UNCG Biology BUGS

Lessons Learned: CUREs, COVID, and Insights on Effective Biology Teaching

students measuring grasses in greenhosue

UNCG Biology BUGS
BUGS

April 27, 2022
4-5pm

Hosted By Dr. David Remington

One of the major efforts in the UNCG Biology Department has been to redesign our curriculum so scientific research is infused into classes from the time students take their first introductory course until they take advanced courses during their final year.  Meanwhile, the COVID-19 pandemic imposed constraints on teaching and learning, requiring a number of adjustments to undergraduate programs but also introducing new tools that may have lasting benefits.  Today’s seminar explores aspects of both topics and shares insights that may have broad relevance for our teaching mission.

Curtis Green, Morgan Frost, Alyssa Young, and Kathryn Bloodworth will describe the course-based undergraduate research experience (CURE) that provides the foundation of our Ecology/Evolution Lab (BIO 315), and discuss their successes and the adjustments they have made to enhance students learning over the past few years.  Karen Katula and Cristina Moreira will share how they have restructured their lecture classes during COVID, tools they have used, and which of these practices they see as “keepers” to enhance student learning going forward.