Biology Scholars Program Amy Chang American Society for Microbiology

1. Biology Scholars ProgramAmy ChangAmerican Society for Microbiology • Goal: Develop faculty expertise in evidenced-based science education reform • Seven life science professional societies • Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching initiative on the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL)

2. Program Features • Three themes • Science education research • Science education publishing • Educational leadership • Applications & institutional support required • Intensive, multi-day kick-off event • 1-2 years virtual residency • Follow-up meetings • E-discussions • E-mentoring • Personal benchmarks

3. Outcome: Research Residency • Locate and use science education and science research literature • Frame appropriate questions regarding student learning in the biological sciences • Design projects to determine outcomes in terms of student learning • Design methods for collecting data concerned with student learning and other outcomes • Analyze and interpret student surveys and learning data • Understand the importance of and necessary steps required for IRB approval • Identify appropriate venues for publishing studies

4. Outcome: Writing Residency • Identify the audience and determine voice • Plan the story in context of what is known about learning • Present data to support findings with conviction • Develop a storyline and resolve storyline gaps • Understand the editorial process from pre-submission through publication including leading causes for rejection • Serve as an ad hoc reviewer in staged reviews

5. Evaluation Participation Number and demographics of participants Continue throughout the year? Any attrition? Satisfaction Do they enjoy the residency? Is it what they expected? Learning What did they learn? Did they learn what you intended? Application Are they using what they learned? In what ways? Overall Impact Publications and presentations Participation in the Writing Residency or Leadership Residency Participation 2005-2006 Cohort 16 participants; 14 women, 2 men 88% (n=14) Follow-up Survey response rate 2006-2007 Cohort 15 participants; 7 women, 8 men 73% (n=11) Follow-up Survey response rate 60% (n=9) completed posters (July, Nov and May) 2007-2008 Cohort 13 participants; 8 women, 9 men 62% (n=8) Follow-up Survey response rate Research Residency (06-08): Levels of Evaluation & Participation

6. Satisfaction The outcomes have all been positive. I have gained new tools with which to pursue my research and have a network of scholars with whom I can share and learn from in this pursuit. The ASM Scholars experience gave me the confidence to take an initial attempt at SoTL and turn it into a part of my research program.

7. Learning Describe your practice of SoTL: I think about what I want to know about my students and their learning and apply methods to answer those questions. I develop assessment instruments to use in my classroom in an attempt to determine how changes I make in my teaching style affect student learning.

8. Application I used a mixed methods approach to assess student learning in an advanced molecular biology course; one tool was a written grant proposal to assess higher order thinking skills. I have asked students to write reflective journals weekly. I have scored these to see how their thinking about the lab becomes more or less scientific over the course of a semester.

9. Application Completing one 4-year study on active learning; working on one study involving high school teachers and students; and starting a project to revise the curriculum and assess learning in an intro biology course. I have revised my course to include active learning experiences and online discussions of scientific readings.

10. Overall Impact If anything, I am a more fierce advocate of SoTL and feel strongly that SoTL must be seen on par with traditional, disciplinary, discovery-based scholarship, especially for tenure and promotion. I am so centered on student learning that I rarely take time to administer the teaching evaluations!

11. Barriers and Challenges IRB process at institution Unsupportive administration Time to implement Still learning how to practice SoTL Resistant or unsupportive colleagues Student issues - resistance, attrition Not supported by discipline, profession Pre-tenure

12. Biology Scholars www.biologyscholars.org Writing Residency Jan 7-10, 2009, Washington, DC Application deadline: Oct 19, 2008 Research Residency Jul 15-18, 2009, Washington, DC Application deadline: March 1, 2009

13. Research Residency (06-08) Levels of Evaluation • Participation • Number and demographics of participants • Continue throughout the year? Any attrition? • Satisfaction • Do they enjoy the residency? • Is it what they expected? • Learning • What did they learn? • Did they learn what you intended? • Application • Are they using what they learned? • In what ways? • Overall Impact • Publications and presentations • Participation in the Writing Residency or Leadership Residency

14. Participation • 2005-2006 Cohort • 16 participants; 14 women, 2 men • 88% (n=14) Follow-up Survey response rate • 2006-2007 Cohort • 15 participants; 7 women, 8 men • 73% (n=11) Follow-up Survey response rate • 60% (n=9) completed posters (July, Nov and May) • 2007-2008 Cohort • 13 participants; 8 women, 9 men • 62% (n=8) Follow-up Survey response rate

15. Partners and Sponsors • Life science partners • American Association for the Advancement of Science • American Institute of Biological Sciences • American Physiological Society • American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biologt • American Society for Cell Biology • Ecological Society of America • Genetics Society of America • Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching • National Science Foundation CCLI Project Managed by the American Society for Microbiology biologyscholars@asmusa.org www.biologyscholars.org