Outcomes of networking: RCN‐UBE: promoting concept‐driven teaching strategies in biochemistry and molecular biology through concept assessments (618.24)

Abstract

Biochemistry and Molecular Biology instructors like all higher education faculty members, face challenges of becoming more effective instructors. They have very few opportunities or time to share their professional lives with others in education. However, when one collaborates in BMB research, there is always communication between scientists: exchanging information; collaborating on projects; and disseminating results. Therefore, why not use the same type of networking to share pedagogical knowledge? In addition to reporting outcomes of the RCN sessions at the Seattle Education meeting, this poster will describe an effective social networking which began in 2010 supported by a grant from the NSF (Undergraduate Biology Education track in the Research Coordination Network program) “Promoting Concept Driven Teaching Strategies in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology through Concept Assessments. “The social network is effective because the project steering committee monitor the way that individuals are situated in the network and support social ties so individuals can provide feedback and have access to valued resources (Coleman, 1990; Portes, 1998). By following network models used to create standard‐setting documents, such as Vision and Change and PCAST Report, grant administers use a network of selected experts to form Learning Goals and Objectives (Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education, September/October 2013) and to build a website Toolkit for empirically proven best practices and learning activities. NSF Grant 0957205 to EB supported this work.Grant Funding Source: Supported by RCN‐UBE NSF Grant 0957205