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Crafting a Biology Course for Nonmajors: Personas Help Delineate Faculty Decision Making
Shweta Lahiri1, Austin Heil2, Alex Daniels3
1Department of Math, Science, and Social Studies Education, University of Georgia, GA 30602.
CBE Life Sciences Education
|September 2, 2025
Summary
Faculty teaching nonmajors biology courses often prioritize content over socioscientific issues (SSIs). Understanding faculty decision-making can improve professional development for better science education and decision-making skills.
Area of Science:
- Biology education
- Socioscientific issues (SSIs) in science
Background:
- General education science courses aim to connect scientific knowledge to students' lives for informed decision-making.
- However, these courses often focus on basic concepts, failing to promote relevance and effective decision-making skills.
Purpose of the Study:
- To understand faculty rationale in structuring nonmajors biology courses.
- To investigate the prioritization of socioscientific issues (SSIs) and scientific competencies in these courses.
Main Methods:
- Interviews with 35 faculty members teaching nonmajors biology.
- Cluster analysis to identify themes and characteristics of faculty teaching approaches.
Main Results:
- Identified factors influencing faculty decisions in course structuring.
- Developed fictional faculty personas differentiating those prioritizing SSIs versus content coverage.
Conclusions:
- Faculty teaching personas can aid in designing targeted professional development.
- Improving the teaching of SSIs and scientific competencies in nonmajors biology can enhance student learning and decision-making abilities.
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