Scott Freeman describes his ideal introductory course for biology majors

Preface

Introducing the Life Sciences by Scott Freeman et al

In my dream introductory biology course for majors, 

  • Students come to class prepared;

  • Students learn how to study, based on the best cognitive science available; 

  • Students know what’s important to focus on, so I don’t get questions like, “Do we have to know …?” and “Will this be on the test?”

  • Students get a rigorous grounding in the key concepts and skills they need to succeed in upper-division courses;

  • Students learn how to think like a biologist, practicing the analytical skills they need to become successful professionals;

  • Students mature as professionals, learning key skills ranging from how to write a professional email to how to look for an undergraduate research experience;

  • Students trust that I am on their side, and that even though this may be the hardest course they’ve ever taken, everyone can succeed.

  • I work less but feel better about the quality of my teaching, because it is based on the best evidence available for helping all students succeed. 

Traditional textbooks don’t help me teach this dream course. Instead, they are a 1200-page, 2100-boldfaced-terms nightmare.  

I joined the team that is producing Introducing the Life Sciences (ILS) because Codon Learning invested years in building a platform that makes my dream course possible. 

I don’t have to change my course schedule or content coverage, but with ILS…

  • I can toss out the expensive/ineffective textbook and assign Readiness Readings for each class session that introduce key vocabulary and concepts, reinforced with assessment items. I can look at those scores before class to know if my students are struggling with the basics or are ready to move on and explore how to apply those basics to real-world problems.

  • I can assign assessments in a Study Path for each topic that will help students evaluate their level of understanding, avoid cramming, and prepare for the exam both efficiently and effectively. 

  • I can emphasize that every Readiness Reading, Study Path item, and problem that we work on in class is linked to a specific Learning Objective (LO). These LOs, in turn, are the product of an NSF-sponsored study that involved over 100 expert curriculum developers and over 800 evaluators from a wide array of institution types. Each LO is tagged to one or more Vision and Change concepts and competencies as well as BioCore Guide and BioSkills Guide statements. 

  • The LOs focus on concepts and skills the teaching community considers essential. They emphasize the ideas and habits of mind that upper-division instructors rely on, and strip away the thousands of unnecessary vocabulary terms and factoids that bloat traditional texts. 

  • Most LOs in ILS pair a statement emphasizing lower-order cognitive skills with a task requiring higher-order cognitive skills. Many of the items I assign in the Readiness Readings and Study Path emphasize analytical skills.

  • Each Readiness Reading ends with a Reflection—an open response prompt that challenges students to address a key professional skill. I can scan these responses before class and share quotes that help my students understand what it takes to become the professionals they aspire to be. 

  • The combination of Readiness Readings, the LO-linked active learning exercises I do in class, and exam-prep in the Study Path create a high structure course, which research shows is far and away the most effective tool we have to reduce or eliminate historic grade gaps for students from marginalized groups. Instead of yakking about DEI, I can actually do it. 

  • Codon support staff are not sales reps—they are teachers. I can set up my course with as much of their help as I need, start the course with Codon’s module that will teach my students how to use the platform effectively, and focus my time and energy on building the type of relationships that convince my students they belong in science. For example, on Day 1 I’m going to let my students know that I switched from requiring a $200+ textbook to requiring Codon’s much-more-affordable ILS because I care about them—not just their financial situation, but their success. 

Follow the evidence … it will lead you to Introducing the Life Sciences.

Vance Allen