Abstract Robyn Puffenbarger, Bridgewater College

Abstract – Robyn Puffenbarger, Bridgewater College I started my application essay to Biology Scholars with the thought that effective teaching is a journey, not a destination. For ten years on the faculty at Bridgewater College, I have strived to learn with my students and to learn from my students. As I moved with the rhythm of an academic calendar, I found myself overwhelmed and frantic in the nine month school year; and drained in the three months of ‘freedom’ each summer. I had even taken a very small step into pedagogy research with a pre/post-test of student learning in genetics. When I was given the chance to start the Biology Scholars program, it was with a sense of eagerness that I began the readings back in 2011. I was not prepared for how difficult the journey into the realm of measuring teaching effectiveness would be. The Biology Scholars program has added some stress, both the unpleasant kind associated with deadlines and performance, but also ‘stress’ that is a chance to focus on what is important. While I did not follow my schedule and use time each week to focus on my bench science and pedagogy research topics after returning from the Scholars Institute, I did work on more research in 2011-12 than previous years. I realized that the assignments, meetings, and deadlines from Biology Scholars helped me set up a schedule that I used to be productive. I have IRB approval to gather and use data from genetics. I processed five years of pre/post-test data in genetics that I had for the Scholars Program. I have an ASM CUE abstract and hopes of a paper in an educational journal taking shape. After the National Science Foundation STEM grant awardee meeting’s plenary lecture on metacognition, I have plans for another project in mind that would need IRB approval and buy-in from several colleagues teaching introductory science courses. I would not have put these ideas – metacognition, student learning, introductory coursework, student success – together without the Scholars Program. I have also set up a Bridgewater intranet site for faculty interested in pedagogy, and am working on a bi-monthly ‘journal club’ for faculty interested in pedagogy. To quote a famous song, ‘what a long strange trip it’s been.’ I am excited about presenting the data I have so far on learning in genetics, and very eager to continue working on SOTL projects for the rest of my academic career. Figure 1 – Percent Correct Answers on a Pre/Post Test in Genetics. A pre/post assessment using a validated concept inventory (1) was administered to students enrolled in genetics at Bridgewater College. The pre-test scores from each year are not significantly different (P=0.794, Kruskal-Wallis One Way ANOVA). Each year, the percentage of correct responses was higher in post-test scores (P<0.05, Dunn’s Method after Kruskal-Wallis One Way ANOVA). In 2011, the IF-AT method was used for daily reading quizzes, which resulted in the highest post-test scores to date (P<0.05 compared to 2008 post-test data, Dunn’s Method after Kruskal-Wallis One Way ANOVA).

References: 1. Smith, M. K., Wood, W. B. and Knight, J. K. (2008) “The Genetics Concept Assessment: A New Concept Inventory for Gauging Student Understanding of Genetics.” CBE - Life Sciences Education, Vol. 7, pp. 422-430.

2. Miller, M.D. (2011) “What College Teachers Should Know About Memory: A Perspective from Cognitive Psychology.” College Teaching, Vol. 59, pp. 117-122.

Cheers – Robyn P.

Robyn Puffenbarger | Biology Department | Associate Professor phone: 540-828-5713 | [email protected] | online: bridgewater.edu