hen professor Paul Grobstein and other faculty members at Bryn Mawr College outside Philadelphia set out to redesign the college's introductory biology course seven years ago, they had an ambitious goal. "We had a pretty conventional introductory course that tried to teach students everything there was to know about everything in biology," Grobstein says. "What I wanted was a course that taught what everyone should know about biology." Grobstein and his colleagues undertook what would seem an impossible task: designing a one-semester introductory course that covered all of biology for both majors and non-majors, followed by a second one-semester course that covered all of biology again but in greater depth for students planning to continue in the subject. As described in the course syllabus, "Biology 101 is not a 'typical' science course, one in which the primary concern is to efficiently summarize a particular body of facts. . . . You will instead be invited to listen to, read about, work through in your mind, and contribute to an ongoing discussion of the relation between observations and ideas in biology." It immediately became apparent that no single textbook was going to meet the needs of such a class. Introductory biology students typically learn more new vocabulary than students beginning a foreign language, which is just what Grobstein wanted to avoid. So he and his colleagues decided to do without a textbook, relying instead on articles, books held in reserve at the library, and a variety of handouts as reading materials. They also decided that students would be expected to help teach themselves rather than being force-fed facts by a teacher. The instructors therefore adopted a relatively nondirected lecture style in which they pose questions to the students and help them work toward answers. The response among faculty members who taught the course with Grobstein was enthusiastic. "It's so much more fun to teach a group of students who are thinking, not just sitting there waiting for the class to be over," says professor Karen Greif, who coteaches one of the two sections. Unexpectedly, a major source of hesitation was the students themselves. "Students have a whole set of expectations of what is supposed to happen in a class like this," Grobstein says. "A nondirected, interactive teaching style is not what they are expecting. What they're expecting is to sit there and write down what you tell them." Faculty members listened to the students and modified the course accordingly. Having all seven professors in the department teach part of the class was too disruptive for faculty members and students, so the number of instructors for each section was reduced to two. All-essay tests were dropped because they were too intimidating for students and too time consuming to grade. Grobstein and his colleagues even reincorporated a textbook into the class, though they tell students explicitly that it is there as a supplement and is not intended to define the course's level or content. Enrollments are up in the course, and students at nearby colleges have been cross-registering at Bryn Mawr to take introductory biology there. Yet course evaluations have not been uniformly positive — a fairly common fate for innovative classes. "Lots of students don't like not knowing what the answer is," says senior Candice Morgan. "But that's what science is about. That course is what made me decide to major in biology rather than psychology."

Paul Grobstein and his colleagues at Bryn Mawr redesigned the introductory biology courses to serve the needs of both majors and non-majors. Assessing the effects of innovative teaching styles is difficult but important. Changes In The Classroom Active Learning Practical Strategies Introductory Courses Curriculum Redesign MCATs and GREs Electronic Learning Writing, Groups, Ethics Biology for Non-Majors Infrastructure for Change A World Of Opportunity Laboratory Experience Faculty in the Crossfire Women and Minorities The Many Paths to Success