frequently asked questions

FAQ #1: How do I make time for a module in a class where there already is so much to do? How do I incorporate a module into a majors course with a definite agenda?

Janet Ott's paper (in the SyRIS Workshop binders) entitled Student-Active Science in Interdisciplinary Studies: Problems and Solutions (in: Reinventing Ourselves B.L. Smith and J. McCann (Eds.), pp. 253-270. Bolton, MA: Anker Publishing Company, Inc.) addresses the problem of coverage and the change in mind set that is required.

One of her major points is that as teachers we need to continually verify we are addressing key student needs. If those needs are to cover all the material in a textbook (who does that?) and deliver all the terminology, then the didactic, teacher-centered lecture is probably the way out. However, we will continue to lose students for the reasons identified in the SyRIS Workshop (e.g., difficulty understanding "mountains" of material, overloaded curriculum, overwhelming fast pace, subject uninteresting, etc.) from the work of Seymour and Hewitt (1997). Importantly, studies show this loss of students occurs in majors classes as well as non-major ones.

On the other hand, if reform is the key then the goal is to have a learner-centered environment where students understand, comprehend, and "realize the usefulness and purpose in learning the skills we believe to be important." I, for one, have had to get over the fear and anxiety that a colleague will berate me for not covering a topic or topics s/he assumed would be covered before the student entered her/his course. So, for reform to be effective, departmental or division faculty and administration need to agree that it is quality, not quantity, that should drive content in the entry-level science courses - be it majors or non-majors.

As a faculty member who has taught university and college biology courses for 20 years, I have come to understand that it is silly to expect our students to "know" everything we learned in a two-semester introductory biology course AND everything that has been discovered since then in a exponentially growing science discipline.

More frequently asked questions...

How do I make time for a module in a class where there already is so much to do? How do I incorporate a module into a majors course with a definite agenda?
How do I manage content in different science disciplines?
How many hours of time are typical to design a project module?
How long is a typical student module in a course?
How can I get more help with module development and assessment?
How can I maintain enthusiasm in the face of an overloaded semester?

This project is supported, in part, by the National Science Foundation
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