A hierarchical biology concept framework: a tool for course design.

A typical undergraduate biology curriculum covers a very large number of concepts and details. We describe the development of a Biology Concept Framework (BCF) as a possible way to organize this material to enhance teaching and learning. Our BCF is hierarchical, places details in context, nests related concepts, and articulates concepts that are inherently obvious to experts but often difficult for novices to grasp. Our BCF is also cross-referenced, highlighting interconnections between concepts. We have found our BCF to be a versatile tool for design, evaluation, and revision of course goals and materials. There has been a call for creating Biology Concept Inventories, multiple-choice exams that test important biology concepts, analogous to those in physics, astronomy, and chemistry. We argue that the community of researchers and educators must first reach consensus about not only what concepts are important to test, but also how the concepts should be organized and how that organization might influence teaching and learning. We think that our BCF can serve as a catalyst for community-wide discussion on organizing the vast number of concepts in biology, as a model for others to formulate their own BCFs and as a contribution toward the creation of a comprehensive BCF.

[1]  Ibrahim A. Halloun,et al.  The initial knowledge state of college physics students , 1985 .

[2]  R. Shavelson Performance Assessment in Science , 1991 .

[3]  M. Klymkowsky,et al.  Bioliteracy and teaching efficacy: what biologists can learn from physicists. , 2003, Cell biology education.

[4]  D. Hestenes,et al.  A mechanics baseline test , 1992 .

[5]  渋江 靖弘,et al.  Science for All Americans , 1990 .

[6]  B. Hufnagel,et al.  Development of the Astronomy Diagnostic Test , 2001 .

[7]  R. Oliver,et al.  Using context to promote learning from information‐seeking tasks , 1997 .

[8]  Division on Earth BIO2010: Transforming Undergraduate Education for Future Research Biologists , 2003 .

[9]  R. Mayer Rote Versus Meaningful Learning , 2002 .

[10]  G. Norman,et al.  Development and Evaluation of the Conceptual Inventory of Natural Selection , 2002 .

[11]  A. Whitehead The aims of education , 1929 .

[12]  Yvonne Waern,et al.  On the Relation between Comprehension and Memory of a Complex Text. , 1981 .

[13]  Ann M. L. Cavallo,et al.  The Retention of Meaningful Understanding of Meiosis and Genetics. , 1992 .

[14]  Joseph D. Novak,et al.  Meaningful learning: The essential factor for conceptual change in limited or inappropriate propositional hierarchies leading to empowerment of learners , 2002 .

[15]  Gerald Audesirk,et al.  Biology : Life on Earth , 1999 .

[16]  R. Hainer,et al.  American Association for the Advancement of Science , 1879, Nature.

[17]  J. Shea National Science Education Standards , 1995 .

[18]  A. Ahlgren,et al.  Science for all Americans , 1990 .

[19]  Grace L. Deming Results from the Astronomy Diagnostic Test National Project , 2001 .

[20]  J. Primack,et al.  Project 2061: Science for All Americans. , 1989, The Physiologist.

[21]  M. Zeilik,et al.  Birth of the Astronomy Diagnostic Test: Prototest Evolution , 2001 .

[22]  Walter J. Bisard,et al.  Conceptual astronomy: A novel model for teaching postsecondary science courses , 1997 .

[23]  R. Hake Interactive-engagement versus traditional methods: A six-thousand-student survey of mechanics test data for introductory physics courses , 1998 .

[24]  Ann L. Brown,et al.  How people learn: Brain, mind, experience, and school. , 1999 .

[25]  A. I.,et al.  Neural Field Continuum Limits and the Structure–Function Partitioning of Cognitive–Emotional Brain Networks , 2023, Biology.

[26]  D. Hestenes,et al.  Force concept inventory , 1992 .

[27]  W. K. Purves Life: The Science of Biology , 1985 .

[28]  J. Lagowski National Science Education Standards , 1995 .

[29]  Joseph D. Novak,et al.  Learning creating and using knowledge: Concept maps as facilitative tools , 1998 .

[30]  J. Bransford How people learn , 2000 .

[31]  William B Wood,et al.  Education. Teaching in a research context. , 2003, Science.

[32]  J. Bruner The Process of Education , 1960 .

[33]  W. Wood,et al.  Inquiry-based undergraduate teaching in the life sciences at large research universities: a perspective on the Boyer Commission Report. , 2003, Cell biology education.