Reforming Introductory Biology at MSU - Does it Make a Difference?

生物科学(61)这个项目正在改革一门基础生物学课程。评估计划通过以下指标为改革的影响提供证据：1)过程技能和对生物学原理的概念性理解，2)为生物科学高级课程工作做准备和表现，3)对科学的态度和观点，以及4)生命科学专业学生在生物入门后的自然减员。将完成改革课程的学生的结果与参加传统课程的学生进行比较。该项目正在采用威斯康星大学麦迪逊分校使用的专业发展模式，以吸引教职员工、博士后研究员和研究生团队在教学和学习中从事学术工作。该项目提供了一个场所，进行关于学生学习的研究，并为现有和未来的教师发展教学和学习专业知识。该项目提出了一个描述改革变量之间相互关系的路径模型。该模型为检验关于个体变量对学生学习的影响以及课程改革的总体影响的具体假设提供了一个背景。

Biological Sciences (61)This project is reforming a foundational biology course. The assessment plan is providing evidence for impacts of the reform through measures of students': 1) process skills and conceptual understanding of biological principles, 2) preparation for and performance in upper-level course work in biological science, 3) attitudes and views about science, and 4) attrition from the life science majors following introductory biology. Outcomes for students completing the reformed course are compared with those who took the traditional course. This project is adapting a professional development model used at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, for engaging teams of faculty, postdoctoral fellows, and graduate students in scholarly work in teaching and learning. The project is providing a venue for conducting research about student learning and developing teaching and learning expertise for current and future faculty. The project proposes a path model that describes interrelationships among reform variables. The model provides a context for testing specific hypotheses about the impacts of individual variables on student learning as well as the aggregate effects of curricular reform.