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A roadmap for the design and implementation of preparatory or “Gateway” courses for biochemistry and molecular biology (618.21)
Author(s) -
Canfield Jennifer,
Osborn JoDi Lynn,
FelderSumter Takita,
Bell Ellis
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.28.1_supplement.618.21
Subject(s) - gateway (web page) , bridging (networking) , critical thinking , engineering ethics , best practice , mathematics education , computer science , psychology , engineering , political science , world wide web , computer network , law
The “Vision and Change in Undergraduate Biology Education: A Call to Action” report urges life science educators to prepare students for science careers by better aligning scientific instruction with practice. To this end, introductory or “gateway” courses should demonstrate the interdisciplinary nature of the sciences to best prepare students for early engagement in research. We recently published a detailed description of the essential concepts that students must have from introductory chemistry, biology, math, and physics courses based on ASBMB’s national “Vision and Change” dialogues. We now expand the study to include suggestions for implementing and assessing outcomes of these foundation experiences. Effective practices include boot‐camp style remedial sessions; problem based learning approaches; facilitated transition from community colleges; and involves crafting well‐defined outcomes as means of developing critical thinking skills. Moreover, best practices in course delivery and approaches to shift the emphasis from content to process driven courses are presented. Finally, we present assessment models that may be coupled to these approaches. Collectively, the findings underscore the importance of introductory foundational concepts, skills, and allied field topics in bridging the gaps between “gateway” and advanced biochemistry and molecular biology courses. This work is supported by NSF Grant 0957205 to EB. Grant Funding Source : Supported by NSF Grant 0957205 to EB