Using the Intended–Enacted–Experienced Curriculum Model to Map the Vision and Change Core Competencies in Undergraduate Biology Programs and Courses

This study applies the intended-enacted-experienced curriculum model to map the Vision and Change core competencies across undergraduate biology courses. A five-department pilot of a curriculum mapping survey is followed by a deep dive of 10 courses to provide a rich snapshot of current core competency teaching and assessment practices.

Discovering the Views of Indonesian Students’ Responses to Use the Booklet During the Covid-19 Pandemic Situation

The Covid-19 situations impacted the teaching and learning which reducing our activities by using the online platforms. The booklet is one of the solutions to use during a covid-19 situation which provides the opportunity to improve the learning process. This study aims to discover students’ responses to use the booklet as learning media which contains the results of an inventory of medicinal plants in the biology courses. The questionnaire sheet was used as the instrument which contains the affective, cognitive, and conative aspects of students, and the questionnaire has 11 statement items. The participants of this study consist of 34 students. The results showed the average percentage of responses in each aspect were 77.59; 81.32; 83.19 to respectively the affective, cognitive, and conative aspects. It can be concluded that the developed booklet media received a positive response from students. However, in this paper, students’ responses using the booklet practices are described, as well as the reflections of their learning activities

Meta-analysis of Gender Performance Gaps in Undergraduate Natural Science Courses

We investigated patterns of gender-based gaps in biology and chemistry through meta-analysis, reviewing data collected in 169 undergraduate biology courses. While we did not detect a significant gender gap in performance across all studies and unpublished data, we identified several factors that moderated performance differences.

Development of a Tool to Assess Inference-Making and Reasoning in Biology

Making inferences and reasoning with new scientific information is critical for successful performance in biology coursework. Thus, identifying students who are weak in these skills could allow the early provision of additional support and course placement recommendations to help students develop their reasoning abilities, leading to better performance and less attrition within biology courses.

Connecting Activity Implementation Characteristics to Student Buy-In Toward and Utilization of Formative Assessments Within Undergraduate Biology Courses

While formative assessments (FAs) can facilitate learning within undergraduate STEM courses, their impact likely depends on many factors, including how instructors implement them, whether students buy-in to them, and how students utilize them. FAs have many different implementation characteristics, including what kinds of questions are asked, whether questions are asked before or after covering the material in class, how feedback is provided, how students are graded, and other logistical considerations. We conducted 38 semi-structured interviews with students from eight undergraduate biology courses to explore how various implementation characteristics of in-class and out-of-class FAs can influence student perceptions and behaviors. We also interviewed course instructors to provide context for understanding student experiences. Using thematic analysis, we outlined various FA implementation characteristics, characterized the range of FA utilization behaviors reported by students, and identified emergent themes regarding the impact of certain implementation characteristics on student buy-in and utilization. Furthermore, we found that implementation characteristics have combined effects on student engagement and that students will tolerate a degree of “acceptable discomfort” with implementation features that contradict their learning preferences. These results can aid instructor reflection and guide future research on the complex connections between activity implementation and student engagement within STEM disciplines.

Implementation of a Flipped Active-Learning Approach in a Community College General Biology Course Improves Student Performance in Subsequent Biology Courses and Increases Graduation Rate

A large-scale study on the efficacy of active learning in a community college biology class showed that students in active-learning sections earned higher exam scores, performed better in subsequent biology courses, and graduated at a higher rate compared with students from traditional sections.