A Portal into Biology Education: An Annotated List of Commonly Encountered Terms

Abstract

Exploring a new discipline can be daunting in any field, and biology education is no exception. The authors provide a resource for those who are new to explorations of the biology education and biology education research worlds, including key terminology, brief definitions, and links to literature for further explorations.

Increasing the Use of Student-Centered Pedagogies from Moderate to High Improves Student Learning and Attitudes about Biology

“…This context is in contrast to traditional lecture, which focuses on dissemination of instructor knowledge and relies on passive student listening. A variety of active-learning pedagogies have been described in recent publications, ranging from quick, easily implemented strategies such as think–pair–share and minute papers to more complex strategies such as problem-based learning in organized groups (e.g., Allen and Tanner, 2005 ; Handelsman et al ., 2007 ; Ebert-May and Hodder, 2008 ; AAAS, 2011 ; Miller and Tanner, 2015 ). There is substantial evidence that active-learning pedagogies are much more effective than lecture.…”

Scientific Presenting: Using Evidence-Based Classroom Practices to Deliver Effective Conference Presentations

“…As a presenter, you should ensure that presentations and presentation materials 1) allow information to be accessed in various forms, so that differently abled individuals may participate fully, and 2) use straightforward language and representations. You can incorporate accessible versions of conference materials (e.g., captioned videos) or additional resources, such as definitions of commonly used jargon necessary to the presentation (e.g., Miller and Tanner, 2015 ). You may consider defining jargon or acronyms in your talk to increase accessibility for individuals who might struggle to understand the full meaning (e.g., new language learners or individuals who are new to the field).…”

Ask a clearer question, get a better answer.

“…In our experience, students who fail to achieve high grades on written assignments do so because they write descriptive essays lacking a question or problem to solve; i.e they do not understand goal one (Cottrell, 2011). By defending a position or hypothesis using understanding drawn from wider literature, students can provide evidence of high-level literacy and critical thinking (Kellogg & Raulerson, 2007;Miller & Tanner, 2015). Previous studies support the idea that encouraging questioning behaviour promotes the exhibition of critical thinking by students at a range of levels (Commeyras & Summer, 1998;Keeley et al, 1998;Tsui, 2002).…”

“…Supporting the development of critical thinking skills in students can be considered to be one of the key goals of most higher education institutions (ten Dam & Volman, 2004). Critical thinking skills such as analysis, evaluation and synthesis represent the highest levels of learning and literacy capabilities, and are highly sought after by employers (CBI, 2009;Krathwohl, 2002;Miller & Tanner, 2015). Despite the focus on teaching critical thinking skills at university, only ~2/3 of UK graduates (lower than the global average) were capable of exhibiting them during a recent literacy skills survey, which is disappointing given the strong correlation between high level skills and employment among graduates (OECD, 2013;OECD, 2015).…”