AIBS Study on Leading Change in Undergraduate Education

Advancing biology education has always been integral to the mission of the American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS). As part of AIBS's long-range planning process, the Education Committee was charged with identifying how this key part of the mission could be fulfilled most effectively. The Committee met in 2011 to discuss priorities for undergraduate biology education, to consider how to leverage efforts across the biological societies, and to identify what niche AIBS is best positioned to fill. In December, the Committee made three recommendations to the Board of Directors, proposing that AIBS develop a prototype leadership-development workshop focused on creating agents of change for undergraduate biology education, initiate a biology program review using the American Association for the Advancement of Science's (AAAS) Vision and Change in Undergraduate Biology: A Call to Action principles as a framework, and improve connections among scientific societies to promote effective practices for teaching, learning, and assessing student learning. The Board was particularly interested in the Committee's recommendation that AIBS provide leadership support to biology department chairs and future leaders. The Committee therefore took their next steps on this new initiative by conducting a needs assessment. They surveyed individuals leading change within undergraduate life sciences departments to determine their level of interest in a leadership-development program and the k...
Source: Eye on Education - Category: Biology Authors: Source Type: news