Collaborative Research: The Molecules of Life -- A Partnership to Enhance Undergraduate Science Education for Non-Majors

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Collaborators from New York University (NYU) and the University of South Florida (USF), and faculty teams from seven diverse partner institutions, are adapting and further developing innovative educational materials for a non-majors science course called "The Molecules of Life." This new curriculum explores the interface between chemistry and biology by examining foundational topics and cutting-edge developments in biomolecular science, an approach that allows non-science majors to experience scientific advances and to evaluate their impact on society. The curriculum integrates interactive pedagogies, web-based molecular modeling exercises and inquiry-based laboratory experiments.Intellectual Merit: Teams of faculty members from seven diverse partner institutions (selected for their geographical variation, diverse student populations, and institutional commitment to reforming undergraduate science education for non-majors) are participating in a summer workshop at NYU to learn about the current "Molecules" course prior to teaching it at their home institutions. Later workshops allow faculty to revise and improve the materials based on their classroom experience. Each faculty team contributes to an "Instructor's Resource Guide" and develops a capstone case study. Since the "Molecules" course is taught at least twice at each school, at least 1500 students during the funding period are impacted.Broader Impacts: This project reaches a large number of minority students (African-American, Hispanic, and Pacific Islander) at the partner institutions, and serves as a model for collaborative curriculum design, productive faculty development, and effective dissemination of innovations. The USF-led evaluation of the project examines both dissemination and student learning. The course materials are planned to be widely accessible to the educational community through an already-established textbook contract with McGraw-Hill Higher Education, with a publication date of January 2008. The project concludes with a national Dissemination Conference in Atlanta, GA, that can accommodate 100 educators who are interested in implementing the "Molecules" course materials and pedagogical approaches. This event significantly broadens the scope of the project beyond the seven partner schools. This Abstract addresses a collaborative project involving New York University (#0443014, PI: Kallenbach; coPI: Jordan) and the University of South Florida (#0443026, PI: Lewis). Other institutions substantively involved in the project as the seven diverse partner institutions are Chaminade University, Chicago State University, Fairfield University, Nassau County Community College, Spelman College, the University of Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras and Xavier University.