Crafting a Biology Course for Nonmajors: Personas Help Delineate Faculty Decision Making

Science courses are required for nonmajor students as part of general education with the goal of students connecting scientific knowledge to their own lives using science to make decisions. Often, however, these science courses emphasize basic concepts and terms without making it relevant to students' lives. Thus, these courses may not be successful in promoting decision making related to science and society. In this study, we interviewed 35 faculty teaching nonmajors biology to understand their rationale in making course decisions. Through interviews, we learned what factors influence faculty decision-making processes in structuring nonmajors' biology courses, as well as if and how they prioritize teaching about socioscientific issues (SSIs) and scientific competencies. Using cluster analysis, we developed fictional faculty teaching personas based on key themes and characteristics of faculty who prioritize teaching about SSIs versus those who focus on content coverage. These teaching personas could prove useful for professional development planning when seeking to improve student learning.