SICB 2004 Annual Meeting, New Orleans, Louisiana, Jan. 5-9

Job Prep Workshop: How to do a better job of designing fun, effective courses


Rachel Merz and Sara Hiebert Burch, Swarthmore College; Joe Thompson, Saint Joseph's University; Kevin Kelley, California State University Long Beach; Trish Morse, University of Washington

After a quick introduction of "what we wish WE had known when we began to teach," each table will draw a question or questions that illustrate challenges in good course design and will be asked to suggest some solutions that can be reported back to the group as a whole. Some examples of the questions we are thinking about are:

  • "You find yourself lecturing to a class of 200 in intro bio - what are 2 demonstrations/activities you can have students do at their seats that will cause them to interact with their neighbors and at the same time will illustrate important principles?"

  • "How would you design a biology course to reflect the realities of research, remembering research requires the integration of biology, physics, chemistry and mathematics?

  • "If you had to design a course in ecology or invertebrate zoology or physiology that was lab-only (no lecture) what would it look like?"

  • "How would you change or design a course in animal behavior or marine biology or neurobiology for students who are visually impaired?"

A group of resources that reflect what is happening in the Biology undergraduate learning environment will be provided to participants.