RCN-UBE: Preparing to Prepare the 21st Century Biology Student: Using Scientific Societies as Change Agents for the Introductory Biology Experience

The University of Oklahoma and the American Institute of Biological Sciences, in collaboration with key national biological societies, will articulate a shared vision of how best to prepare biology students and scientifically literate citizens. This project, entitled Preparing to Prepare the 21st Century Biology Student, will use a series of networking meetings over a five-year period to mobilize leading faculty in undergraduate biology education. Primary goals of these meetings will be to develop a model of introductory biology experiences, to develop an online communication network that connects biologists, biology education projects, and biological societies actively engaged in undergraduate biology education, and to help faculty reform their basic biology courses with the help of scientific societies to which the faculty belong. The project has three major components: 1) small face-to-face meetings to promote innovation in reform activities aimed at the Introductory Biology experience; 2) larger face-to-face meetings to coordinate disparate approaches in Introductory Biology and to increase the use of existing best practices throughout scientific societies; and 3) a communication network linking scientific societies and their members to promote widely both innovation and adaptation of best practices and research in biology education. The network also will provide answers to questions from instructors as they attempt to implement biological education reform strategies. Hundreds of faculty members who teach thousands of students will participate in the face-to-face meetings, and these participants will lead professional development activities for their colleagues during annual meetings of their scientific societies. The intellectual merit of the project arises from the likelihood that it will catalyze significant improvements in undergraduate biology education. The broader impacts of the project will result from a broad distribution of best practices through the network, by participating scientific societies, and by participating faculty at their home institutions.