This year’s discussions will center on “A network approach to vertical transfer and articulation for student success in biology.” This topic has implications for how we think about our own curriculum, as well as how we serve the needs of students who transfer between institutions.
The first day will focus on sharing information on broad challenges in undergraduate biology curriculum, including state-level initiatives. We encourage teams that include advisors, administrators, and institutional effectiveness researchers to help identify local challenges. The second day will focus on faculty developing common curriculum outcomes to increase student success in introductory biology.
Please consider participating in the Northwest Biosciences Consortium Winter Workshop for vertical transfer and articulation. Teams of 2-4 faculty from your institution who teach or develop curriculum for biology majors are invited to apply to participate in this two-day workshop.
Mark your calendar: The workshop will be hosted at Willamette University on February 9-10, 2018 by the Northwest Biosciences Consortium (NWBC): Implementation of Vision and Change in the Introductory Biology Curriculum (Award # 1248121).
Cost: This Non-Biology majors workshop is FREE including all meals during the two days.
Who is eligible to attend: We welcome instructors and administrators from all higher education institution types who are interested in developing biology curriculum and considering its vertical integration.
Registration Information: Please visit the NWBC dedicated space on the QUBES hub at: https://qubeshub.org/groups/nwbc/workshop and RSVP no later than January 30th. We have prepared a statement you can submit to your institution’s administration requesting that they help offset some costs associated with transportation and lodging.
This workshop is the fourth in a series hosted by the NWBC. Our first faculty development workshop on scientific and inclusive teaching was led by Kimberly Tanner in 2015; we hosted a majors introductory biology workshop in 2016; and we hosted a non-majors biology workshop in 2017. You can find material from these workshops along with complete modules developed during last year’s workshop in our QUBES Collections.
This year we are excited to share lessons learned with you, our colleagues from institutions across the Pacific Northwest, and simultaneously benefit from your input as we examine majors biology curriculum with a focus on vertical integration.
More about the NWBC: The NWBC consists of several institutions in the Pacific Northwest, working together to transform introductory biology curricula. My co-PIs and I have been working to accomplish each of the following overarching goals
- To align the introductory biology courses with the Vision & Change national mandate for biology education,
- To generate a series of course objectives and student-centered modules for the introductory courses for both majors and non-majors characterized by active learning,
- To streamline articulation between institutions and facilitate credit transfers, especially from 2-year to 4-year institutions, and
- Provide faculty development opportunities and ideas for collaborations among the faculty in the NWBC institutions and beyond.
Over the past three years we identified specific objectives, established working subcommittees, solicited feedback from colleagues across the country, and have taken steps to align our Student Learning Outcomes with the Vision and Change document. We invite you to join us in this workshop that will further extend our efforts to bring Vision & Change aligned introductory biology to all students in the Pacific Northwest.
