Flipping an Introductory Biology Course

In 2011, we started a program on our campus aimed at improving student success in STEM disciplines through a flipped classroom facilitated by Learning Assistants (LAs). Currently more than 400 students, and 30 learning assistants benefit from the program every semester. The results are impressive (statistics are provided in last year's eportfolio), and at the end of every semester we hear raving praise for the program from students and LAs. One of the goals of this proposal is, of course, to continue to improve and carefully grow the program by supporting faculty and LAs. At the end of each semester, the learning assistants frequently comment on how much better learners they have become through the program, and we often wonder how to extend these benefits as to reach all of our students. Our second goal in this proposal is exactly that: to build a learning skills website to provide resources that can help students improve their metacognitive skills, and learn how to learn. We are creating tools that students can freely access, as well as activities that can be assigned to students by any faculty member teaching a STEM class. Students will be able to document their work and turn it into their instructor for extra-credit or participation points. The website will also contain selected links to external resources; and a few short videos where we model a productive and reflective dialog between four students. In BIO2, we assessed a specific metacognitive activity, provided to students as an optional assignment at the beginning of the semester. Results from that study and samples of curriculum from our flipped course are provided on this website. We further show data indicating that students perceive the curriculum, including the use of Learning Assistants, as beneficial to their learning and engagement.