NW-PULSE @ NW BIO 2014

1. NW-PULSE @ NW BIO 2014 Integration: Vision and Change in the Biology Curriculum University of Puget Sound, Department of Biology Gregory Johnson, Joel Elliott, Alyce DeMarais GOAL: To engage faculty, staff, and students to evaluate and enhance integration of the Vision and Change core concepts and skills in the Puget Sound biology curriculum and objectives. ACTION • The Biology Department faculty and staff are continuing this work. We will: • Modify the introductory biology curriculum to correspond to our new textbook, How Life Works, in July 2014 • Continue to develop a curriculum map beyond the introductory courses • Continue to modify and implement assessments to evaluate integration of Vision and Change concepts and skills, starting May 2014 • Implement the writing assessment in June 2014 • Peer networks such as NW-PULSEand NW-Bio are invaluable for shared resources and support of our work. Biology Department retreat to review Vision and Change concepts and skills related to the departmental curriculum and outcomes in January 2014 Next Steps… Resulted in… • Funding for our departmental retreat, curriculum development workshop, and writing assessment workshop (all from grants administered by the University of Puget Sound or from internal sources) • Curriculum maps and assessments from departmental reviews • Senior survey assessment instrument • Writing assessment rubric for the Biology Department • University colleagues with expertise in writing assessment • NW PULSE colleagues with curriculum mapping and design expertise • Updated curriculum map integrating Vision and Change concepts and skills • Confirmation of Biology Department student learning outcomes • Report on retreat outcomes to Puget Sound administration • Proposals for support of continued work • Departmental discussions of new textbook How Life Works in Spring 2014 • Participation in the Pacific Northwest Learning Conference in November 2013 • The Biology Department faculty, staff, and students have experience in thoughtful and meaningful curricular design and assessment • Data from past assessments and curricular reviews are available • Commitment by faculty, staff, and students to enact meaningful change • Support from Puget Sound administration Made possible by… This work was supported in part by NSF EAGER #51588