholarly journals Six Classroom Exercises to Teach Natural Selection to Undergraduate Biology Students

2013 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 483-493 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven T. Kalinowski ◽  
Mary J. Leonard ◽  
Tessa M. Andrews ◽  
Andrea R. Litt
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Selection ◽  
Natural Selection ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Complex Traits ◽  
Student Understanding ◽  
Learning Activities ◽  
Introductory Biology ◽  
Undergraduate Biology ◽  
Biology Students ◽  
Biology Courses

Students in introductory biology courses frequently have misconceptions regarding natural selection. In this paper, we describe six activities that biology instructors can use to teach undergraduate students in introductory biology courses how natural selection causes evolution. These activities begin with a lesson introducing students to natural selection and also include discussions on sexual selection, molecular evolution, evolution of complex traits, and the evolution of behavior. The set of six topics gives students the opportunity to see how natural selection operates in a variety of contexts. Pre- and postinstruction testing showed students’ understanding of natural selection increased substantially after completing this series of learning activities. Testing throughout this unit showed steadily increasing student understanding, and surveys indicated students enjoyed the activities.

scholarly journals An invitation to modeling: building a community with shared explicit practices

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kam D Dahlquist ◽  
Melissa L Aikens ◽  
Joseph T Dauer ◽  
Samuel S Donovan ◽  
Carrie Diaz Eaton ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Scientific Inquiry ◽  
Biological Models ◽  
Introductory Biology ◽  
Small Shift ◽  
Undergraduate Biology ◽  
Biology Students ◽  
Hardy Weinberg Equilibrium ◽  
Biological Concepts ◽  
Use Of Models ◽  
Models And Modeling

Models and the process of modeling are fundamental to the discipline of biology, and therefore should be incorporated into undergraduate biology courses. In this essay, we draw upon the literature and our own teaching experiences to provide practical suggestions for how to introduce models and modeling to introductory biology students. We begin by demonstrating the ubiquity of models in biology, including representations of the process of science itself. We advocate for a model of the process of science that highlights parallel tracks of mathematical and experimental modeling investigations. With this recognition, we suggest ways in which instructors can call students’ attention to biological models more explicitly by using modeling language, facilitating metacognition about the use of models, and employing model-based reasoning. We then provide guidance on how to begin to engage students in the process of modeling, encouraging instructors to scaffold a progression to mathematical modeling. We use the Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium model to provide specific pedagogical examples that illustrate our suggestions. We propose that by making even a small shift in the way models and modeling are discussed in the classroom, students will gain understanding of key biological concepts, practice realistic scientific inquiry, and build quantitative and communication skills.

scholarly journals Student Association of Lecture Content with the Five Core Concepts of Biology: Novel Results from an Introductory Biology Course

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kyriaki Chatzikyriakidou ◽  
Marie-Janelle Tacloban ◽  
Kassandra Concepcion ◽  
John Geiger ◽  
Melissa McCartney
Keyword(s):  
Introductory Biology ◽  
Undergraduate Biology ◽  
Biology Students ◽  
Biological Phenomena ◽  
Core Concepts ◽  
Introductory Biology Course ◽  
Student Association

Challenges in integration of concepts persist among undergraduate biology students. The 5 core concepts (5CCs) of biology presented in Vision and Change provide a comprehensive, concept-based description of the knowledge of biology, summarized in five main biological scales and five overarching principles that dictate natural biological phenomena and processes.

scholarly journals A Problem-Sorting Task Detects Changes in Undergraduate Biological Expertise over a Single Semester

2017 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. ar21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne-Marie Hoskinson ◽  
Jessica Middlemis Maher ◽  
Cody Bekkering ◽  
Diane Ebert-May
Keyword(s):  
Sorting Task ◽  
Biological Knowledge ◽  
Card Sorting ◽  
Introductory Biology ◽  
Undergraduate Biology ◽  
Biology Students ◽  
Card Sorting Task ◽  
Disciplinary Expertise ◽  
Novices And Experts ◽  
Introductory Biology Course

Calls for undergraduate biology reform share similar goals: to produce people who can organize, use, connect, and communicate about biological knowledge. Achieving these goals requires students to gain disciplinary expertise. Experts organize, access, and apply disciplinary knowledge differently than novices, and expertise is measurable. By asking introductory biology students to sort biological problems, we investigated whether they changed how they organized and linked biological ideas over one semester of introductory biology. We administered the Biology Card Sorting Task to 751 students enrolled in their first or second introductory biology course focusing on either cellular–molecular or organismal–population topics, under structured or unstructured sorting conditions. Students used a combination of superficial, deep, and yet-uncharacterized ways of organizing and connecting biological knowledge. In some cases, this translated to more expert-like ways of organizing knowledge over a single semester, best predicted by whether students were enrolled in their first or second semester of biology and by the sorting condition completed. In addition to illuminating differences between novices and experts, our results show that card sorting is a robust way of detecting changes in novices’ biological expertise—even in heterogeneous populations of novice biology students over the time span of a single semester.

Being Aware of Your Thinking: Examining Mindfulness and Metacognition in Undergraduate Biology Students

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mikah J. Pritchard ◽  
Trisha A. Turner ◽  
Ellen L. Usher ◽  
Faith L. Jones
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Biology ◽  
Biology Students

scholarly journals Fostering 21st-Century Evolutionary Reasoning: Teaching Tree Thinking to Introductory Biology Students

2016 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. ar66 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura R. Novick ◽  
Kefyn M. Catley
Keyword(s):  
21St Century ◽  
Assessment Instrument ◽  
Medium Size ◽  
Introductory Biology ◽  
Biology Students ◽  
Tree Thinking ◽  
Experimental Instruction ◽  
Vital Component ◽  
New Research ◽  
Business As Usual

The ability to interpret and reason from Tree of Life (ToL) diagrams has become a vital component of science literacy in the 21st century. This article reports on the effectiveness of a research-based curriculum, including an instructional booklet, laboratory, and lectures, to teach the fundamentals of such tree thinking in an introductory biology class for science majors. We present the results of a study involving 117 undergraduates who received either our new research-based tree-thinking curriculum or business-as-usual instruction. We found greater gains in tree-thinking abilities for the experimental instruction group than for the business-as-usual group, as measured by performance on our novel assessment instrument. This was a medium size effect. These gains were observed on an unannounced test that was administered ∼5–6 weeks after the primary instruction in tree thinking. The nature of students’ postinstruction difficulties with tree thinking suggests that the critical underlying concept for acquiring expert-level competence in this area is understanding that any specific phylogenetic tree is a subset of the complete, unimaginably large ToL.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document