Advancing the Introductory Biology Experience

本项目由美国国家科学基金会改善本科STEM教育计划：教育与人力资源（IUSE: EHR）资助，旨在为国家利益服务，支持改善生物学导论课程的教与学。该项目旨在支持一个为期3天的会议，将关键决策者、利益相关者和本科生物学入门讲师聚集在一起。它旨在培养合作关系，并采取必要的行动，为所有本科生推进生物学入门经验。最近的一项调查结果发现，即使在国家生物教师协会（NABT）成员中，也严重缺乏促进三维学习的政策和实践。此外，比起现在的本科生，选修生物学入门课程（如大学先修课程）的大学预科生更有可能接触到当代的教学方法，这表明大学准备和大学现实之间存在脱节。提议的会议旨在通过关注本科生物学入门经验的共同愿景来确定缓解这些问题和推进生物学入门课程的方法。本次会议将有目的地包括来自所有环境、机构、相关组织和其他利益相关者的讲师，以创建将服务于多种目的的合作。会议旨在建立研究-实践伙伴关系，通过培养新的伙伴关系，利用资源，在从业者，研究人员和其他利益相关者之间创造共享的经验，加强所有学生的入门生物学经验。该项目将纳入已被证明能够促进学习、自信和对科学的兴趣的具体战略，特别是在那些在科学领域代表性不足的学生中。这些包括高影响力实践（美国学院和大学协会）以及内容和技能的整合以及处理误解的干预措施。项目领导团队代表了来自内布拉斯加大学林肯分校、俄克拉荷马大学、NABT和西北康涅狄格社区学院的合作。此外，该项目还包括其他几个生物教育领域利益相关者的代表，如本科生命科学教育伙伴关系（PULSE）和新公民参与和责任的科学教育（SENCER）。NABT生物学入门任务小组，一个起源于生物学入门项目RCN-UBE的小组，作为会议的组织委员会。它包括来自其他高等教育机构、学区和教育考试服务中心的利益相关者。会议将根据会前调查数据将与会者分成工作组。这些小组将被指导制定行动计划，其总体目标是提高标准的成功实施，提高生物学入门课程的科学实践技能。该项目旨在吸引60名与会者参加在霍华德休斯医学研究所会议中心举办的为期三天的会议。预计这项工作将导致未来生物学入门课程的更统一的愿景，一个在任何课堂上实施和设计课程的战略计划，以及教师，研究人员和其他利益相关者之间网络和合作的形成。最终，本项目旨在实现一个阐明未来生物教育共同愿景的项目，勾勒出一个以研究为基础的生物导论体验模式，重点关注如何最好地为生物学学生做好迎接未来的准备，并建立一个永久的交流网络，连接并增加积极参与生物导论课程改革的个人、项目和组织的数量。NSF IUSE: EHR计划支持研究和开发项目，以提高所有学生STEM教育的有效性。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

With support from the NSF Improving Undergraduate STEM Education Program: Education and Human Resources (IUSE: EHR), this project aims to serve the national interest of supporting improved teaching and learning in Introductory Biology courses. This project intends to support a 3-day conference to bring together key decision-makers, stakeholders, and undergraduate introductory biology instructors. It aims to foster collaborative relationships and take actions necessary to advance the introductory biology experience for all undergraduate students. Results from a recent survey found that even among National Association of Biology Teachers (NABT) membership, adoption of policies and practices that promote three-dimensional learning are severely lacking. In addition, precollege students taking introductory biology (e.g. Advanced Placement) courses are more likely to be exposed to contemporary pedagogies than current undergraduates, suggesting a disconnect between college-readiness and college reality. The proposed conference seeks to identify ways to mitigate these issues and advance the introductory biology curriculum by focusing on a shared vision of the undergraduate introductory biology experience. This conference will purposefully include instructors from all settings, institutions, relevant organizations, and other stakeholders to create collaborations that will serve multiple purposes. The conference is intended to generate Research-Practice Partnerships to strengthen the introductory biology experience for all students by fostering new partnerships, leveraging resources, and creating shared experiences among practitioners, researchers, and other stakeholders. The project will incorporate specific strategies that have been demonstrated to promote learning, self-confidence, and interest in the sciences, especially among those students who are underrepresented in the sciences. These include High-Impact Practices (Association of American Colleges and Universities) as well as the integration of content and skills and interventions to deal with misconceptions. The project leadership team represents collaboration from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the University of Oklahoma, the NABT, and Northwestern Connecticut Community College. In addition, the project includes representatives of several additional stakeholder efforts in biology education, such as the Partnership for Undergraduate Life Science Education (PULSE) and the Science Education for New Civic Engagements and Responsibilities (SENCER). The NABT Introductory Biology Task Force, a group with roots in the Introductory Biology Project RCN-UBE, serves as the conference organizing committee. It includes stakeholders from additional institutions of higher education, a school district, and the Educational Testing Service. The conference will place participants into working groups based on pre-conference survey data. The groups will be given guidance for creating action plans with the overall goal of increasing successful implementation of standards that improve science practice skills in introductory biology. The project aims to engage 60 participants in the three-day conference hosted at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute Conference Center. It is expected that this work will result in a more unified vision for the Introductory Biology curriculum of the future, a strategic plan for implementing and designing this curriculum in any classroom and the formation of networks and collaborations among instructors, researchers, and other stakeholders. Ultimately, this project intends to implement a project that articulates a shared vision of biology education for the future, to outline a research-based model of Introductory Biology experiences focusing on how best to prepare biology students to meet that future, and to build a permanent communication network that connects and increases the number of individuals, projects, and organizations actively engaged in the reform of the Introductory Biology course. The NSF IUSE: EHR Program supports research and development projects to improve the effectiveness of STEM education for all students.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.