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Department of Biology The Johns Hopkins University Baltimore, MD 21218
Department of Biology The Johns Hopkins University Baltimore, MD 21218
Center for Educational Resources The Johns Hopkins University Baltimore, MD 21218
Columbia Center for New Media Teaching & Learning Columbia University New York, NY 10027
In this issue, we ask the question, "Are survey courses still viable for introductory biology?" The POV question is related to the ones asked by the National Research Council in the recent feature by Jay Labov (www.cellbioed.org/articles/vol3no4/article.cfm?articleID=132) and continues to be a subject of debate by many science departments, not just biology. Often the discussion is split not only by perceived value of the survey course, but also by the size of the institution. Therefore, we present four POVs, plus a framing POV to set the tone. The overview was written by Arri Eisen, who is a senior lecturer in Emory University's Biology Department and the director of the Program in Science & Society. Representing the Anti-Survey, Large University is Janet M. Batzli, Associate Director of the nontraditional Biology Core Curriculum at the University of Wisconsin at Madison. The Anti-Survey, Small College perspective is presented by David Becker, who is an Associate Professor and Magdalena R. and John P. Dexter Professor of Botany in the Department of Biology at Pomona College. Presenting the Pro-Survey, Large University perspective is Douglas M. Fambrough, Professor of Biology at The Johns Hopkins Department of Biology and Scientific Director of the Searle Scholars Program. Finally, the Pro-Survey, Small College POV was coauthored by Mary Lee Ledbetter and A. Malcolm Campbell. Ledbetter is a Professor of Biology at College of the Holy Cross and a 2003 NSF Director's Award recipient. Campbell is an Associate Professor of Biology at Davidson College and a co-Editor-in-Chief of CBE. Readers are encouraged to compare the authors' perspectives and share their thoughts and reactions using the online discussion forum hosted by CBE at http://www.cellbioed.org/discussion/public/main.cfm.
In 2000 the Johns Hopkins University (JHU) Department of Biology began teaching year-long survey lecture and lab courses to majors and nonmajors alike. Last year, the lecture courses became required for biology majors (unless they choose to place out of these courses with biology advanced placement [AP] exam scores of 4 or 5). Prior to 2000, most biology majors took their first biology course, Biochemistry, the spring semester of their sophomore year, although some freshman seminars and a topical course called Physiology were options. Why were survey courses added to the curriculum? Just what are these survey courses? And do we know whether these courses enhance the major or improve the education of nonmajors in the life sciences?
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WHY HAVE SURVEY COURSES? |
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 TOP WHY HAVE SURVEY COURSES? WHAT ARE OUR SURVEY...WHY DO WE THINK...SUMMARY |
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Among the strongest arguments for adding a survey course was that Biochemistry and Cell Biology were taught with the tacit assumption that students knew essentially nothing about biology. Many students took AP biology early in their high school years, and seemed not to remember much of it. Further, AP courses frequently fail to cover all the subject areas found in general biology textbooks, and the depth of coverage is variable. Now that most of our students take two semesters of General Biology, instructors in the more specialized courses can confidently expect a certain level of biological knowledge.
A related argument for survey courses was that they provide a forum for presenting basic concepts not easily worked into advanced courses. Perhaps foremost among these concepts is that science deals with falsifiable hypotheses and verifiable observations. Another major concept is the degree to which different scientific disciplines intersect to provide a fuller explanation of our world: such diverse areas as atmospheric and earth sciences, paleontology, and systems analysis all come into play.
Another argument for a survey course was that our biology majors were frustrated by the scarcity of their favorite subject, biology, in their first 2 years of college. Likewise, nonmajors needed courses that might provide them with a broad foundation in the life sciences. One can hardly doubt that such a foundation is essential for full, thoughtful participation in our society as well as for making informed decisions about personal lifestyles and health.
It was hoped that the introduction of survey courses in the curriculum would help to counter negative attitudes that contribute to a loss of enthusiasm for learning. Because the new courses touch upon subject matter relevant to life in general, they should provide abundant opportunities for the instructors to show students that they care about students' quality of life and students' ethical strength, open-mindedness, and courage to deal with reality. A great deal of thought and hard work was put into providing enhancements that would help students stay in love with biology. These enhancements, which are described below, include team projects, weekly workshops, class participation technology, our Web site, and serious attention from Hopkins' Center for Educational Resources (CER) in conjunction with generous funding from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI).
Finally, there was another aspect to the quality-of-life issue. People rarely see what they do not know or do not expect to see. A survey course has the potential for serving again and again as an eye-opener, hence the most life-enriching course imaginable. For example, if you can identify fungi, plants, and animals, then a walk in the woods (or even across campus) is a very different experience than if you can't.
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WHAT ARE OUR SURVEY COURSES? |
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The lectures cover the entire textbook (currently Purves et al., Life 7e). The fall semester begins with animal behavior and ecology (the last section of the textbook). These subjects are among the most interesting to the students: they afford the opportunity to provide an understanding of organisms and their interactions with each other and the physical environment that is fundamentally different from the
"Disney" view most students bring to college. So, the beginning of the first semester is eye-opening and entertaining at the same time. This introduction to biology also avoids hitting students immediately with molecules/chemistry/energy, which they generally find either boring or scary.
Workshops are weekly classes in which guest experts (mostly from the Johns Hopkins faculty) present some aspect of research and/or current events related to lecture topics. Recent workshops addressed bird song, evolution of altruistic behavior, Chesapeake Bay ecology, cystic fibrosis, and bioinformatics (paralleling textbook-based lectures on animal behavior, ecology, cell membranes, and genetics). Laboratory exercises are also coordinated with the lectures.
The introductory biology survey courses pioneered the use of class performance system (CPS) technology on our campus. All students are required to have voting units (one-way devices much like a television remote control). Students use their voting units during lectures to answer questions posed by the instructor. Students earn points for participating, whether or not their answers to individual questions are correct.
All students also participate in team activities called "Biomes of Homewood." Teams of about five students are each assigned a "biome," a region of the campus, to follow through the semester. Special Web-based software, developed specifically for the course assignments, includes an interactive map of the campus and stores student responses from year to year. Students working in these teams apply concepts learned in class and from textbook material to complete simple weekly or biweekly tasks. Fall-semester tasks include identifying producers, herbivores, carnivores, etc.; examining effects of our recently emerged cicada brood; studying phylotaxy and leaf structure; and generally surveying the diversity of organisms within their "biome." (For further information about the Biomes project and demonstration, go to http://www.cer.jhu.edu/index.cfm?pageID=272.)
About 20 biology mentors (former students in the course) run regularly scheduled drop-in help sessions. Each mentor also serves as the contact person and provides guidance for three Biomes of Homewood teams.
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WHY DO WE THINK OUR SURVEY COURSES ARE FULFILLING THEIR PROMISE? |
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TOPWHY HAVE SURVEY COURSES?WHAT ARE OUR SURVEY...WHY DO WE THINK...SUMMARY |
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Last spring, nearly 70 percent of the students in the general biology survey courses considered themselves premed, but less than half will choose biology as their major. Since many nonmajors will become physicians, we feel justified in offering challenging courses for them rather than separate, less challenging nonmajors' courses. In fact, nonmajors report a high level of satisfaction with the breadth and depth of our courses.
Interviews with students in the introductory biology courses, conducted by CER, indicate that they greatly appreciated covering the entire textbook. Feedback from former students of the survey courses consistently affirms that the courses were an excellent preparation for the Medical College Admission Test. An online discussion board has provided further confirmation of student approval of course coverage. Also, as part of a student-run schoolwide course evaluation system, students now give the survey courses much higher marks than they gave the starting courses under the old system.
In the spring of 2003, an anonymous survey of JHU students taking Genetics or Biochemistry found:
Interviews with the instructors in the upper-level biology courses have confirmed that students are better prepared. The instructors all said that they were able to teach their subject matter on a more advanced level.
Since the survey courses were introduced, Bioethics and several other majors at Hopkins have made these courses requirements for their majors. This attests both to the broader need for this course material becoming part of every student's knowledge base and to the quality of the courses themselves.
Introducing the CPS has provided a number of positives for the courses, as revealed by student interviews and focus groups. Students like CPS for self-quizzing, and they like seeing what the instructors consider important. They like the immediate feedback and ensuing explanation from the lecturer if their answers were incorrect. And they like the way CPS provides variation within class time and helps students stay alert. A side effect of the CPS system was a marked increase in class attendance. This effect has not been quantified, but the instructors estimate that attendance on a typical lecture day has increased from roughly 50 percent of students before CPS to 90 percent currently.
In addition to the evaluative information from students and faculty, the survey course instructors also have impressions that the courses have contributed importantly to some of the less-tangible aspects of student life and learning. Some of these impressions include:
Finally, development of the survey courses has brought a group of Biology Department faculty together with several outside experts to build the best possible beginning for our students' undergraduate experience in learning and maturing. Weekly meetings of this group continue, and so there is continuous evaluation and continuous thinking about further improvements.
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SUMMARY |
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TOPWHY HAVE SURVEY COURSES?WHAT ARE OUR SURVEY...WHY DO WE THINK...SUMMARY |
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS |
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