Abstract

We present a modular scaffold for designing an introductory seminar using speculative fiction and science papers to welcome university undergraduates to the biology major. A list of twelve possible topics is included, such as Memory, Parasites, Aliens, Synthetic Life, and Immortality. We offer example research papers describing exciting discoveries in readable formats matched with science fiction short stories, novel excerpts, or videos that carry these themes to extremes to provoke discussion. These resources can be sub-sampled to inspire and aid other instructors in developing similar courses.

Primary Image: Human-Machine Interface: MidJourney Artificial Intelligence-generated image guided by the keywords DNA, helix, alien, neuron, gynandromorph, parasites, steampunk, and zombies. 

Citation

Introduction

The art of combining speculative fiction and science to inspire and educate has its roots in the early days of literature, most notably with Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1). Shelley's story was inspired by scientific debates and discoveries, especially those relating to electricity and life. The work of Luigi Galvani on bioelectricity, where frog legs twitched as if alive when struck by a spark of electricity, was a well-known scientific experiment during Shelley’s time.

The interplay between the fantastical world of imagination and the rigid structures of science offers an interesting platform to engage learners by motivating them through the entertaining stories of science fiction. Here we present a new course focused on introducing university undergraduates to the world of biology, building on this fascinating interplay by bridging the gap between what’s real and what's conceivable. Through an innovative pedagogical approach, we present a scaffold for creating an introductory seminar that intertwines speculative fiction and scientific papers to present foundational biological concepts.

Our approach addresses a number of problems encountered by undergraduates in a large university setting and incorporates active learning, community building, and cross-disciplinary exploration in hopes of enhancing student outcomes. Educational research underscores the significance of early engagement in a student's chosen field, fostering success and lowering dropout rates (2). Our seminar design welcomes undergraduates during their first semester of college, addressing a crucial educational gap. Using narrative pedagogy through the integration of speculative fiction in the course not only serves as an effective teaching tool via storytelling but also enriches students' comprehension. The seminar provides a conducive environment for students to interpret and connect with scientific literature, enhancing their overall learning experience and increasing the salience of presented content (3, 4). While many foundational courses focus heavily on content, they often overlook broader societal and ethical discussions critical for comprehensive understanding and ethical scientific practice; speculative fiction provides a medium for these reflections (5). Lastly, the course's modular design, diverse authorship, and wide-ranging topics cater to a varied student body, emphasizing the importance of inclusive education (6).

The article introduces an approach to immersing students in the vast and fascinating domain of biology by weaving together scientific texts and the creative dimensions of speculative fiction. This integration addresses not just the unique obstacles confronted by both biology students and educators, but also the significance of cultivating community bonds, igniting inquisitiveness, and extending dialogues beyond plain data. Here is why these solutions are pivotal:

Problem 1

Many incoming undergraduate students indicate interest in a biology major, but do not take any courses offered by their proposed home departments until late second year. Lack of community membership has been reported to contribute to disenchantment and attrition (7). Many introductory science classes at large universities have high enrollment (300+ students) and are often taught in lecture format, making students’ initial experience with both their peers and professors impersonal.

Problem 2

Decoding the complexities of science papers in biology is challenging but necessary for students to develop mastery and explore their own interests. Interaction with primary literature during a four-year biology degree typically occurs in upper-level courses. Thus, there are few low-stakes opportunities for first- and second-year students to read articles with the guidance of an instructor. This increases stress on students during their first interactions with science papers, disproportionally so for underrepresented minorities (8).

Problem 3

At large research universities, introductory classes are generally burdened with the need to survey a great number of scientific concepts, especially in biology when preparing pre-medical students. This leaves classes devoid of important discussions regarding ethics, race, gender, and morality of scientific frontiers, both experimental and applied. Thoughtful grappling with the implications of research is key for future scientists and non-scientists alike (5).

A Solution

Our department’s Freshman Seminar Program was developed to welcome first-year students to biology. Faculty select topics of interest and teach small classes to build community, generate excitement, and support skill development. These classes can provide a friendly environment for students to interact with primary literature and where students are free to explore the implications of research in much the same way that science fiction authors have been doing since Mary Shelley. Here, we describe a modular framework for a class using speculative fiction and science papers to grow and nurture biology students.

Course Design and Considerations

In Table 1: The Matrix, we provide a list of science topics and papers, stories, and videos that we have used in past classes. The number and order of topics can be customized. We have given several alternatives for each topic so selection can be modified based on an instructor’s interests or expertise and the educational experience of their intended audience. We include two sample syllabi (Supporting Files S1, S2), an example assignment (Supporting File S3), and a sample lesson plan (Supporting File S4) that demonstrates a detailed breakdown of how a single class is run, focusing on the topic of Synthetic Life and Genesis.

Table 1. The Matrix. A list of possible class topics with science paper and fiction options, suitable for mix and match to choose your own adventures. The italic story summaries and the tag-lines are memory aids that help suggest key themes. Full references (19–48).

Logistics

We teach this class for 50 minutes, once a week, for a 10-week quarter. We assign a science paper and a fiction piece each week. By combining our partially overlapping classes and the best selections from several years, The Matrix now includes enough material to build a longer course or extend to 90-minute meetings. Enrollment is first-come, first served. We advertise to incoming biology majors to ensure everyone knows they are equally eligible.

Instructor Goals

• Welcome new biology students to a community of scientists.

• Encourage creativity and knowledgeable decision making.

• Introduce students to a range of landmark and new science.

• Teach students to read primary scientific literature and summarize key ideas efficiently in writing and speaking.

Example Learning Objectives

• Students will be able to read primary scientific literature to extract the major findings.

• Students will be comfortable using Wikipedia, PubMed, and publication databases to find references and reviews on a new topic.

• Students will practice asking and answering questions about scientific findings.

• Students will explore science and science fiction topics that interest them.

• Students will connect real research to the extremes presented in the science fiction examples.

• Students will respectfully consider some of the ethical implications of science experiments.

Example Grade Breakdown

We give 50% credit for attendance and participation, 25% for weekly reading responses, and 25% for the final project, with full credit for plausible attempts. Late work is accepted but discounted. Grading is Pass/Fail, and >70% is required for passing. We weigh participation highly to ensure that students cannot pass the class if they do not attend most weekly meetings because we feel that group discussion is the most critical aspect of the class. This class is worth one credit unit in our standard 12-unit load. Students report spending 1–3 hours/week outside of class on the reading and written responses.

Approach to Reading the Scientific Literature

Beginning students may not have much experience reading primary literature. Unpacking a journal article is a learned skill. We provide an infographic about how to read a paper (9) and we do several short example journal club style presentations to model literature analysis (10, 11). Resources with advice for absorbing primary literature often suggest that writing summaries improves retention (12). Our weekly reading response assignment (Supporting File S3) is a template for students to write primary literature article summaries. While we do not provide detailed feedback on all of their submissions, or require students to lead oral presentations, these would be optional extensions. We try to minimize the workload and rigorous assessment because our primary goal for this seminar is to welcome and excite students.

To scaffold students' abilities to dissect scientific literature, our course embeds methodical stages of guided reading and discussion. Initially, we introduce students to the structure and layout of scientific papers, emphasizing the significance of each section. Utilizing seminal papers from the course content, we walk through the papers collectively, pinpointing how to interpret graphs, infer key findings, and understand nuanced terminologies. Concurrently, when analyzing speculative fiction, we draw parallels to scientific papers, encouraging students to discern underlying themes and narratives. To fortify this synergy, paired class sessions are dedicated to comparing speculative fiction pieces with their complementary scientific papers, fostering dialogues that illuminate the interplay of facts and fiction. By weaving these two strands, we not only equip students to grasp scientific literature with proficiency but also to appreciate its broader societal and ethical implications as mirrored in fiction.

Assignments

We assign a one-page reading response (see Supporting File S3) with a standardized set of questions due the day before each class to ensure that all students have read the material before discussion. Instructors read them before the class meets to identify questions or misconceptions that should be addressed. We do a project midway through the course that allows students an opportunity to follow their interests. Students either write a Nature Futures story (fiction) or News & Views paper (fact). This can be peer-reviewed through software such as Eli Review if desired, or shared with the class if students give permission. Another cumulative assessment option is the Concept Map, a graphical way to describe the links between topics (13); these allow students to identify their own connections and may appeal to diverse learners. These assignments consolidate knowledge, leave a record, and reinforce clear science writing skills.

Fostering Discussion

Good prompts are key. We include examples with each topic in Table 1, but thinking ahead about how you will begin each class helps. We typically discuss the short story first to get people talking. One of the benefits of having working scientists covering science fiction is that none of us are experts and there are no right answers: we are all part of a community of learners. Our classes are typically 25–30 students and we teach in a classroom with six table groups—the table configurations help first-year students get to know a set of their peers. This also works in Zoom breakout rooms: we asked each student their favorite animal and then made groups accordingly (although the phylogenetic choices were questionable in the case of the capybara axolotl flamingo clade). Selecting one student to report for the table each week by some random criteria (birthday closest to 4^th of July, favorite color closest to green on the spectrum) also helped students get to know each other by finding common interests. Starting with 5 minutes for the students to discuss the prompt with their table before opening discussion for the whole class helped overcome participation barriers: students realized others did not understand a topic either and so were less inhibited about asking questions. Beginning with a request for students to Google for a video or information about a topic was an ice-breaker and helped reinforce how to select reputable sources. An example lesson plan, showing in detail how one class unfolded, is included (Supporting File S4).

Final Project Selection Process

The primary goal of the final project is for students to interweave their grasp of speculative fiction with scientific literature. To initiate topic selection, students first partake in a brainstorming session, helping them identify key areas of interest. They then submit preliminary proposals, which are reviewed by instructors for feedback. Students have the option to collaborate in groups of 2–3, integrating individual topics or choosing a mutual one. After topic confirmation, an online repository is available to assist in project development, complemented by mentoring sessions for any challenges encountered. The project culminates in a detailed report, essay, or podcast, assessed on depth of analysis, originality, and the synergy between fiction and science. This structured approach ensures students delve into genuine areas of interest with ample guidance.

Feedback

Based on anonymous feedback surveys during the course, as well as the standard teaching evaluation forms, students enjoy the class and format. They also report that they feel more comfortable exploring science papers and can identify new areas of interest.

Tips

Start From the Science

When developing or adapting this course, we recommend picking the science topics and papers first. Breakthroughs in your field, articles you or your colleagues have discussed enthusiastically, and results that reached the popular press are good sources. For timely topics and science descriptions readable by newcomers, Science News, the New York Times Science section, NPR’s Science Friday, Science Magazine’s Breakthrough of the Year (AAAS), the Eppendorf Prize, Wired Magazine, and Quanta are valuable sources. You may as well read and discuss science you are also excited about. We tend to emphasize all we don’t know yet about biology to make clear that there is plenty of space for new students to make important contributions. Although it is tempting to do the entire course on one topic (e.g., memory or genome modification), we recommend including different ones to expose students to a range of areas of biology that might appeal to them. Many students may not yet know that developmental biology is a field, or that people do research on octopi, for example. You could also leave the last topic open to accommodate requests.

Pick Readable Papers

This is often the students’ first time reading primary literature. Demonstrate how to unpack paper figures and find related citations in PubMed. It is tempting to pick the newest paper on a topic—but sometimes the students lack the context to know why it is a big deal and choosing the original breakthrough paper serves students better. And consider the journal choices. Big advances often come out in Science and Nature, but sometimes the space constraints mean that the background is too abbreviated for newcomers to grasp the significance, and specialty publications can be off-putting or intimidating. Current Biology is ideal: exciting, rigorous science of broad appeal in a readable format, and the Graphical Abstracts are a plus. An alternative is to assign the Insight, Preview, or News & Views associated with the paper—or a Review instead, or in addition, which is what we do for Honors classes—but this risks overload.

Don’t Overload

For us, this is a one-unit class, and the students are often simultaneously enrolled in challenging, required foundational courses. It is tempting to cover a story and a paper each week—and to provide background reviews or additional context resources, just in case students get interested in the topic—but doing so is an academic indulgence/rabbit hole that may be more suited for professors than first-year students. Be really clear about what is optional and what is required, and how much time/text you expect. Follow this advice as an instructor: as you develop your version of the class, change one or two papers/stories each year, but not all of them. Evolving a class is easier than rebuilding it from scratch each time.

Include Diversity

Science fiction has captivated many cultures and impressive works have been produced around the globe. For an overview of the evolution of science fiction, see (14–16). An artistic graphic from Ward Shelley is available (17). While a sizable portion of the classical collection of science fiction has been dominated by American and British male authors, one of the very first Sci Fi stories was written by Mary Shelley when she was 18 years old. In this same spirit, we have tried to find authors that represent experiences of our diverse student body. There are wonderful story examples from AfroFuturism and Asian Sci Fi. Anthologies of LGBTQ, Native peoples, and LatinX authors contain vibrant ideas. We find that deliberately scouting for new stories from different demographics enriches the class. The Hugo and Nebula award nominees, new collections from favorite authors, and lots of advice from friends, rejuvenate the reading lists. The Atlantic and The New Yorker magazine, as well as Nature Futures, often publish short speculative fiction pieces. We also find interesting articles, discussions about the implications of new technology, and ideas for short stories in online resources (18). Keep the value of diversity in mind for the author lists and lead researchers on the science papers you choose, too.

Addressing Course Interest and Selection

Historically, our Freshman Seminars witnessed overwhelming interest, often resulting in over-enrollment with significant waitlists. While our current approach is 'first come, first serve', we have observed that often, it is the more advantaged students who are in the know about such offerings. To bridge this gap, we have engaged our department advisors to disseminate course information to prospective students and ensure that all students know everyone is eligible to enroll in the course. Yet, a challenge persists as many first-year students are still unfamiliar with their advisors and about our course. We hypothesize that additional forms of outreach may further attract a diverse and inclusive cohort thereby reaching a broader spectrum of eager learners.

Enjoy It

So far, our students have been willing to engage with difficult or controversial topics. Sometimes we pick a short story that makes us uncomfortable or sad. These can certainly initiate discussions, but there are other options that are beautifully written as well as provocative starting points, too. We happily pick science papers we want an excuse to read—even outside of our research areas and comfort zones. Growing and learning with the students model some of the best aspects of academic science. There is no reason not to do the same with the stories and choose ones we enjoy.

Future Directions

We have only anecdotal feedback that our Science and Fiction Freshman Seminars contribute to our goal of retaining students who intend to major in biology through to graduation. Contemporaneous reviews and feedback on anonymous surveys suggest that we are on the right track for welcoming new students to biology, but hard data waits for the future. We plan to request the tracking information, anonymized, on students who took our classes in their first year to see if they continued in biology at higher rates than the departmental average, but the appropriate control group is not obvious: there may be a self-selection bias. Perhaps comparing against other first-year seminar classes would be relevant. In the interim, as we venture into this frontier of pedagogical exploration, may our course design be the droid you're looking for. Remember, fear is the mind killer, and don’t panic.

Supporting Materials

• S1. SCIENCE/Fiction – Example Course Syllabus (Simpson)

• S2. SCIENCE/Fiction – Example Course Syllabus (Wilson)

• S3. SCIENCE/Fiction – Reading Response Template

• S4. SCIENCE/Fiction – Example Lesson Plan

Acknowledgments

We thank Dr. Rolf Christoffersen, Vice Chair Extraordinaire, for the call to develop freshmen seminars and the UCSB MCDB department for their commitment to creativity in teaching biology. Dr. Michael Goard suggested the Reading Response assignment before class and CITRAL workshops introduced us to the Concept Maps. Dr. Mike Wilton gave critical feedback on the concept and its implementation. JHS thanks many friends for paper and story suggestions, especially Roian Egnor and Don Olbris.

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