SABER 2017- Abstracts Long Talks
Abstracts -Long talks
Friday Opening Session- Wiley 125
Attracting more biology majors to research: Leveraging students existing values
Sarah Eddy*, Florida International University; Erin Dolan, University of Georgia
Abstract # 74
Currently, the number of STEM graduates is not enough to meet the growing need for a robust
STEM research workforce in the United States. Biology, with one of the largest undergraduate
enrollments of any STEM discipline, could play a substantial role in meeting this demand, but
the majority of biology majors are interested in health professions rather than research careers.
Interest development theory suggests students could be attracted into biology research careers
if they see the utility of these careers for fulfilling their personal goals. In this study, we take
the first step toward identifying student goals that could be leveraged to attract them to
research careers by surveying two cohorts of entering biology majors at a large southern R1
university (n = 561). We characterized students’ interest in research careers by asking them to
list their top two career goals. From this, we created a scale of no interest to exclusive interest
in research careers. We measured student values using two instruments: Diekman et al.’s
(2010) goal orientation and Estrada et al.’s (2011) science values orientation. Goal orientation
measures the importance of five values to students: prestige, autonomy, competency, service,
and sociality. The science values orientation measure how aligned students values are with
those generally accepted in the scientific community. We found significant differences
between students with exclusively research career interest from those with no research career
interest on three of the five goal orientation factors: prestige (One-way ANOVA: F(3,613): 3.50,
p = 0.015) , service (Kruskal-Wallis rank sum test: χ2= 25.7, p < 0.0001), and sociality (KruskalWallis rank sum test: χ2= 22.9, df = 3, p< 0.0001). In all three cases, students with no research
career interests reported these values as more important. Research career interest also
predicted student’s science values orientation, with students with a strong research career
interest reporting greater alignment with the values held by the scientific community (χ2 = 38.1,
p < 0.0001). These findings suggest that instructors may be able to attract more students to
research careers if they emphasize how these careers can contributes to student’s goals of
prestige, service, and sociality.
Evaluating and improving graphing knowledge and construction skills with the use of
evidence-based instructional tools
Aakanksha Angra*, Georgia Institute of Technology; Stephanie Gardner, Purdue University
Abstract # 129
Creating clear and appropriate visualizations of data is a fundamental practice of science and
biological experimentation. Undergraduate students are increasingly faced with decisions in
the areas of data handling and representation, yet these skills are always not explicitly taught.
As part of a larger study, we developed evidence-based instructional graphing tools for
students with the aim of improving reasoning with data handling and graphic representations.
Here we share findings from a study conducted at a large Midwestern research-intensive
university in the United States. The context of this study was the laboratory component of an
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upper division physiology course taken by biology majors during two non-intervention (N=139)
and two intervention (N=123) semesters. In this study, students worked in small groups to
design experiments, collect data, analyze and present their findings to the class. Graphing tools
were incorporated into the semester-long instructional intervention using the six-step cognitive
apprenticeship model which aims to make implicit knowledge explicit, to make the contexts of
student learning authentic and relevant, and to provide the learner with a variety of
experiences and contexts in which to practice skills, which guides them towards expertise. As
part of the intervention, instructors modeled appropriate graph selection and construction and
students practiced reflection using an active peer review model with instructor feedback.
Student usage of the instructional materials was noted in the instructor’s field notes, and the
frequency of downloads of instructional materials was tracked from course management
software throughout the semester. The effectiveness of the teaching intervention was
evaluated by: pre/post survey on graph knowledge, and comparison of students’ graphs to
those in the non-intervention semesters. The pre and post surveys showed students’ greater
awareness of various types of graphs in the post survey, but the line graph was a popular choice
during both the pre and post surveys. There was no observable change between the pre and
post surveys with regard to reasoning behind graph choice. Compared to student groups in the
non-intervention semesters, by the last lab, more student groups chose to construct either a
box or dot plot, graphs were appropriately aligned with the research question and hypothesis,
and the quality of graphs constructed was better in the intervention semesters. In addition, this
instructional approach, with its resources and practices, has provided further insights into
student competencies and difficulties that persist with graphing, and can be used to guide
future instruction and assessment.
Characterizing the Landscape of Undergraduate Life Science Majors’ Attitudes Toward the
Use of Math in Biology
Sarah Andrews*, Melissa Aikens, University of New Hampshire
Abstract # 140
National calls for integrating quantitative skills into the undergraduate biology curriculum have
led to reform efforts designed to improve quantitative skill instruction in biology courses. One
challenge of such reform efforts is negative student attitudes toward math, which may impact a
student’s performance in courses that integrate math and biology. However, little empirical
evidence exists regarding undergraduates’ attitudes toward using math in a biology context
(math-biology) or how such attitudes may vary among a diverse population. We focus on
quantifying attitudes related to the construct of task-values (expectancy value theory), which
includes enjoyment, emotional toll of a task, and perceptions of the usefulness of a task. In the
context of math-biology, task-values translate to interest in using math to understand biology,
perceived usefulness of math for a life science career, and cost (e.g. anxiety or extra effort) of
using math in biology courses. Our goal was to characterize the landscape of math-biology taskvalues among life science majors and determine to what extent these values differ according to
student demographic and academic characteristics. We previously validated the Math-Biology
Values Instrument (MBVI), an 11-item survey grounded in expectancy-value theory, as a
measure of undergraduate life science majors’ math-biology task-values. We administered this
online survey in fall 2016 and spring 2017 to 777 life science majors at 11 institutions across the
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United States; data were analyzed using separate linear mixed-effect models for each taskvalue subscale (interest, utility value, and cost). Students who were the first generation in their
family to attend college (n=87) reported significantly lower utility value and interest (ß = -0.32
and -0.74, p = 0.02 and < 0.001, respectively) and significantly higher cost (ß = 0.40, p = 0.03)
than students who were not first generation (n=683). Additionally, female students (n=541)
reported significantly lower interest (ß = -0.57, p < 0.001) and significantly higher perceived cost
(ß = 0.31, p = 0.02) than male students (n=228). Honor students (n=167) reported significantly
higher interest (ß = 0.48, p = 0.003) than students who were not in an honors program (n=600).
Year in school was not a significant predictor of task-values. Our results suggest that
instructional strategies geared toward increasing interest in, and/or reducing stress related to
using math in biology could be beneficial for addressing the needs of diverse learners,
particularly first generation students and women. The MBVI could be used to test the
effectiveness of such strategies.
Saturday
Metacognitive Regulation: How Undergraduate Students Evaluate and Adjust their
Approaches to Learning in Biology
Julie Dangremond Stanton*, University of Georgia
Abstract # 170
Students with awareness and control of their own thinking can learn more and perform better
than students who are not metacognitive. Metacognitive regulation is how you control your
thinking in order to learn. It includes the skill of evaluation, which is the ability to appraise your
approaches to learning and then modify your plans based on those appraisals. Metacognitive
skills can have a significant impact on learning and performance, but many undergraduate
students are still developing these abilities. We need to understand the important changes that
occur as students acquire these skills in order to help them develop their metacognition more
effectively. In this talk, we summarize our initial steps toward this goal by synthesizing results
from qualitative studies we have conducted over the last three years. We used exam
preparation as a context for studying the metacognitive regulation skills used by introductory
biology students (n=245). We collected data from students through open-ended self-evaluation
assignments after the first and second exams in the course. We coded these data for evidence
of metacognitive regulation skills. From our analysis, we outlined a continuum with four
possible categories of metacognitive development. “Not Engaging” students were unwilling
evaluate or adjust their study plans. “Struggling” students were willing to change their
approaches to learning, but they had trouble evaluating and adjusting, in that their strategies
did not align with their reported issues. “Emerging” students could evaluate, adjust, and select
appropriate approaches, but they did not always follow their study plans. “Developing”
students evaluated and adjusted their study plans, and followed their new plans. These results
led to new questions. For example, why don’t Emerging students follow their study plans?
What causes Developing students to evaluate their approaches to learning? To answer these
questions, we needed to study students with well-developed metacognition. We asked when,
why, and how senior-level, upper-division biology students evaluated their approaches to
learning. Self-evaluation assignments were used to identify students with potentially high
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metacognition, and semi-structured interviews were used to collect rich data (n=25). Using
content analysis, we found that students evaluated their approaches to learning when facing
novel challenges. While evaluating their study strategies, students considered performance and
learning simultaneously. We gained insights on the barriers students encounter when they
attempt to change based on their evaluations. For example, students may use study strategies
they know to be ineffective because effective strategies cause them discomfort. In these
qualitative studies, we interpret our findings using the metacognition framework and
contextualize our results using social cognitive theory. We offer evidence-based suggestions for
instructors who want to help improve student metacognition.
Assessing the mechanisms that improve student performance in Flipped and Non-Flipped
Classrooms of Introductory Biology: A Multi-year Study
Jamie Jensen*, Brigham Young University; Emily Holt, University of Northern Colorado; Heath
Ogden, Utah Valley University; Jacob Sowards, Brigham Young University
Abstract # 54
The insurgence of the ‘flipped’ approach into the undergraduate classroom has occurred with
very little controlled research explaining its success. The purpose of this multi-year project was
to better inform the use of the flipped model by revealing the causal mechanisms underlying its
success in student learning. Our work can offer evidenced-based recommendations for best
practices to improve learning in introductory biology courses. We collected data over two
years (four semesters) in introductory non-majors biology courses at two large institutions: a
public, open-enrollment institution and a private, highly-selective institution. We proposed
three main causal mechanisms that may influence the effectiveness of ‘flipped learning’: 1) A
transition from passive, teacher-centered to active, student-centered instruction; 2) A shift in
the responsibilities of the instructor through re-ordering of in-class and home activities (i.e., the
‘flip’); and 3) The format of content delivery in the flipped approach. We empirically tested
each factor using five treatment conditions in an authentic classroom environment, keeping
curricular materials, TA access, and instructors constant, to determine each factors’ effect on
student learning of biology content knowledge. Each treatment condition comprised a
semester-long course of introductory biology, with each class session consisting of a ‘Content
Attainment’ phase followed by a ‘Concept Application’ phase as follows: Two non-flipped
treatments—(1) student-centered or (2) teacher-centered in-class Content Attainment followed
by at-home Concept Application assignments; and three flipped treatments—Content
Attainment done through (1) student-centered interactive tutorials, (2) teacher-centered video
lectures, and (3) teacher-centered textbook-style readings followed by in-class Concept
Application activities. Our response variables were the number of attempts and performance
on assessments following Content Attainment, performance on unit exams, and performance
on a final summative assessment. Our results suggest that a transition from teacher- to
student-centered Content Attainment has little effect on overall achievement at either
institution, that the flip has no influence on overall student achievement, and that video
lectures appear to be the most effective means of delivering content in a flipped classroom. In
addition, on the final summative assessment, students at the public institution achieved
equivalent scores as the highly-selective, private institution students in all treatments, despite
them having significantly lower cognitive skills scores than the private students. This trend, and
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lack of distinguishable differences in treatments may be due to the constructivist nature of the
curriculum and the systematic implementation of application practice. We will present the
intricate findings of this research along with our suggestion for curriculum reform based on
these results.
Sunday
What do you need to know to effectively implement active-learning instruction in large
college biology classes? An expert-novice approach to address this critical question
Anna Jo Auerbach*, University of Georgia; Tessa Andrews, University of Georgia
Abstract # 105
Active-learning strategies can improve STEM undergraduates’ abilities to learn fundamental
concepts and skills. However, the results instructors achieve vary substantially. One factor that
affects how instructors design and implement active learning is their knowledge of teaching and
learning. Teacher noticing is a theoretical construct of teacher knowledge that encompasses
what an instructor notices in a classroom and how they interpret it. Teacher noticing is
positively associated with student outcomes in K12 but has not been explored in undergraduate
instructors. Guided by this construct, we aimed to discover knowledge that is important to
effective active-learning instruction, especially in large classes. We compared teacher noticing
by expert versus novice active-learning instructors who teach large college biology classes (n =
44). We used screening interviews and student learning data to establish that experts were
experienced and effective, and that novices had recently adopted active learning. We elicited
teacher noticing by asking respondents to analyze videos of college biology lessons. We used
qualitative content analysis to document the thinking employed by instructors and quantitative
approaches (e.g., Fisher’s Exact Tests) to contrast experts and novices. Our analyses identified
and characterized what experts and novices notice and the nature and depth of their reasoning
about what they notice. Our results, which we only preview here, elucidate: (1) knowledge
that facilitates highly effective active-learning instruction and can therefore serve as learning
objectives for professional development; and (2) existing knowledge of novice instructors on
which teaching professional development can build. For example, experts were more likely to
consider whether an instructor took opportunities to learn about student thinking during class
(p=0.04), whereas novices more often praised instructors for answering students’ questions
(p=0.03). Experts were more likely to reveal knowledge of common student difficulties with
specific topics and fruitful approaches to teaching those topics (p=0.03), even though novices
and experts were equally likely to have recently taught these topics (p=0.21). Experts and
novices both noticed the classroom climate and whether inclusion was promoted, but experts
were more likely to emphasize that students needed to feel a sense of belonging to the
classroom community (p<0.001). This work provides an evidence base for the future design of
training to promote knowledge important to active-learning instruction. Improving teacher
knowledge will improve the implementation of active learning, which will be necessary to
widely realize the potential benefits of active learning in undergraduate STEM.
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Challenging Notions of Stable Cognitive Construal-based Thinking in Undergraduate Biology
Students
Julia Gouvea*, Tufts University; Matthew Simon, Tufts University
Abstract # 168
In this talk we address the controversial question of whether or not underlying cognitive biases
(aka cognitive construals) can explain patterns of biological thinking in undergraduates.
Research in cognitive psychology, primarily in young children, has examined three cognitive
construals: teleology (Kelemen 1999), essentialism (Shtulman & Schulz 2008) and
anthropocentrism (Tamir & Zohar 1991). Coley and Tanner (2012, 2015) have proposed that
these construals persist into adulthood and are at the root of many biological misconceptions
at the undergraduate level. We argue that this work has not ruled out an alternative
explanation for why students agree with misconception statements. Namely, that they are
noticing valid biological relationships (as in ojalehto et al. 2013) rather than noticing and
agreeing with construal-based content. For example, we propose that a student who agrees
with the statement, “Plants produce oxygen so that animals can breathe,” may intend to agree
that plant-produced oxygen and animal breathing are related, without meaning to imply that
the former causes the latter. To test this idea, we designed a survey with a cue to draw
students’ attention to the construal content by first presenting a more obvious construal
statement (e.g. “Animals’ need to breathe is what causes plants to produce oxygen”). We
predicted that when cued, students would be less likely to agree with inaccurate biological
statements, and that is the pattern we found for all twelve statements (e.g. Fig 1). Students’
written justifications for their survey responses contained evidence of consideration of multiple
kinds of biologically appropriate relationships. We also observed language that directly and
explicitly contradicted construal-based thinking (frequently from students who agreed with the
misconception statements). We propose that an alternative context-sensitive model of
cognition better explains our data as well as data patterns reported in prior cognitive construal
literature. This model proposes that students draw upon fine-grained cognitive resources in
their reasoning (e.g. Hammer et al. 2005) rather than stable, deeply held construals. This model
is supported by our data, which demonstrates that without cuing, students may be looking for
(and finding) valid biological relationships to agree with. With cuing, students seem to
recognize the flawed logic and are more likely to disagree. This talk will contribute an
alternative theory to explain misconceptions and raise methodological issues for the
community to consider. Finally, we will discuss the implications of context-dependent models
of cognition for biology instruction, arguing that instructors can best support student learning
by identifying and building on productive cognitive resources.
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