ERIC Number: EJ943886
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2010-Dec
Pages: 7
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1539-2422
EISSN: N/A
Clarity in Teaching and Active Learning in Undergraduate Microbiology Course for Non-Majors
Marbach-Ad, Gili; McGinnis, J. Randy; Pease, Rebecca; Dai, Amy H.; Schalk, Kelly A.; Benson, Spencer
Bioscene: Journal of College Biology Teaching, v36 n2 p3-9 Dec 2010
We investigated a pedagogical innovation in an undergraduate microbiology course (Microbes and Society) for non-majors and education majors. The goals of the curriculum and pedagogical transformation were to promote active learning and concentrate on clarity in teaching. This course was part of a longitudinal project (Project Nexus) which prepares, supports and sustains upper elementary and middle level specialist science teachers. We sought to understand the impact of the course in terms of students' content understanding and in terms of students' feedback to the course. To determine students' content understanding we used a pre-post content survey. To document the use of teaching innovative approaches in the class we interviewed all participants, including the lecture and the lab instructors and their students, to get their perspectives. Also, all lecture classes and laboratory sessions were videotaped and observed by three university science educators. Our findings suggested that the instructor taught in the way that he planned. Positively, while the course placed an emphasis on modeling good pedagogy and promoting teaching science as a career option, significant gain in science content was achieved by the students. (Contains 1 table and 3 figures.)
Descriptors: Feedback (Response), Nonmajors, Education Majors, Microbiology, Science Teachers, Lecture Method, Investigations, College Science, Science Education, Experiential Learning, Longitudinal Studies, Elementary Schools, Middle Schools, Surveys, Teaching Methods
Association of College and Biology Educators. Web site: http://acube.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: Elementary Education; Middle Schools
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A