ICBE Advisory Committee Meeting

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ICBE Advisory Committee Meeting

• March 28 2006

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ICBE Advisory CommitteeMarch 28 2006Agenda

• 1. Brief history of the creation of ICBE
• 2. Oversight of ICBE
• 3. The functions of ICBE
• 4. ICBE reports
• 5. Wisconsin Institute for Discovery

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The creation of ICBE

• Hearn Committee Report
• Creating the pieces
• BAC Major
• Biocore
• Molecular Biology Major
• CBE
• 151/2 becomes an interdepartmental course (100 k
  input from CALS)
• Biological Sciences Advisor
• Biology Major
• Roberts Committee (Biological Sciences Strategic
  Planning)
• Susman Committee to study implementation
• Our committee proposes the creation of (an)
  umbrella administrative structure

1950s
1960s
1980s
1990s
1999
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Susman Committee view of reporting lines in 2003
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Institute for Cross-college Biology Education
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Institute for Cross-college Biology Education
ICBE is an umbrella structure Degree-granting
authority remains in the colleges Much
administrative support remains in
departments Faculty input into planning and
coordination catalyzed by ICBE
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ICBE Oversight

• Steering Committee (Monthly meetings)
• Linda Graham, Botany
• Jeff Hardin, Zoology (Chair)
• Michelle Harris, Zoology
• Donna McCarthy Beckett, Nursing
• Gary Roberts, Bacteriology
• Kevin Strang, Physiology
• Dave Nelson, Biochemistry ex officio
• Advisory Committee (One to two meetings per year)
• 27 people (chairs of majors, courses, etc.)
• Meetings advertised widely to improve
  communication within the biology community
• Most units within ICBE have oversight/executive
  committees

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Advisory Committee
Name Unit Represented
Janet Batzli Biocore
Bill Bement ICBE Interdepartmental Majors
Janet Branchaw Academic Staff (instructional and administrative)
Richard Burgess CBE Colleagues
Daryl Buss VET
Glen Chambliss Bacteriology
Michael Clayton Academic Staff (instructional and administrative)
Elizabeth Craig Biochemistry
Michael Culbertson Genetics
Stanley Dodson ICBE Interdepartmental Majors
Philip Farrell MED
Donna Fernandez Botany
Jo Handelsman CBE Colleagues
Jean Heitz Academic Staff (instructional and administrative)
David Hogg CALS
Steve Ingham ICBE Interdepartmental Majors
Sharon Kahn Academic Staff (instructional and administrative)
http//www.biology.wisc.edu/ Administrative_Inform
ation/ Advisory_Committee.asp
Raymond Kessel CBE Colleagues
Katharyn May Nursing
Jeanette Roberts Pharmacy
Gary Sandefur LS
Theo Sanford Undergraduate
Edgar Spalding Biology 151-152
Karen Steudel Zoology
James Stewart CBE Colleagues
Ken Sytsma ICBE Interdepartmental Majors
Monica Turner Biology 151-152
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CBE

• The mission of the Center for Biology Education
  is to mobilize and enhance the resources of the
  University of Wisconsin-Madison to promote
  excellence in biology education.
• Undergraduate Biology Education and Faculty
  Enhancement Programs
• K-12 Biology Education and Outreach Programs

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CBE External Funding

• HHMI Undergraduate Science Education Program
• Wisconsin Bioportal A Plant to Broaden and
  Deepen the Early Undergraduate Experience in
  Biology
• NSF REU SITE Integrated Biological Sciences
  Summer Research Program for Undergraduates (Janet
  Branchaw and David Baum)
• NSF Summer Research Program for Undergraduates in
  Cell and Molecular Biology (Janet Branchaw)
• NSF Physical Models in Teaching Structure and
  Function of Biological Macromolecules to
  Undergraduates and Graduate Students (Dave
  Nelson)
• 2004 Beckman Scholars Program (Dave Nelson)
• NIH Health Observances and Public Education
  (HOPE) Partnership (Kevin Niemi)
• NSF Helping Students Make Connections Biology
  Cases That Link with Chemistry and Math (Lillian
  Tong)
• CBE, like several other programs on campus, can
  be a partner on NSF grant proposals to ensure
  broader impacts of your research

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Interdepartmental Majors

• Administrative support for Biological Aspects of
  Conservation, Biology, and Molecular Biology
• Appoint and compensate Chairs
• Assist with assessment
• Collaborate and coordinate 10 year reviews
• DARS liason
• Each Major has a Chair and an Executive Committee
  which determines policy
• Usually in need of new advisors - if you
  volunteer, ICBE can help

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Advising

• Biological Sciences Advisor (Pat Henrikson)
• Meets with parents and prospective students
• Advises students about biological sciences
  courses majors, and careers
• Advises advisors in CCAS etc.
• Meets with other biology staff advisors
• Advising Office (Sarah Kuba and Mary Smith)
• Advising in interdepartmental majors
• Assist and support faculty advising in BAC,
  Biology, and Molecular Biology

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Advising

• Advising entering students
• SOAR, both LS and CALS
• Transfer students
• Peer advising program (Sarah)
• LSAC students interested in biology (Pat, Sarah,
  and Mary)
• Possible peer mentoring program for LS students

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Biology Timetable entry

• Individual studies
• 699, 299 Directed Study
• 681/2, 691/2 Senior Thesis
• 150 Ways of Knowing Biology (For first year
  students)
• Original WOK Bio
• WOK Biology for Women in Science and Engineering
• Introductory biology course sequences
• 151/2, Introductory Biology
• 301-333 Biocore
• Departmental courses cross-listed for
  completeness
• 101/2 Animal Biology
• 130 General Botany
• Possible
• 399 Internships
• 680 Seminars

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Interdepartmental Courses

• Introductory biology courses
• Biology 151/2 and the Biocore Program
• Coordinate regular reviews
• Appoint course chairs
• Investigate barriers to cross-college teaching
• Scientists as lecturers, Credit follows the
  instructor, Undergraduate teaching and the MAMA
  model
• Coordinate with Botany 130 and Zoology 101/2
• Current vision calls for all FTE issues to remain
  with existing colleges
• Recruitment of instructors an issue
• What mix of staff and faculty lecturers is
  optimal?
• Should a lecture-only version of 151 be offered
  for Engineering students?
• Issues from 151/2

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Introductory Biology 151 and 152

• a two-semester, 10-credit introductory sequence
  for majors in the biological sciences at the
  University of Wisconsin-Madison.
• the largest introductory biology sequence on
  campus serving almost 1000 students per semester.

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Student Learning Goals and Objectives

• To provide students with a solid foundation in
  the fundamental concepts and knowledge base of
  modern biology.
• To help students develop the skills that are
  integral to the process of science.
• This course provides a coherent framework for
  understanding biology and prepares students for
  upper-level courses.
• We hope also to encourage in students an
  intellectual excitement for biology and for
  science in general.

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Student Learning Goals and Objectives

• We will be reevaluating and revising a more
  comprehensive set of learning goals arrived at
  through a series of faculty-staff meetings during
  the 2003-04 academic year.
• These learning goals will be designed to reflect
  both process (e.g., what skills should students
  develop?) and content (what material should they
  master?)
• We will be requesting and will appreciate input
  from the various majors requiring 151-152.

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Course Structure

• Lectures introduce students to key concepts in
  biology Introductory Biology 151 Introductory
  Biology 152? cellular and molecular biology ?
  plant anatomy and physiology? genetics/molecular
  genetics ? animal physiology? evolution and
  diversity ? ecology

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Discussion sections employ active and
cooperative learning techniques to help students
learn how to use the concepts presented in
lecture.

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Inquiry-based laboratories allow students to
apply the scientific method to design and execute
experiments to investigate open-ended questions.
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Independent Projects provide in-depth research
experience

• 152 is one of the primary conduits for
  students interested in doing undergraduate
  mentored research.
• In the 2004-5 academic year about 230 Bio 152
  students engaged in mentored research
• Over the past 10 years more than 1400 Bio 152
  students have engaged in mentored research

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Course Structure 2005-06 Academic Year
Fall 05 3 sections of 151, 2 sections of 152
Spring 06 3 sections of 152, 2 sections of 151

• Each section (200 to 220 students per section) is
  taught and staffed by 3 faculty, one coordinator,
  and 5 TAs operating as a unit.
• Changing to four sections in Fall 06.

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Organization of 151-152 Staff
Sharon Kahn
Monica Turner Edgar Spalding
Instructional Program manager
Course co-chairs
Jean Heitz
Lead coordinator
5 TAs
Cindee Giffen
Rebecca Seabul
Carlos Peralta
Brian Manske
Brian Parks
Instructional Lab specialist
Coordinators
5 TAs
5 TAs
5 TAs
5 TAs
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Roles of the Faculty

• Faculty teach 14 - 15 lectures (5 weeks) in
  Cellular biology, Genetics/molecular biology, or
  Evolution Diversity (151) Plant physiology,
  Animal physiology, or Ecology (152)
• Plan discussion exercises with the coordinator
  and TAs
• Set the exam
• Attend at least 3 151-152 retreats per year to
  discuss course-related issues and make decisions.
• Two of the faculty serve as co-chairs of the
  course.

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Course Review

• In spring of 2005, ICBE requested that 151-152
  undergo a full course review.
• The 151-152 faculty and staff did an amazing job
  of self assessment, comparison, retrospection,
  introspection, and projection resulting in a
  comprehensive, frank review document.
• An external review committee reviewed the
  document and interviewed the many key
  participants in the course to arrive at a set of
  thoughtful, helpful recommendations.
• An all-course meeting was arranged to discuss
  the recommendations and consider how to move
  forward with their implementation.

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Summary of Current Issues and Challenges

• Recruitment of 151-152 faculty
• Recruitment of 151-152 leadership
• Re-examination of
• Specific learning goals
• Role/structure of Discussion
• Relationship of Lab to class
• Evaluation of any implemented changes
• Consistency v. Independence of sections
• We welcome and will seek input from the broader
  biology community.

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Reports

• Report on the Growth of Undergraduate Biological
  Sciences Courses and Majors at UW-Madison
  1995-2004
• annual enrollment in laboratory-based
  introductory biology courses has increased from
  1314 to 2095 students per year, an increase of
  more than 50 over the past decade
• in core biological science departments,
  graduations have increased from 521 to 787
  students between 1995 and 2004, an increase
  exceeding 50

1995 2004 Change
Large departments 281 331 50
Small departments 140 152 12
Interdepartmental 100 304 204
Medical 427 178 -249
http//www.biology.wisc.edu/images/Growth_of_Bio_C
ourses_and_Majors.pdf
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Reports

• Report on Grading in Interdepartmental Biology
  Courses

• Taking Biocore will not hurt a students GPA
• The overall average of grades given in Biology
  152 is 3.12
• There has been a upward trend in ACT scores of
  entering students and this has been matched by an
  upward trend in grades

Grades as a function of ACT score Average grades
are plotted as a function of student ACT score
for Spring 152 (cyan circle), Fall 152 (blue
square), and Biocore orange triangle). The 1999
university-wide data are shown in gray. The
slope is highly significant and is 0.085.
http//www.biology.wisc.edu/images/Grading_in_Bio_
Courses.pdf
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Ways that interdepartmental efforts are reported

• Credit follows the instructor
• WOK Biology report to deans
• ICBE year-end report will include
• Teaching in interdepartmental courses
• Advising in interdepartmental majors
• Executive Committee memberships
• Oversight positions (Chairs of majors,
  extraordinary duties in courses etc.)

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Wisconsin Institute for Discovery

• First phase by non-state money
• Role of biology education in subsequent phases
  needs to be worked out
• Report by Rick Moss on Biostar IV no longer the
  guiding document
• Need to consolidate introductory biology teaching
  to achieve economy of scale
• 101/2, 130, 151/2, Biocore program
• Offices of ICBE
• Biology Learning Center
• Need for organic chemistry teaching lab space