Transformation of a Traditional, Freshman Biology, Three-Semester Sequence, to a Two-Semester, Integrated Thematically Organized, and Team Taught Course

Oct 15, 2026

Upload by Ben

Biology faculty at San José State University developed, piloted, implemented, and assessed a team-taught freshmen course sequence organized around unifying themes using a macro-to micro teaching approach. Content learning assessment shaped the course framework, with significant improvements in student learning in 12 assessed categories via pre/post instruments. Guided inquiry projects supported a stronger sense of ownership, while the second-semester pass rate rose from 55% to 85%. Underrepresented students showed higher passing rates, reaching 86% after two years.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages13

Reading Time33 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Traditional freshman biology course structure

Rationale for active, thematic biology instruction

Goals of the new two-semester sequence

Methods

Curriculum development and team-teaching model

Objectives, assessment approach, and study participants

ARTICLE Transformation of a Traditional, Freshman Biology, Three-Semester Sequence, to a Two-Semester, Integrated Thematically Organized, and Team Taught Course Julio G. Soto1 & Jerry Everhart2 1Department of Biological Sciences, San José State University, San José, CA 95192 2Department of Curriculum and Instruction, Eastern New Mexico University, Portales, NM 88130 Corresponding Author: [julio.soto@sjsu.edu](julio.soto@sjsu.edu) Abstract: Biology faculty at San José State University developed, piloted, implemented, and assessed a freshmen course sequence based on the macro-to micro-teaching approach that was team-taught, and organized around unifying themes. Content learning assessment drove the conceptual framework of our course sequence. Content student learning increased significantly in 12 of the categories examined using pre and post assessment instruments. Focus and individual student interviews revealed that students experienced a sense of ownership after completing two, five-week guided inquiry projects. Pass rate for the second semester class increased significantly from 55% to 85%. The percentage of underrepresented students passing the new sequence was higher than 72%, and was 86% atthe end of the second year of full course sequence implementation. Keywords: Team teaching, macro to micro teaching approach INTRODUCTION Traditionally, freshmen biology course sequences at the university level begin with basic chemistry concepts, have an extended animal and plant taxonomy component, and end with ecology, regardless of the intellectual maturity of the students taking the course. Concepts are organized as silosand instructors assume that students can make connections between disparate content (Gardner & Belland, 2012). Making matters worse is that most chosen textbooks are encyclopedic in nature. In traditional biology freshman courses, both instructors and students place an emphasis on learning definitions, recalling memorized information, or recognizing word patterns in order to answer multiple choice exam questions (Martin, 2015; Momsen et al., 2010) . Information learned at this low level is only retained for the exam. Content superficiality is not amenable for the construction of cognitive conceptual scaffolds that aid in learning more complex concepts in upper division courses, where application of knowledge is essential (Momsen et al., 2010) . Furthermore, some biology university faculty stress the importance of learning facts without questioning what students should learn, how the concepts are taught, and when students should learn the material (Gardner & Belland, 2012; Momsen et al., 2010) . Several national reports have stressed the importance of teaching biology not as a collection of historical facts, but as an active, participatory endeavor that should mimic the way science is done (Committee on undergraduate education to prepare research scientists for the 21st century, NRC, 2003; PCAST, 2012) . Furthermore, the Vision & Change Report provided the biology community at large with core concepts that a modern biology university education should follow (American Association for the Advancement of Science, 2011; Musante, 2011) . Our previous freshman biology sequence consisted of three semesters (Plant Biology, Animal Biology, and Cell Biology), with 3 hr lectures and 2 hr lab sections per week. The first two semesters (Plant Biology and Animal Biology) were taxonomy heavy. Content was organized in silos and there was no reinforcement of concepts within each semester. Students had low retention rates and were unprepared for upper division work. The new two-semester course sequence was designed to increase student persistence, reduce the failure rate for students enrolled in the new core (without reducing academic standards), increase conceptual understanding, and incorporate active learning strategies that were absent in the previous freshmen sequence. We present results from the de

FAQs

What design approach guided the new freshmen biology course sequence?

The sequence used a macro-to micro teaching approach and was team-taught, with content organized around unifying themes. Content learning assessment informed the conceptual framework of the sequence.

How did student learning outcomes change after implementing the new sequence?

Content student learning increased significantly in 12 of the examined categories based on pre/post assessment instruments. The second-semester pass rate increased from 55% to 85%.

What evidence was used to evaluate student success and persistence?

Evaluation included pre/post concept assessments, SALG responses, surveys, and student interviews, along with passing-rate data. Students also reported a sense of ownership after completing guided inquiry projects.

Oct 15, 2026

Upload by Ben