Collectively Improving Our Teaching: Attempting Biology Department–wide Professional Development in Scientific Teaching
- Melinda T. Owens ,
- Gloriana Trujillo ,
- Shannon B. Seidel ,
- Colin D. Harrison ,
- Katherine M. Farrar ,
- Hilary P. Benton ,
- J. R. Blair ,
- Katharyn E. Boyer ,
- Jennifer L. Breckler ,
- Laura W. Burrus ,
- Dana T. Byrd ,
- Natalia Caporale ,
- Edward J. Carpenter ,
- Yee-Hung M. Chan ,
- Joseph C. Chen ,
- Lily Chen ,
- Linda H. Chen ,
- Diana S. Chu ,
- William P. Cochlan ,
- Robyn J. Crook ,
- Karen D. Crow ,
- José R. de la Torre ,
- Wilfred F. Denetclaw ,
- Lynne M. Dowdy ,
- Darleen Franklin ,
- Megumi Fuse ,
- Michael A. Goldman ,
- Brinda Govindan ,
- Michael Green ,
- Holly E. Harris ,
- Zheng-Hui He ,
- Stephen B. Ingalls ,
- Peter Ingmire ,
- Amber R. B. Johnson ,
- Jonathan D. Knight ,
- Gretchen LeBuhn ,
- Terrye L. Light ,
- Candace Low ,
- Lance Lund ,
- Leticia M. Márquez-Magaña ,
- Vanessa C. Miller-Sims ,
- Christopher A. Moffatt ,
- Heather Murdock ,
- Gloria L. Nusse ,
- V. Thomas Parker ,
- Sally G. Pasion ,
- Robert Patterson ,
- Pleuni S. Pennings ,
- Julio C. Ramirez ,
- Robert M. Ramirez ,
- Blake Riggs ,
- Rori V. Rohlfs ,
- Joseph M. Romeo ,
- Barry S. Rothman ,
- Scott W. Roy ,
- Tatiane Russo-Tait ,
- Ravinder N. M. Sehgal ,
- Kevin A. Simonin ,
- Greg S. Spicer ,
- Jonathon H. Stillman ,
- Andrea Swei ,
- Leslie C. Tempe ,
- Vance T. Vredenburg ,
- Steven L. Weinstein ,
- Andrew G. Zink ,
- Loretta A. Kelley ,
- Carmen R. Domingo , and
- Kimberly D. Tanner
Department of Biology, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA 94132
Office of the Vice Provost for Teaching and Learning, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305
Department of Biology, Pacific Lutheran University, Tacoma, WA 98447
School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332
Department of Biology, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA 94132
Department of Biology, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA 94132
Department of Biology, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA 94132
Department of Biology, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA 94132
Romberg Tiburon Center for Environmental Studies, San Francisco State University, Tiburon, CA 94920
Department of Biology, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA 94132
Department of Biology, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA 94132
Department of Biology, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA 94132
Department of Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95616
Department of Biology, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA 94132
Romberg Tiburon Center for Environmental Studies, San Francisco State University, Tiburon, CA 94920
Department of Biology, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA 94132
Department of Biology, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA 94132
Department of Biology, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA 94132
Department of Biology, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA 94132
Department of Biology, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA 94132
Department of Biology, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA 94132
Romberg Tiburon Center for Environmental Studies, San Francisco State University, Tiburon, CA 94920
Department of Biology, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA 94132
Department of Biology, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA 94132
Department of Biology, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA 94132
Department of Biology, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA 94132
Department of Biology, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA 94132
Department of Biology, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA 94132
Department of Biology, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA 94132
Department of Biology, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA 94132
Department of Biology, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA 94132
Department of Biology, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA 94132
Department of Biology, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA 94132
Department of Biology, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA 94132
Department of Biology, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA 94132
Department of Biology, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA 94132
Division of Undergraduate Education and Academic Planning, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA 94132
Department of Biology, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA 94132
Department of Biology, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA 94132
Department of Biology, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA 94132
Department of Biology, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA 94132
Department of Biology, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA 94132
Department of Biology, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA 94132
Department of Biology, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA 94132
Department of Biology, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA 94132
Department of Biology, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA 94132
Department of Biology, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA 94132
Department of Biology, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA 94132
Department of Biology, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA 94132
Department of Biology, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA 94132
Department of Biology, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA 94132
Department of Biology, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA 94132
Department of Biology, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA 94132
College of Science and Engineering, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA 94132
Department of Biology, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA 94132
Department of Biology, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA 94132
Department of Biology, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA 94132
Department of Biology, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA 94132
Department of Biology, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA 94132
Department of Curriculum and Instruction, STEM Education, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712
Department of Biology, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA 94132
Department of Biology, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA 94132
Department of Biology, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA 94132
Department of Biology, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA 94132
Romberg Tiburon Center for Environmental Studies, San Francisco State University, Tiburon, CA 94920
Department of Biology, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA 94132
Department of Biology, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA 94132
Department of Mathematics, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA 94132
Department of Biology, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA 94132
Department of Biology, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA 94132
Department of Biology, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA 94132
Kelley, Petterson, and Associates, Inc., San Francisco, CA 94127
Department of Biology, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA 94132
College of Science and Engineering, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA 94132
*Address correspondence to: Kimberly D. Tanner (E-mail Address: [email protected]).
Department of Biology, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA 94132
Abstract
Many efforts to improve science teaching in higher education focus on a few faculty members at an institution at a time, with limited published evidence on attempts to engage faculty across entire departments. We created a long-term, department-wide collaborative professional development program, Biology Faculty Explorations in Scientific Teaching (Biology FEST). Across 3 years of Biology FEST, 89% of the department’s faculty completed a weeklong scientific teaching institute, and 83% of eligible instructors participated in additional semester-long follow-up programs. A semester after institute completion, the majority of Biology FEST alumni reported adding active learning to their courses. These instructor self-reports were corroborated by audio analysis of classroom noise and surveys of students in biology courses on the frequency of active-learning techniques used in classes taught by Biology FEST alumni and nonalumni. Three years after Biology FEST launched, faculty participants overwhelmingly reported that their teaching was positively affected. Unexpectedly, most respondents also believed that they had improved relationships with departmental colleagues and felt a greater sense of belonging to the department. Overall, our results indicate that biology department–wide collaborative efforts to develop scientific teaching skills can indeed attract large numbers of faculty, spark widespread change in teaching practices, and improve departmental relations.
