Biology 20A: It’s alive!..Bringing the lecture to life with student-centered active learning strategies
Description
Susanna and Gabe are postdoctoral teaching scholars working under the HHMI initiative to bring active learning into ‘gateway’ STEM courses in chemistry, biology and physics at UCSC
Abstract:
At UC Santa Cruz, Bio 20A is the first biology course potential majors encounter in their path toward life science. This course includes an introduction to biochemistry, cell biology, molecular biology, and genetics, and it requires Chem 1A as a prerequisite. There are currently two offerings of Bio 20A: the traditional lecture class (400 student capacity) or an active learning (AL) version (75 student capacity). In this webinar, Susanna and Gabe will discuss the general process of transforming a lecture course into an active learning experience as well as their collaborative roles in developing the AL curriculum and co-teaching the first iteration of Bio 20A-AL with Professor Manny Ares (Spring, 2017). Susanna will also discuss improvements and changes that she has made as instructor of record for the second iteration of this course (Winter, 2018). Both presenters have been involved in a professional development teaching program (ISEE PDP) at UCSC and will discuss how they have used many of the central themes from the PDP training in the design of activities for Bio 20A.
