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Topics & Speakers | Agenda | Registration | Hotel Information | Driving Directions
Topics & Speakers
KEYNOTE: Ten Ways to Turn Teaching Frustrations into Learning Opportunities
How can you take a boring or dry topic and turn it into something that is more enjoyable for you and your students? How do you ensure that your students “know” a topic, without designing an onerous exam or having them write an essay? How can you break a long paper into shorter parts, so that you can spread out the grading and give students feedback that will improve their writing? How is it possible to avoid reading answers to the same question over and over? Participants will be engaged in short activities that will show them simple ways to convert their assignments or lecture materials into interactive or creative exercises. Students’ retention of the material and their ability to apply their knowledge to new situations are the rewards of these efforts.
Amy Cheng Vollmer completed her B.A. in biochemistry in 1977 at Rice University and her Ph.D. in biochemistry in 1983 at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. Her post-doctoral research in T-cell immunology took place at Stanford University. After four years at Mills, she joined Swarthmore College where she is a Professor of Biology. She teaches introductory cellular and molecular biology, microbiology, and biotechnology courses. She has also a great interest in promoting adult science literacy. As a previous Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Microbiology and Biology Education, Dr. Vollmer conducts research in bacterial stress response, engaging undergraduate students in her lab. She also hosts non-science faculty in her laboratory for one month during the summer. In 2006, she was awarded the Carski Distinguished Undergraduate Teaching Award by the American Society for Microbiology. Amy speaks on issues concerning mentoring, career advising, and networking, while also being part of advisory committees on undergraduate teaching and research. She assumes the role of President of the Waksman Foundation for Microbiology.
Using Technology to Enliven Introductory Biology
Introductory biology lectures and laboratory exercises are well suited to the incorporation of technology. Multimedia allows for inclusion of current topics, the incorporation of animation, video and sound to clarify complicated issues. In this presentation, creative ways to use technology to teach introductory biology will be discussed, including collaborative projects between professor and students, ideas on using personal response systems (clickers) during lecture, podcasts, and incorporating pop culture into the classroom environment. The goal of this presentation is to present practical tips on how any teacher can use technology to improve the teaching and learning environment.
Eric J. Simon is an Associate Professor of Biology at New England College where he teaches introductory biology to both biology majors and non-science majors, as well as genetics, microbiology, molecular biology, and careers in science. He received his Ph.D. in biochemistry from Harvard University and M.A. and B.A. degrees in biology from Wesleyan University. Dr. Simon is a co-author, along with Neil Campbell and Jane Reece, of the books Essential Biology, 3/e, Essential Biology with Physiology, 2/e, and Biology: Concepts and Connections, 5/e.
How to Un-cook the Lab: Approaching Labs the Same Way Scientists Do
In most science classes, the labs follow the lecture material fairly closely. That is, you learn about something in lecture, discuss it in discussion, and then do it in lab. This type of lab is meant to support the lecture material. It is also designed to help students learn specific techniques and/or learn how to use specific types of equipment. However, this cook book type of approach tends to do little in the way of developing students’ abilities to think, work, and write like scientists actually do on a day-to-day basis. Most of what scientists do they do with their heads and not with their hands. Therefore, to the best of my ability, in the confines of a student laboratory, I redesigned the labs to give students a more authentic experience with science. In this session I’ll discuss the types of labs I developed as well as what worked and what didn’t. In addition, participants will be given time to discuss how they might modify their existing labs to be more open-ended.
Jean Heitz is a Faculty Associate in Zoology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and has worked with a two-semester Botany/Zoology introductory sequence for majors since 1978. Her key roles have been in development of active learning activities for discussion section and open-ended investigations for laboratory sections. Heitz also teaches a graduate course in “Teaching College Biology” and has presented workshops at a number of national meetings including the Coalition for Education in the Life Sciences Conference in 1995 (Strategies for Teaching and Learning in Undergraduate Life Sciences), the Society for the Study of Evolution Conferences in 1999 (Teaching Evolution to Undergraduates), in 2000 (Using Bioquest’s BIRDD Program to Teach Evolution) and Merlot in 2004 (Use of Interactive Biology Tutorials and a BioInventory as Learning Assessment Tools). She is also the author of Practicing Biology, Second Edition.
Serendipitous Gallimaufry for A&P
This presentation will give you a number of ideas that have been accidental discoveries of ways that engaged students in anatomy & physiology classes. Many of the general ideas could be adapted to other biology classes as well. Your creativity will be stimulated.
Kim Aaronson has been in the health care field since 1960 and received a B.S. in science education, biology from East Carolina University in 1981, and a DC from Cleveland Chiropractic College in 1996. He has taught middle school through college in the science and health field since 1985. Recently, he has been teaching anatomy & physiology, nutrition, human biology, general biology, and medical terminology as an adjunct instructor at Chicago City Colleges. Kim is actively involved in online course development and facilitation and is currently teaching Introduction to Nutrition online.
Teaching Biology Using Real World Examples
We all know how difficult it is to help students understand inheritance. Most students can recite the steps of meiosis, and even memorize how to make a Punnett square. However, they may lack any real understanding of the significance of these processes. Using everyday examples, such as a mating between Mr. Potato Head dolls, some fairly complex genetic topics can be modeled in a concrete manner that will help students understand the real significance of these processes.
Colleen Belk has taught at the University of Minnesota-Duluth for 16 years. She teaches general biology for both majors and non-majors, cell biology, genetics, and various other courses. Along with her co-author Virginia Borden she has written Biology: Science for Life text and the accompanying lab manual for non-majors biology.
Using Active Learning to Increases Student Performance in Introductory Biology
In an attempt to lower the traditionally high failure rate in an introductory biology course for majors, our group tested course designs that implemented an array of active learning techniques—including cards, clickers, weekly practice exams, and study groups. Our data showed that prescribed active learning led to significant improvement on exams scores and a lower overall failure rate in the course, and that grading clicker questions for right/wrong answers benefitted students more than awarding points only for participation. This session will also focus on techniques for increasing performance by students from educationally disadvantaged backgrounds.
Scott Freeman received his Ph.D. in zoology from the University of Washington and was subsequently awarded an Albert Sloan Postdoctoral Fellowship in Molecular Evolution at Princeton University. His research publications explore a range of topics, including the behavioral ecology of nest parasitism and the molecular systematics of the blackbird family. Scott teaches the majors' general biology course as a Lecturer at the University of Washington. He assisted in the groundbreaking and influential redesign of the course, which emphasizes an inquiry-based approach and the logic of experimental design. He is currently conducting research on how active learning and peer teaching techniques affect student learning. Dr. Freeman is author of Biological Science. and co-author of Evolutionary Analysis.
Teaching Bone and Muscle Anatomy Online
We will demonstrate the lab component of an online anatomy & physiology course. The bones and muscle labs of the first semester in this two-semester course sequence will be highlighted and demonstrated. This online course includes thoughts and ideas, the hows and whys of this type of course, and the means of how this lab component was designed. In addition, a candid discussion of what had worked and what did not work for this unique online course will be conducted.
Edwin "Ed" Krol completed his Ph.D. in higher education at Wayne State University. He has been an instructor at Henry Ford Community College for 35 years. While at Henry Ford, Dr. Krol has devoted time in creating methods for teaching A&P courses online. With great vision, he also helped develop the SciWeb and server for the Henry Ford science division. Dr. Krol has spent considerable time sharing his expertise with fellow instructors.
Finding Time to Incorporate Ethical Topics into Your Science Class
Those of us who teach science courses are certainly aware of how scientific discoveries and technological advances impact society. We have left the discussion of ethics to others who are not involved in the actual process of scientific discovery. Although their critiques are scholarly and insightful, they are spectators in this arena. We, the participants, need to take up the mantel of bringing up ethical issues in our courses. One does not have to design a new course. There are ways to infuse ethical concepts and discussions into a regular curriculum; one can bring in guest lecturers or another colleague to teach as a team. In my experience, I have found that the ethical considerations actually garner the students' attention as they become more motivated to learn about the science. I strongly believe that we have the responsibility to train students to be ethically intelligent in their scientific training and hope to share some strategies, examples and resources with workshop participants.
Amy Cheng Vollmer completed her B.A. in biochemistry in 1977 at Rice University and her Ph.D. in biochemistry in 1983 at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. Her post-doctoral research in T-cell immunology took place at Stanford University. After four years at Mills, she joined Swarthmore College where she is a Professor of Biology. She teaches introductory cellular and molecular biology, microbiology, and biotechnology courses. She has also a great interest in promoting adult science literacy. As a previous Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Microbiology and Biology Education, Dr. Vollmer conducts research in bacterial stress response, engaging undergraduate students in her lab. She also hosts non-science faculty in her laboratory for one month during the summer. In 2006, she was awarded the Carski Distinguished Undergraduate Teaching Award by the American Society for Microbiology. Amy speaks on issues concerning mentoring, career advising, and networking, while also being part of advisory committees on undergraduate teaching and research. She assumes the role of President of the Waksman Foundation for Microbiology.
New Lab Strategies for Anatomy
Physiology experiments by their nature promote an active learning environment in the lab, but anatomy labs, whether using anatomical models or dissection, can often be "find it, name it" experiences. Student preparation, specimen availability, and time constraints are challenges for the constructive use of laboratory time. This session will explore an alternative laboratory framework designed to promote active learning in anatomy laboratories. We will discuss the organization of the lab, the use of multiple laboratory materials including anatomical models, dissection, and histology, and model specific lab activities designed to engage student learning.
Patricia Brady Wilhelm, Associate Professor of Biology at the Community College of Rhode Island, has 20 years of experience in teaching anatomy. She has taught at Brown University, Rhode Island College, and the Community College of Rhode Island. She is a co-author of Human Anatomy. Dr. Wilhelm has contributed to and reviewed many anatomy media products and publications. She is a leader at the Community College of Rhode Island in the uses of technology in teaching through the development of web-based course tools, online videos, online student assessment tools, and active learning strategies for the classroom.
Special Thanks To:
Dr. Charles Jacobs and the Department of Sciences, Henry Ford Community College.
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