A Proposal for a Common Minimal Topic Set in Introductory Biology Courses for Majors

A common complaint among instructors of introductory biology is that the courses cover too much material. Without a national consensus specifying which topics are essential, instructors are leery of excluding material. A survey was administered to two-year college and jour-year college and universit...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The American biology teacher 2011-01, Vol.73 (1), p.16-21
Main Authors: Gregory, Eileen, Ellis, Jane P., Orenstein, Amanda N.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agreements
Animal behavior
Animal behaviour
Animals
Biodiversity
Biological diversity
Biology
Case studies
Cell cycle
Chromatography
college biology
College Faculty
content topics
Core curriculum
Course Descriptions
DNA replication
Equipment and supplies
essential topics
Faculty diversity
Genetic aspects
Genetic diversity
Genomics
High school students
Instructional materials
Introductory biology
Introductory courses
Knowledge
Learning
Learning Strategies
Plant genetics
Plants
Protein biosynthesis
Protein synthesis
School surveys
Science education
Science teachers
Sciences education
skills
Studies
Teachers
Teaching
Teaching Methods
Thinking Skills
Verbal communication
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Summary:A common complaint among instructors of introductory biology is that the courses cover too much material. Without a national consensus specifying which topics are essential, instructors are leery of excluding material. A survey was administered to two-year college and jour-year college and university section members of the National Association of Biology Teachers to identify the topics and skills that college and university biology instructors believe students completing introductory biology should know and comprehend. Analysis identified a strong consensus for 20 topics and seven skills that should be included in all year-long introductory college biology course sequences for majors.
ISSN:0002-7685
1938-4211
DOI:10.1525/abt.2011.73.1.4