A New General-Education Biology Course: An Integrated Approach

这门生物学入门课程是为专业学生和非专业学生设计的，特别关注那些准备成为教师的学生。学生在课堂和实验室中都要参与合作和调查工作。根据俄勒冈州立大学的热门问题或当前研究，通过7到15个场景向学生介绍相关概念。在课堂上，学生们合作工作，观察，提出假设，回答问题，并解决源于场景的问题。一套广泛的多媒体材料和演示为学生呈现和定义场景。新开发的实验室帮助学生解决或解释讲座中呈现的场景。学生在学习资源中心和WWW上进行实验前的活动，从而充分利用实验室时间来设计和进行实验。计算机用于收集和分析数据，并在每个实验室生成小组报告。每年将有大约900名学生受到影响，其中包括150-200名低年级K-12教育专业学生和12名高年级科学教育专业学生担任小组辅导员。课程的影响将通过考试成绩、态度调查、对学生的直接观察以及对学生和教师的采访来检验。在每学期开始、期间和结束时收集数据，并收集有关学生参加后续课程的数据。

This introductory biology course is designed to serve both majors and non-majors, with particular attention to those students preparing to be teachers. Students are involved in collaborative and investigative work in both lecture and laboratory. Students are introduced to concepts in context through seven to fifteen scenarios based on popular issues or current research conducted at OSU. In lecture, students work collaboratively, making observations, formulating hypotheses, answering questions, and solving problems stemming from the scenarios. An extensive set of multimedia materials and demonstrations present and define the scenarios for the students. Newly developed laboratories help students solve or explain the scenarios presented in lecture. Students conduct pre-laboratory activities in a Learning Resources Center and on the WWW allowing the full use of laboratory time for designing and conducting experiments. Computers are used to collect and analyze data and produce team reports in each laboratory. Approximately 900 students will be affected each year, including 150-200 lower division K-12 education majors and a dozen upper-division science-education majors acting as group facilitators. The impact of the course is being examined via the use of test scores, attitude surveys, direct observation of students, and interviews with students and faculty. Data is collected at the beginning, during, and at the end of each semester and about students taking subsequent courses.