Challenges: Faculty range of familiarity and comfort with evidence-based student-centered pedagogy;

Biology curriculum constrained by general and organic chemistry, physics, and calculus pre-requisite courses.

Barriers: Lower division quantitative course not supported without analysis of entire biology major pre-requisite requirements;

Curricular alignment with Vision and Change will require coordination with other departments and post-graduate programs.

Resources: Science Literacy Program;

Interdisciplinary environment on campus to support interdepartmental curricular conversations;

College General Education Renaissance.

Allies: Department head;

Retreat planning and curriculum committees.

ACCOUNTABILITY

STRENGTHS

ACTIONS BARRIERS & CHALLENGES

SUSTAINABILITYRESOURCES & ALLIES

NW-PULSE @ NW BIO 2014

• Department head committed to having an annual biology retreat with faculty professional development on teaching.

• Visit each other’s institutions as the faculty professional development expert.

• Expand regional conversation to address pre-requisite barriers.

Team: Perspectives of a faculty development professional and a research active faculty member.

Institution: Resources committed to student-centered curricular design and development;

History of interdisciplinary research collaboration;

Momentum around bioinformatics education.

VISION – Our vision was to explore the adoption of a new early course focused on quantitative biology.

ELEANOR VANDEGRIFT & KAREN GUILLEMIN

STARTING THE CONVERSATION ABOUT VISION AND CHANGEUNIVERSITY OF OREGON

MAIN GOAL – We planned and facilitated a biology department retreat focused on curriculum, teaching and learning. We are participating in an ad hoc committee to explore the pre-requisites required for a biology major.

Products: Biology faculty retreat;

Ad hoc committee looking at pre-requisites and curriculum requirements.

Assessments: Initial faculty survey of biology course concepts and competencies.

• Biology faculty retreat planning and facilitation.

• Modified Vision and Change rubrics for interactive activity.

• Ad hoc curriculum committee to explore alignment of biology pre-requisite courses.

This work was supported in part by NSF EAGER #51588

Figure 1. Faculty perspectives of their own teaching on a instructor- to student-centered scale.

Figure 2. Vision and Change core concepts taught in different course levels identified at faculty retreat.

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