A Large, First-Year, Introductory, Multi-Sectional Biological Concepts of Health Course Designed to Develop Skills and Enhance Deeper Learning

Coral L Murrant
, Nicolette S Richardson
, David J Dyck
, James B Kirkland
, Genevieve S Newton
, Kerry L Ritchie
, Justine M Tishinsky
, William J Bettger

Abstract

Large first-year biology classes, with their heavy emphasis on factual content, contribute to low student engagement and misrepresent the dynamic, interdisciplinary nature of biological science. We sought to redesign a course to deliver fundamental biology curriculum through the study of health, promote skills development, and encourage a deeper level of learning for a large, multi-section first-year class. We describe the Biological Concepts of Health course designed to encourage higher-order learning and teach oral communication and independent learning skills to large numbers of first-year students. We used the Blooming Biology Tool to determine the cognitive skills level assessed in the newly developed course and the courses it replaced. This evidence-based approach demonstrated that our new course design achieved the goal of encouraging a deeper level of cognition, and further, successfully introduced both oral communication and independent learning skills in large first-year classes.

 

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Published

2015-12-31



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Articles



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How to Cite

Murrant, C. L., Richardson, N. S., Dyck, D. J., Kirkland, J. B., Newton, G. S., Ritchie, K. L., Tishinsky, J. M., & Bettger, W. J. (2015). A Large, First-Year, Introductory, Multi-Sectional Biological Concepts of Health Course Designed to Develop Skills and Enhance Deeper Learning. Canadian Journal of Higher Education, 45(4), 42–62. https://doi.org/10.47678/cjhe.v45i4.184758