Using biochemistry and molecular biology alignment tables to improve assessment and outcomes (618.17)

The ASBMB has begun the next phase of the Research Coordination Networks in the Undergraduate Biology Education (RCN UBE) project funded by the National Science Foundation. The goal of the RCN UBE is to support groups of investigators and educators to provide opportunities to foster new collaborations focusing on ways to improve participation, learning or assessment in undergraduate biology curriculum. November, 2013 the ASBMB hosted its first in a series of meetings to implementing concept‐driven teaching strategies to implement the overarching goals of AAAS’ “Vision and Change” with the RCN UBE meeting. The goal of the meeting, held at the Chemistry and Biochemistry department of the University of San Diego was to create a scientific teaching took kit for biochemistry and molecular biology educators. Participants were introduced to the core concepts/BMB foundations developed by the BMB community, assessment and how to take a scholarly approach to teaching. Faculty, post‐docs and graduate students from a diverse set of institutions were then guided to craft specific learning goals and objectives that included assessment mechanism and teaching strategies using a careful and stepwise approach. The learning goals and assessments were created using the biochemistry and molecular biology foundational core concepts defined by the BMB community with the ASBMB. Each group’s “toolkit” of goals, objectives and methods to assess these foundational concepts were shared with the entire group and will be available to the BMB community as additional workshops create more items. Work funded by NSF Grant 0957205 to EB Grant Funding Source : NSF