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These principles are driving much of the change going on in biology education today--but change is rarely easy. Faculty members and students alike can resist unfamiliar approaches to teaching and learning. Institutional inertia can stymie educational reforms. Biology is advancing so quickly that just keeping up with the field can be a full-time job. Yet the rapid growth of biological knowledge is itself a powerful force for change. Instructors know they can no longer cover everything; instead, they are increasingly focusing on concepts that cut across scientific fields. Biology is building bridges to chemistry, physics, mathematics, information science, and other disciplines, requiring that its students become well grounded throughout the sciences. Classroom and laboratory instruction are emphasizing the flexibility that students need to master rapidly advancing specialties and techniques. And as biology itself assumes an increasing prominence among the sciences, biologists are realizing that their responsibilities have changed. They must produce not just the doctors and research scientists of the future but also a biologically literate citizenry. This final chapter of "Beyond Bio 101" focuses on three institutions that have responded to these forces in different ways. At the University of Arizona, an emphasis on involving undergraduates in research has produced widespread changes in the biology program and in the way faculty members teach. Stanford University has sought to create a community of scholars that helps enable students to think like scientists. And at Morehouse college, biology faculty are reaching across generations to encourage young African American males to consider biology graduate school and careers in academia. All three of these biology programs--along with the others described in this book--have their own traditions, personnel, and students. Yet all are grappling with common problems. The final section of this chapter looks at the lessons learned from the experiences of all of the institutions profiled in "Beyond Bio 101." |
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ust as biology has found unifying themes in the function of DNA, the
process of natural selection, and the dynamics of ecosystems, so biology
education has been uncovering the principles that underlie effective teaching
and learning. Instructors are finding that students learn more when asked
to engage in critical thinking and problem solving. Changes in the workplace
are highlighting the need for people to be able to communicate their ideas
and work in teams. Innovative programs are demonstrating how to involve
a broader cross section of young people in the sciences, especially women
and minorities.
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