Minicourses in Biology: A Nonmajor "Turn on"

Abstract

Ir IS ALMOST TRADITION that introductory college biology courses for nonmajor students result in low student interest and achievement. In fact, many nonmajors dislike science academically and philosophically and would not choose to enroll in these courses were it not for curriculum requirements. Biology educators obviously face a significant challenge when offering a nonmajor introductory course. They must recognize the problems inherent in offering this type of course, and indeed, many do. However, it seems that many institutions still offer traditional introductory nonmajor biology that emphasizes concepts the students are not interested in learning. Consequently, nonmajor students continue to be disinterested. The introductory nonscience-major biology course at the University of Northern Colorado was no exception. Our course (Science 104) was a traditional three-lecture-per-week, three-credit course that represented partial fulfillment of the science requirement of the university's general education requirements. Interest and achievement in Science 104 was low, attendance was poor, and it was apparent that a change was in order. It has been suggested (Romey and Dean 1971) that the primary goal for introductory courses should be to create a stimulating environment in which the student can appreciate and enjoy science, and that intrinsic motivation in a course of this type exists only when students are able to make decisions about what to study and how to study it. With this in mind, we developed a series of minicourses in an attempt to accommodate flexibility and intrinsic motivation.