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To improve student success in an introductory biology course, Biology Boot Camp was created as a peer-led, collaborative active learning program with weekly coach-guided study sessions emphasizing higher-order cognitive skills. Exam grades, pre-test/post-test gains, and final averages show participation improved academic performance, supporting deeper learning and content mastery.",{"@graph":69,"@context":122},[70,84,105],{"@type":71,"itemListElement":72},"BreadcrumbList",[73,77,79,82],{"item":74,"name":75,"@type":76,"position":8},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":78,"name":9,"@type":76,"position":14},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/",{"item":80,"name":40,"@type":76,"position":81},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/",3,{"item":83,"name":65,"@type":76,"position":19},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/the-impact-of-participation-in-biology-boot-camp-on-academic-performance-in-freshman-biology-students/595251/",{"url":83,"name":65,"@type":85,"image":86,"author":91,"headline":65,"publisher":94,"fileFormat":97,"inLanguage":63,"description":67,"dateModified":98,"datePublished":99,"encodingFormat":97,"isAccessibleForFree":100,"interactionStatistic":101},"DigitalDocument",{"url":87,"@type":88,"width":89,"height":90},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/the-impact-of-participation-in-biology-boot-camp-on-academic-performance-in-freshman-biology-students/595251.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":92,"@type":93},"Blitz","Person",{"url":74,"name":95,"@type":96},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-11-06","2026-10-15",true,{"@type":102,"interactionType":103,"userInteractionCount":29},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":104},"ViewAction",{"@type":106,"mainEntity":107},"FAQPage",[108,114,118],{"name":109,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":111},"What is Biology Boot Camp and how is it delivered?","Question",{"text":112,"@type":113},"Biology Boot Camp is a peer-led, active learning program delivered through weekly study sessions led by trained Boot Camp Coaches.","Answer",{"name":115,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":116},"Which cognitive skills does the program emphasize?",{"text":117,"@type":113},"The program focuses on higher-order cognitive skills aligned with Bloom’s taxonomy, especially analysis, evaluation, and synthesis.",{"name":119,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":120},"How does the study evaluate whether the boot camp improves performance?",{"text":121,"@type":113},"Academic performance is assessed using exam grades, pre-test/post-test gains, and final course averages.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":83,"og:type":124,"og:title":65,"og:site_name":95,"og:description":67},"article",{"robots":126,"canonical":83},"index,follow",{"doc_id":128,"site_id":62},595251,1792911936,{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":131},{"doc_id":128,"user_id":132,"nickname":92,"user_avatar":133,"doc_module":4,"category_id":39,"category_name":40,"doc_title":65,"doc_description":67,"doc_content":134,"file_id":135,"file_url":136,"file_type":137,"file_size":138,"view_count":29,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":8,"is_downloadable":8,"audit_status":8,"page_count":34,"language":139,"language_code":63,"site_id":62,"html_lang":63,"table_of_contents":140,"faqs":141,"seo_title":142,"seo_description":67,"update_tm":143,"read_time":144,"preview_page_count":4},24464137899374,"https://us-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_3d24733baf745e90a7e4bdd5f77d97b2","The Impact of Participation in Biology Boot Camp, a Collaborative, Peer-Led, Active Learning Program, on Academic Performance in Freshman Biology  \nStudents  \nAmanda N. Crowea*, Mattias L. Johanssonb, Jennifer L. Mooka, Grace K. Roac, Catharine C. Whitingaa University of North Georgia, Gainesville, Georgia; b University of The Bahamas, Freeport, Grand Bahama, The Bahamas; cOregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon  \n*Corresponding Author: University of North Georgia, Gainesville Campus, 3820 Mundy Mill Rd, Gainesville, GA, [anc10.17.19@gmail.com](anc10.17.19@gmail.com)  \nAbstract  \nWhile a growing body of research supports active, student-centered approaches to teaching, the implementation of such methodologies in the undergraduate STEM classroom has not been widespread. In an effort to increase student success in an introductory course for biology majors, we developed Biology Boot Camp, a peer-led program based on active, collaborative learning. Program participants attended weekly study sessions led by Boot Camp Coaches who had been trained extensively in both course content and pedagogy. During Boot Camp sessions, Coaches engaged students in activities designed to encourage the development of higher-order cognitive skills represented by the upper levels of Bloom’s taxonomy (analysis, evaluation, and synthesis) . A primary goal of the program was to transform students into active, engaged learners who understand the difference between superficial and deep, meaningful learning. Biology Boot Camp strove to cultivate motivated learners, to promote biology content mastery, and to develop problem-solving skills necessary for future leaders and visionaries in rapidly evolving STEM fields. In this study, we examined the impact of Boot Camp on student success, and we determined that participation in Biology Boot Camp improved academic performance as demonstrated by exam grades, pre-test/post-test gains, and final course averages.  \nKeywords: collaborative learning, peer-based instruction, active learning, engagement, higher-order cognitive skills  \nIntroduction  \nLow retention rates in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) are an ongoing national problem. In a study published by the President’s Council of Advisorson Science and Technology, less than 40% of US college students who begin their academic careers with an interest in STEM finish with a STEM degree (PCAST, 2012) . The PCAST report called for the implementation of evidence-based educational strategies, such as active learning, to mitigate this problem. Active learning can be defined as students constructing new knowledge, building scientific skills, and “doing something other than taking notes”(Handelsman et al, 2011) . More specifically, active learning strategies focus on the development of higher order cognitive skills (analysis, evaluation, and synthesis) rather than on rote memorization. A growing body of research supports active, student-centered approaches to teaching (Ebert-May et al., 1997;  \nPrince, 2004; Michael, 2006; McLaughlin et al., 2014; Freeman et al., 2014; Dolan and Collins, 2015) . Active learning strategies increase student performance, and decrease withdrawal rates (Prince, 2004; Ruiz-Primo et al., 2011; Freeman et al., 2014) . Despite a large body of evidence supporting the effectiveness of active learning strategies, their adoption among STEM faculty has not been widespread (Friedrich et al., 2008; PCAST, 2012; Stains et al., 2018) thus creating a disconnect between scientific evidence and classroom practice. Several barriers such as lack of training in pedagogical strategies, extensive preparation time required for implementation, class time required to employ active learning, and student resistance challenge the widespread implementation of active learning in the college science classroom (Tanner, 2012; Shadle et al., 2017) . In an effort to address these challenges, we created an innovative, peer-based instructional pro","cbCainHH4zePIcpW","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCainHH4zePIcpW","pdf",313953,"English","# Abstract\n# Introduction\n## Active learning rationale in STEM\n## Biology Boot Camp program design\n## Study approach and outcome measures","[{\"question\":\"What is Biology Boot Camp and how is it delivered?\",\"answer\":\"Biology Boot Camp is a peer-led, active learning program delivered through weekly study sessions led by trained Boot Camp Coaches.\"},{\"question\":\"Which cognitive skills does the program emphasize?\",\"answer\":\"The program focuses on higher-order cognitive skills aligned with Bloom’s taxonomy, especially analysis, evaluation, and synthesis.\"},{\"question\":\"How does the study evaluate whether the boot camp improves performance?\",\"answer\":\"Academic performance is assessed using exam grades, pre-test/post-test gains, and final course averages.\"}]","The Impact of Participation in Biology Boot Camp on Academic Performance in Freshman Biology Students | PDF",1792080712,18]