It's in the Syllabus: What Syllabi Tell us about Introductory Biology Courses

Area of Science:

• Biology Education
• Curriculum Development

Background:

• Improving introductory biology education is a key goal for researchers.
• There is limited documentation on current practices in introductory biology courses.
• Understanding learning expectations is crucial for instructional design.

Purpose of the Study:

• To characterize the landscape of learning expectations in introductory biology.
• To analyze instructional design decisions in introductory biology syllabi across diverse U.S. institutions.
• To identify trends in course-level learning objectives and content focus.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of 1108 course-level learning objectives from 188 introductory biology syllabi.
• Examination of syllabi from nonmajor, mixed-major, and major courses.
• Categorization of nonmajor courses into content-based and issues-based types.

Main Results:

• Introductory biology syllabi predominantly focus on low-cognitive skills and factual recall.
• Course content often aligns with textbook tables of contents.
• Socioscientific issues and core competencies are rarely included, except in nonmajor issues-based courses.
• Faculty demonstrate challenges in formulating effective course-level learning objectives.

Conclusions:

• Significant work is needed to translate educational visions into actionable change in introductory biology.
• Developing clear course-level learning objectives is a critical first step.
• Addressing the gap between current practices and desired outcomes is essential for advancing biology education.