Creating Networks to enhance teaching pedagogy

To aid in the implementation of ideas developing from the Vision and Change Report on Undergraduate Biology Education ASBMB is building a national network to develop concept inventories in the molecular life sciences and provide a resource to the academic community that will foster the adoption of student centered active learning strategies. The project, funded by an NSF RCN‐UBE, has four specific aims: 1: to identify foundational concepts in terms of core knowledge and foundational principles and skills. 2: to create a taxonomy of these concepts and skills and link them to topics in the undergraduate curriculum recommendations of ASBMB. 3: to develop and evaluate appropriate assessment tools for these topics, and 4. to create a toolkit that can be easily accessed by the academic community. The project started with a meeting of both content and assessment experts drawn from the diverse communities essential to the molecular life sciences. To build an inclusive community of scientists and educators working on the project regional meetings will be held. This year the focus has been on definitions of foundational concepts, building from the Vision and Change suggestions and essential skills and the roles that formative and summative assessment can play in the education of students.