Workshops

Industry needs for positions in STEM-based careers continue to increase, but university STEM majors have low retention rates. This difficulty in retention, especially for underrepresented groups, is because many students feel disconnected from the inherently difficult subject matter. The demographic of STEM majors also includes a higher proportion of neurodivergent students, like those with Autism Spectrum Disorder, than other majors (Wei et al. 2013). Gamification is the incorporation of game elements into the learning environment and a form of active learning that can increase student engagement through game-style lessons, leading to advanced comprehension. Gamification is critical in STEM as it has elements of structured accessibility that can be helpful to neurodivergent students, increasing student confidence and barriers. Our research shows that students preferred gamified lessons and gamification led for increasedunderstanding in STEM. This gamified workshop will be an active exploration of gamification in STEM. This experiential learning includes individual and group activities including hands-on experience with high and low tech gamification options. After completing the workshop, participants will have produced a gamified lesson plan with a resource sheet to help them in the future gamification of lessons. 

Assessment of student learning is critically important for evaluating our teaching of biology because if we don’t assess what is important, what is assessed becomes important! Designing assessments that demonstrate students’ knowledge and abilities to use and interconnect knowledge are key to transforming undergraduate biology education. V&C presents the idea of multidimensional learning that helps instructors define what they want students to learn (core ideas), what they want students to do with their knowledge (scientific practices), and how they want students to focus their knowledge through multiple lenses (crosscutting concepts). A Framework for K-12 Science Education: Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Core Ideas (2012) advocates a similar framework for pre-college students.

Using this framework, researchers are working to transform gateway science courses by moving beyond active learning to create scientifically authentic, learner-centered classrooms using three-dimensional learning (3DL) (Cooper et al 2024). The dimensions are used by practicing scientists when they apply their knowledge to investigate and reason about phenomena. This workshop will use protocols developed by these researchers that characterize the extent to which assessments and instruction in introductory biology courses provide opportunities for students to engage with three dimensions. The 3DL is a useful tool for both research and teaching professional development. Additionally, we will consider how the increasing availability of AI can support 3DL, for both the instructors as they evaluate assessments and the students as they reason through 3D tasks.

Participants will work in groups based on the courses they teach or are researching in biological sciences to redesign and develop open-ended and multiple-choice assessment items and learn how to use and apply the criteria of Three-Dimensional Learning Assessment Protocol (3D-LAP). Ebert-May will assist participants as they use the protocols for assessment item development and practice-focused instruction (aka scientific teaching). This tool can be used to evaluate courses, individual class meetings, and support research on course transformation efforts.

Please bring a sample exam that you wish to work with as well as the objectives that align with the exam questions. Upon completion of the workshop, you will be able to design and/or characterize any assessment item using the 3D-LAP. The tool is useful for research and teaching development because it can reliably document how assessments in course change over time.

Participant outcomes:

a. Design and characterize assessment items using the 3D-LAP tool.

b. Apply knowledge of 3DL to modify an existing assessment and create new ones.

c. Use the 3D-LAP as a tool for evaluating assessments for research and teaching.

d. Discuss how AI could support 3DL for both the instructors and students.

This workshop aims to ease the transition from reflective teaching practice into discipline-based education research (DBER). Effective educators are reflective about their instructional practice, engaging in a cycle in which they assess their teaching, reflect on the results of this assessment, and modify their teaching based on these results and using evidence-based practices. Many instructors who engage in this type of scholarly teaching approach are interested in taking a further step and engaging in Biology Education Research (BER) by developing and rigorously assessing pedagogical evidence-based practices. However, transitioning from consuming these practices to contributing to the BER literature can be difficult and frustrating for individuals whose academic training is in a field other than education research, since the field of BER encompasses approaches, methods, and terminology from the social sciences and science education research that are vastly different from those in content-based biology research. Nevertheless, it can be satisfying to translate our curiosity about our teaching and our students into answers that can be shared with other instructors through publishable education research.

In this workshop, participants will learn how DBER goes beyond reflective classroom practice and will work to identify and refine a biology education research (BER) question they are interested in investigating. We will also discuss selecting qualitative or quantitative research methods to test a research question, the ethics of research with human subjects, and how to leverage collaborations to support the transition to DBER. The session will consist of an interactive presentation with frequent prompts and worksheets that allow participants to: (1) plan and discuss how they could translate the topics presented into a feasible BER program, and (2) reflect on how to apply the session topics to their research interests. Participants will have the opportunity to work both individually and in groups. At the end of the workshop, participants will leave with one or more research questions in DBER and a concrete plan to investigate them.

In this workshop, participants will discuss how our students are impacted by a lack of diverse role models in biology curricula and insufficient practice with data interpretation skills. Participants will then review the barriers faced by instructors who would like to change their curricula to address these problems, and learn how the Biologists and Graph Interpretation (BioGraphI) Project addresses these barriers through professional development opportunities. BioGraphI is an NSF-funded project that strives to increase student persistence in biology through improving representation of diverse scientists and incorporating data interpretation skills in the curriculum. As a growing Research Coordination Network of faculty, we are creating and publishing curricular materials as Open Educational Resources in online Faculty Mentoring Networks, presenting workshops to demonstrate how to implement or adapt our curriculum, and partnering with other initiatives with similar goals.

Workshop participants will explore BioGraphI lessons available on our webpage, learn how faculty produced each lesson in collaboration with the scientist featured in the lesson, and how students have responded to these lessons. We will guide participants through the process of selecting and adapting one BioGraphI lesson to a course by first considering how DEI is addressed throughout their course, beginning in their syllabus. Participants will reflect on how interleaving DEI awareness throughout their course will impact the student experience in their classroom. Participants will receive resources to help them create and evaluate their DEI statements, course syllabi, and inclusive classroom environments. Participants will then utilize backwards design to select an existing BioGraphI lesson and review and revise its learning outcomes and activities to best fit their course’s goals and student audience. Finally, for participants who wish to create and publish their own BioGraphI lesson, we will introduce them to the application process to join an online BioGraphI Faculty Mentoring Network.

Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) are hot topics within education research and among educators. However, much of the focus in DEI is situated around race and gender, leaving disability to be widely unaddressed. Between 80 and 90% of all disabilities are invisible, and students, particularly non-white and non-male students, often go un- or underdiagnosed. Ongoing data analysis indicates that upwards of 40% of students in a classroom self-identify as disabled, but less than 15% of those who self-identify as disabled have accommodation letters. One common trait most disabled students share is executive dysfunction. We often see the impacts of executive dysfunction play out in the classroom. This workshop focuses on disability, executive dysfunction in particular, and how to innovate and implement accessible and inclusive classroom practices. At the end of this workshop, it is expected that participants will have a better understanding of access, disability, and the challenges many disabled students deal with. Participants will work together to create a toolbox of accessible and inclusive strategies for implementation in future courses.

By the end of the workshop, it is expected that:

• Participants will have a base knowledge of disability and access that can be used to advocate for their students

• Participants will have a better understanding of executive dysfunction and that, contrary to popular myth, students cannot just “knuckle down and get through it”

• Participants will leave with a toolbox of strategies and techniques to be implemented in their classroom practices and structure to create a more accessible learning environment for all students.

Non-major biology courses are a valuable opportunity to introduce students from various disciplines to the wonders and practices of biology. However, traditional grading methods often fail to accommodate the diverse backgrounds and learning needs of these students, potentially leading to decreased motivation, engagement, and learning. Labor-based grading offers a refreshing alternative by focusing on student effort and participation rather than conventional performance metrics, emphasizing the process of learning over the outcome. This grading approach has been shown to reduce student stress, increase course clarity, promote risk-taking, and enhance student autonomy, fostering a more supportive learning environment. It also minimizes instructor bias and accounts for the diverse advantages and challenges students bring with them into the course, making it a fairer and more socially just assessment strategy. And for instructors, it can actually make grading an enjoyable experience!

In this workshop, participants will:

• Engage in hands-on activities and interactive discussions to gain insights into the core principles of labor-based grading

• Explore real-world examples and applications of labor-based grading in non-major biology courses

• Develop an action plan to incorporate labor-based grading into a non-major biology course in their specific context

By the end of the workshop, participants will have acquired practical knowledge, tools, and strategies for effectively implementing labor-based grading in their courses, enhancing student motivation and reducing the stress associated with traditional grading methods. Join us to transform your non-major biology course into a more engaging, supportive, and enjoyable learning experience with labor-based grading, paving the way for improved student success and deeper learning.

Office hours are one of the primary settings for student-instructor interactions outside of the classroom and provide a space for academic support, professional development, mentoring, and more. However, office hours are often underutilized by students. This workshop is designed to empower STEM educators to design and implement strategies to promote student engagement in office hours, creating a more equitable space.  We will share the results of our research examining student and instructor experiences in office hours across multiple institutions, and will engage workshop participants in discussions considering how the research findings can inform their own changes in office hours with the goal of increasing engagement and support for students. Participants will have the opportunity to reflect on their own experiences, share ideas, apply the research findings to their own practice, and receive feedback from the group. We will guide workshop participants in developing an action plan for their own office hour praxis to promote student engagement. 

By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to… 

• Summarize recent research on student and instructor experiences in office hours, and discuss how these findings may apply to their own office hours

• Identify multiple barriers to office hours engagement

• Propose strategies for improving student engagement in their own office hours

• Develop an action plan to implement strategies to foster OH engagement 

The workshop will provide a space for participants to receive feedback and guidance from workshop facilitators - education researchers from the UCI Postsecondary Education Research and Implementation (PERI) Institute, as well as their SABER West peers on grant proposals, manuscripts, and research proposals that are in the draft phase. Workshop participants will be individuals with a current in-progress project who will be expected to (1) submit a draft of their project one week prior to the conference and (2) identify specific areas where support/guidance is needed. During the workshop, participants will work in small groups with a facilitator to work through challenges, brainstorm ideas, and leverage a backwards design process in an effort to progress to a next stage/final draft.       

By the end of this workshop, participants will: 

• Identify actionable steps to get to their grant proposal, manuscript, or research proposal to a final draft

• Set progress goals and timelines 

• Expand their network of research colleagues to seek support and feedback from

Due to the high touch nature of this workshop, participant spots will be limited.