Inclusive Teaching - Working with Learners Outside Your Discipline

Linda Martin-Morris - Biology

I routinely teach non-majors in Biology; students trying to obtain their natural world distribution requirements. I am working to understand the best practices for teaching a challenging subject to people who are often in awe of, frustrated by, and/or fearful of the subject. I teach about 140 students per quarter in both lecture and laboratory settings.

Assessing Student Comprehension BEFORE Exams

There are two NEW things I am doing to examine the effects of my teaching. I have conducted pre/ post quarter surveys of student comprehension to see how impacted they are by course concepts. I am also conducting daily surveys (through the classroom response system) to determine the level of their comprehension and how that is impacted by the methods used in the classroom to improve comprehension. I have learned that non-majors learn best by inclusive teaching models.

Students learning outside their 'comfort zones' are benefitted by having to

1. engage in learning material BEFORE they come to class,
2. engage with classmates as they learn material by classroom mini-meetings and classroom simulations, and
3. reinforce classroom learning in the laboratory setting.

Roundtable Discussion, 2:30-3:30 p.m.