Introductory Biology: Let's Train Lecturers

Abstract

I was delighted to read the News of the Week story “Universities begin to rethink first-year biology courses” (J. Mervis, 31 July, p. [527][1]). However, having taught introductory college biology for 40 years, my experience has been that this corner of pedagogy is remarkably resistant to change. I have seen waves of “reform” washing over Intro Bio through the years, from Audio-Visual (the educational theory, not the equipment), to programmed instruction, to Personalized System of Instruction, to Keller Plan, to inquiry, ad infinitum. After all that, and millions of dollars, Intro Bio is still pretty much an instructor on a stage in front of hundreds of more or less disengaged students. Another constant is that the instructor has no training in public speaking, nor has he or she been shown how to make effective visual presentations. Forty years ago, we had illegible Kodachromes; now we have illegible PowerPoints. Given that the lecture format has been with us for a long time and shows no real sign of disappearing, why not try to improve lectures instead of trying to get rid of them? Institutions could start by holding workshops on presentation skills for new faculty (especially adjuncts) before the semester begins. Pay the participants enough to make them happy, and throw in some tips on course management that will save them time and aggravation. Most large campuses have a teaching and learning center that could arrange this training, perhaps with the help of a communications department. [1]: /lookup/doi/10.1126/science.325_527a