A new assessment tool, Ecology and Evolution–Measuring Achievement and Progression in Science or EcoEvo-MAPS, measures student thinking in ecology and evolution during an undergraduate course of study. EcoEvo-MAPS targets foundational concepts in ecology and evolution and uses a novel approach that asks students to evaluate a series of predictions, conclusions, or interpretations as likely or unlikely to be true given a specific scenario. We collected evidence of validity and reliability for EcoEvo-MAPS through an iterative process of faculty review, student interviews, and analyses of assessment data from more than 3000 students at 34 associate’s-, bachelor’s-, master’s-, and doctoral-granting institutions. The 63 likely/unlikely statements range in difficulty and target student understanding of key concepts aligned with the Vision and Change report. This assessment provides departments with a tool to measure student thinking at different time points in the curriculum and provides data that can be used to inform curricular and instructional modifications.

In a study examining more than 4800 student exams in introductory biology, the authors found that exam characteristics differentially impact students based on gender and socioeconomic status.

The Vision and Change report provides a nationally agreed upon framework of core concepts that undergraduate biology students should master by graduation. While identifying these concepts was an important first step, departments also need ways to measure the extent to which students understand these concepts. Here, we present the General Biology–Measuring Achievement and Progression in Science (GenBio-MAPS) assessment as a tool to measure student understanding of the core concepts at key time points in a biology degree program. Data from more than 5000 students at 20 institutions reveal that this instrument distinguishes students at different stages of the curriculum, with an upward trend of increased performance at later time points. Despite this trend, we identify several concepts that advanced students find challenging. Linear mixed-effects models reveal that gender, race/ethnicity, English-language status, and first-generation status predict overall performance and that different institutions show distinct performance profiles across time points. GenBio-MAPS represents the first programmatic assessment for general biology programs that spans the breadth of biology and aligns with the Vision and Change core concepts. This instrument provides a needed tool to help departments monitor student learning and guide curricular transformation centered on the teaching of core concepts.

Summary1. Parent-offspring conflicts are likely to occur when resources are limiting either at pre-or post-natal stages due to intergenerational trade-offs over resources. Current theory posits that such conflicts may influence the evolution of parental allocation as well as reproductive modes. While energy allocation to the offspring has received considerable attention, the distribution of water -another potentially limited vital resource to both the mother and offspring -and the resulting outcomes remain grossly understudied. 2. Here, we explored the intergenerational trade-off related to water resources in the viviparous aspic viper (Vipera aspis) by examining the effects of water deprivation on female physiology (body mass, haematocrit and osmolality), water transfer to developing embryos and reproductive performance. 3. As a result of water deprivation, females became dehydrated, with the effects more pronounced in pregnant compared to nonreproductive females. Among pregnant females, the impacts of water deprivation on water balance were correlated with fecundity. In contrast, water deprivation had no effect on water transfer to the offspring or on reproductive performance. 4. Our results demonstrate that, under water-constraining conditions, female water balance is compromised in favour of the developing embryos, highlighting a significant intergenerational trade-off for water. Although ectothermic reptiles are particularly tolerant in water balance perturbations, our results suggest that, like energy, water can be a conflicting resource between mother and offspring. Parent-offspring conflict over water should therefore be further investigated to better understand reproductive modes and reproductive trade-offs in terrestrial organisms.

Two studies were conducted to develop a psychometrically sound scale to measure attitudes toward censorship. In the first study, 37 initial items were administered to 109 college and high school students. Additional measures were also included for validation purposes. Factor analysis and item-total correlations were used to select items for the final scale. Results revealed two distinct factors alluding to the possibility of a multidimensional construct. Reliability coefficients indicated that both factors were internally consistent. Correlations with additional measures provided evidence for the criterion and convergent validity of the scale. The second study used a sample of 150 college students to replicate the initial findings and to establish testretest reliability.