October 23, 1998
A PROPOSAL TO THE CSULB CAMPUS ASSESSMENT COMMITTEE
Principal Collaborators:
Kristen Bender
Carol Itatani
David Whitney
Consultants and Future Collaborators:
Genevieve Ramirez
Bill Gilbert
1. INCORPORATION OF NEW METHODS TO TEACH BIOLOGY 200 CONTENT AND ITS RELEVANCE.
2. DEVELOPMENT OF ASSESSMENT TECHNIQUES TO MEASURE IMPROVED STUDENT LEARNING AND ATTITUDINAL CHANGES TOWARDS THIS SUBJECT.
COURSE DESCRIPTION and RATIONALE:
Biology 200 is a one semester survey course of general biology for the non-science major. This course fulfills GE category B.1 and is the only general biological science with a lab that non-science majors can take. The course consists of three hours of lecture and one 3-hr laboratory per week. Several instructors teach individual lecture sections, while all laboratories are the same and are coordinated by Kristen Bender, who also wrote the lab manual.
This course is taken by students pursuing degrees in almost every major on campus: literature, theater, languages, history, business, etc. Also majors in other sciences such as geology, physics, mathematics, psychology, anthropology and engineering take this course. The course is required for students in the health professions such as Physical Therapy and Nursing. Approximately half of the students enrolled in BIOL 200 have never taken a high school biology course and have taken no science courses at all since the 9th grade.
It is widely recognized that many college students share an acquired fear of science courses, often the result of poor content knowledge on the part of their K-12 instructors. American students measure up poorly against their counterparts in other countries in their knowledge of science and math. Their apprehensions, combined with what they perceive to be a massive amount of course material, clearly influence how they approach the General Education requirements in the sciences.
For the non-science major, this course may be the only exposure students have to an organized framework of biological concepts in their academic careers. And likewise this may be the only opportunity for the biology faculty to build life long interest and an appreciation for how these biological concepts impact students' lives. Therefore, in order to foster greater interest and improve student comprehension, and because of the importance of this course to a wide variety of majors, including Teacher Preparation, we have taken up the task of incorporating science education standards, new instructional techniques and assessment techniques into BIOL 200.
CURRENT ASSESSMENT PRACTICES
Current assessment practices consist of 2 or 3 midterm exams and a final which are strictly scantron type exams. In the laboratory, students take weekly quizzes which require short written answers. No stated learning goals which are directly assessable exist for this course. In the Standard Course Outline, expected outcomes and course content are listed, but objectives are not stated. (Please see attachment: Standard Course Outline for BIOL 200).
The content included in a one-semester general biology course is very daunting, yet it is important as informed citizens that students understand biological concepts and can relate these concepts to themselves and the world around them. The course as presently taught is a traditional lecture format. All lecturers are supposed to follow the standard course outline and include all of the topics as stated; however, actual lecture schedules may vary greatly among the faculty as to the amount of time allocated to each subject. Development of learning outcomes and common assessment tools will help solve this problem of variability without requiring lock-step teaching methods.
Currently there is a reform movement concerning the teaching of science at all grade levels. Twenty percent of the students enrolled in BIOL 200 are Liberal Studies majors and future teachers of our children. It is essential that these students acquire a basic understanding and enthusiasm for biology so that they feel confident in their own teaching of this subject and can inspire their students. Science teaching standards concerning content and student learning have been proposed by several national and state organizations: "National Science Education Standards" compiled by the National Research Council, "Benchmarks for Science Literacy" by the AAS and "Science Standards of California." The activities we are proposing are amongst those encouraged by these standards; and as we design our learning objectives, those standards relating to content will be incorporated.
DESCRIPTION OF PROPOSED ASSESSMENT ACTIVITIES
1. Develop student learning objectives which can be measured. Both content and attitudinal changes need to be addressed.
a.) Initial assessment of attitudinal changes have already begun courtesy of the "Women and Scientific Literacy" survey administered at the beginning and end of last year in the BIOL 200 course. Dr. David Whitney has baseline statistical data about student attitudes toward science and scientists at the beginning and end of this course.
Two other surveys which measure attitudinal changes (Views About Science from Arizona State University and the West Ed survey ) and another questionaire which measures ability of students to apply what they learn are available from other sources. These surveys will be used to form the basis for our own survey applicable to BIOL 200 students. This survey will be administered at the beginning and end of the course in all lecture sections to observe whether changes in course organization and inclusion of new teaching techniques have made a difference.
b.) To make our tasks more approachable and feasible, we propose incorporating changes into only one of the lecture sections. In this first phase, the lecture material will be divided into modules with specific measurable learning objectives. Case studies and concept maps will be developed for each of these modules as well as appropriate assessment tools designed to measure the objectives for each module. While developing these objectives we will be incorporating "the science standards" as proposed by the various organizations.
In addition to regular midterm exams and the final exam other assessment tools which we envision as useful for assessing student learning and success of newly incorporated teaching techniques are:
1.) Pre and Post testing for general biology knowledge. A high school basic biology exam written by the National Association of Biology Teachers could be used or we will formulate our own exam.
This test does not need to be very long or exhaustively detailed, but should test if students know the essentials of biology expected of high school graduates either before starting this class or certainly after completion. The same exam can be administered to all sections of Bio 200 for comparison purposes, similar to the attitudinal survey. Eventually participation by the other Biological Science Dept. faculty and possibly faculty from the local junior colleges will be invited to participate in review of our basic knowledge exam.
2.) Case studies and questions for each module.
Case studies will be developed which will complement the content of the module, pique student interest and illustrate relevance of course material to their lives. Questions which determine familiarity with content and guide students to think about applications of biological facts and concepts to solving the problems posed by the case study will be designed.
Students will be given the case studies at the beginning of a module and at the end. After completion of a module, students will answer the same questions so that they can recognize both the increase in their knowledge and their developing ability to apply that knowledge to real life situations or issues. As incentive for students to work through the case studies, some of the questions may be included on midterm exams. Performance on case studies will also allow the faculty teaching this module to assess whether students are learning what the instructors objectives were in presenting the information.
As an example, the case study concerning the cell, molecular/genetics module might ask students to discuss whether they would be tested for breast cancer or prostate cancer. What does the person need to know in order to consent to these tests and how do you interpret results? Questions accompanying the case studies will lead the students through the pertinent factual information needed to make informed decisions.
TIMELINE FOR PROPOSED ACTIVITIES:
Biology 200 is offered every semester and in order to accommodate student enrollment, there are usually three lecture sections and 16-17 labs. During the rest of Fall 98 we will be collecting material for case studies and sample tests so that by Spring semester we are ready to write learning objectives and our assessment tools. Our first priority will be to define the modules and decide what topics to include in each module. Learning objectives will then be established for at least one module. Science standards will be incorporated where apprpropriate. Concept maps and case studies will be developed at least for one of the modules. Concurrently we will develop the pre and post test for general biology content and the attitudinal survey. Assessment tools and incorporation of new teaching methods will thus be ready for trial in one section of BIOL 200 for Fall 1999.
EXPECTED RESULTS:
It is expected that dividing the course into modules should give students a better understanding of the organization of biology, the relationship among biological concepts, and the facts supporting these concepts.. Incorporation of concept maps for each module is another useful means of demonstrating the interconnections and interdependence of concepts and facts. Case studies can guide students as to the applicability and relevance of what they are learning to their every day lives. Specific learning objectives will also help students to see how biology is organized, what concepts they need to master, resulting in better scores on midterms and final exams. Learning objectives will also help to establish better consistency between lecture sections by serving to remind faculty of their goals in the course.
With incorporation of new pedagogical teaching techniques and methods for assessment, we expect to observe measurable improvement in our general biology knowledge exam when pre and post scores are compared. If these techniques are introduced initially into only one of the lecture sections, but the test is given to all sections, a comparison of student performance among the various sections can be made. Likewise we would expect to see greater improvements in pre and post scores for the attitudinal survey and case study questions in the modified section. Positive results with only the few changes we are proposing would serve as a powerful incentive and encouragement for further incorporation of new pedagogy not only for ourselves, but the other faculty teaching BIOL 200 and a lot of our other lower division courses.
After this first phase of curricular revision and initial student assessment, we envsion further development in the following areas related to BIOL 200:
1. An examination of course content and pedagogical techniques used in similar courses offered by local junior colleges.
A one day mini-conference could be organized, perhaps over the January break to share course syllabi and teaching techniques. Faculty from CSULB, Long Beach City College, Cerritos etc. would be invited.
2. Include study skills and curricular support presented by the LAC. ( Gen Ramirez)
3. Include a linked writing class (Bill Gilbert is interested)
4. Redesign of lab reports to include questions which require students to use their observations, formulate conclusions and thus gain more experience with scientific methodologies. Tear-out sheets for each lab could be turned in for simple check-off credit.
5. Develop a K-12 Teachers Supplement (simplified, fun, easy-to-do experiments which teachers can do in their classes). Handouts in the lab may encourage other students to consider teaching as a career.
6. Seek stipends for Teaching Assistants or Readers. Case studies could also be assigned to groups in the lab. Students would research these topics and present oral and written summaries. Stipends for TA's or Readers to read these summaries, lab reports and essays on exams would be necessary so that expanded writing assignments can be given.
The Teaching Assistants or Readers are future science faculty. Their experience in these activities is a valuable part of their preparation to teach biology effectively and meaningfully to future students of their own.
BACKGROUNDS OF COLLABORATING FACULTY:
Ms. Kristen Bender teaches the largest lecture section of Biology 200 and is the coordinator for lecture and lab sections. She also teaches Biology at Golden West College and therefore can be a valuable communicator and liason between CSULB and a local junior college. Kristen has been the primary person among the faculty teaching this course to introduce new pedagogy and is enthusiastic about changing student perception of biology, helping them see content as meaningful, incorporating new pedagogical techniques and developing assessment tools.
Dr. Carol Itatani has many years of experience teaching Microbiology 101, Survey of Human Diseases, a GE course taken by many non-science majors, and also the laboratory of Micro 200, Microbiology for Allied Health majors. She also developed an upper division, interdisciplinary course, Micro 300I, Human Immunology: In Self-Defense. This course is specifically addressed to non-science majors who need to know more than how to prevent AIDS, but also how the immune system "works" and what HIV actually does to the body's defense mechanism. Pedagogical techniques introduced and incorporated into these classes to improve student learning can be applied to BIOL 200. Carol is also a core team member of the Women and Scientific Literacy Grant. Goals for this grant include becoming more sensitive and knowledgeable about issues related to gender, ethnicity and science.
Dr. Dave Whitney is a faculty member of the Psychology Department, who has considerable experience and expertise with the design of surveys and the statistical analyses of these surveys. He is also part of the core faculty of the Women and Scientific Literacy Grant and has already designed an assessment survey for targeted courses included in this teaching project, has collected initial data and is in the process of analyzing this data. Dave has kindly agreed to share his expertise in the design and analysis of assessment tools for BIOL 200.
Dr. Genevieve Ramirez has been a supporter of this project from its inception and has helped guide development of this proposal. As Director of the Learning Assistance Center, Gen can offer invaluable advice about pedagogy based on student learning needs and can provide academic support services to students in the course..
Dr. Bill Gilbert is a faculty member of the English Department. He teaches English and Technical Writing, has experience teaching a paired course through the Learning Alliance and has already expressed interest in offering an English 100 linked with Bio 200 or perhaps a special writing component worth one or two units that would include biological topics. Particularly those students for whom English is a second language would benefit from such a course.
BUDGET:
We are requesting overload salary support for each of the principal collaborators who will be involved in the design and implementation of new pedagogy and assessment tools. Dr. Ramirez has agreed to be a consultant and will review our learning objectives and assessment tools. We are also requesting a small amount of money for xeroxing and purchase of materials for assessment.
Faculty support 3 x $1200 = $3600
Consultant support 500
Materials 500
Total requested $4600 |
