Single Subject Matter Preparation Program in Biology
San Francisco State University
College of Science and Engineering
April 28, 2010
1
Table of Contents
Introduction
Page 3
Preconditions
Page 4
Standard 1
Page 8
Standard 2
Page 23
Standard 3
Page 31
Standard 4
Page 38
Standard 5
Page 42
Standard 6
Page 48
Standard 7
Page 53
Standard 8
Page 58
Standard 9
Page 62
Standard 10
Page 67
Standard 11
Page 71
Standard 12
Page 76
Standard 13
Page 81
Standard 14
Page 87
Standard 15
Page 103
Standard 16
Page 112
Standard 17
Page 116
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Introduction
San Francisco State University (SFSU)'s College of Science and
Engineering (COSE) proposes a single subject matter preparation program
(SSMPP) in biological/life sciences that addresses the standards established by
the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CCTC). By design, the
coursework for the SSMPP in biology comprises a significant subset of the
requirements for extant Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees in
this discipline at SFSU. Most of the courses required for teacher candidates
are also part of the curricula for students who intend to pursue undergraduate
and advanced degrees and careers in life science other than teaching. This
proposal represents a thorough revision, with respect to biology, of the
combined program document SFSU submitted in 2005 covering all four of its
science SSMP programs. SFSU program proposals in other sciences are now
being submitted separately.
SFSU is dedicated to creating and maintaining an environment for
learning that promotes respect for and appreciation of scholarship and human
diversity in the cultural mosaic of the city of San Francisco and the San
Francisco Bay area. The members of its faculty are committed teachers first, but
they are also active scholars and many are involved in partnerships with the
community, including the K-12 education community. SFSU is widely known for
its high-quality science instruction and the success of its science students and
graduates. This environment will contribute to preparing fully qualified science
teachers through the SSMPPs.
The University is accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Senior
Colleges and Universities of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges
(WASC). The Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry is accredited by the
American Chemical Society (ACS) and the College of Education is accredited by
the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE). (There
are no formal accreditation organizations for the other three science departments
contributing to our subject matter program.)
We believe that this proposal meets the standards of the California
Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CCTC) for subject matter preparation
programs in biology. To ensure that the program measures up to the promises
made in this proposal and continues to meet CCTC’s standards in the future,
COSE has now initiated the Center for Science and Mathematics Education
(CSME) that will administer each SSMPP science program in cooperation with the
contributing departments and promote science and mathematics education
research and faculty and curriculum development collaborations among SFSU
faculty, community college instructors, and the K-12 education community.
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Preconditions for the Approval of
Subject Matter Programs in Science
To be approved by the Commission, a Subject Matter Program in Science must comply
with the following preconditions.
(1) Each Program of Subject Matter Preparation for the Single Subject Teaching
Credential in Science shall include (a) a minimum of 24 semester units (or 36
quarter units) of core coursework in science subjects and related subjects that are
commonly taught in departmentalized classes in California public schools,
and (b) a minimum of 18 semester units (or 27 quarter units) of coursework that provides
extended study of the subject, and (c) 3 semester units (or 5 quarter units) in
the subject. These requirements are elaborated in Preconditions 2 and 3.
(2) The core of the program (Breadth of Study) shall include coursework in (or directly
related to) biological sciences, chemistry, geosciences and physics as
commonly taught in departmentalized science classes in California public schools.
(3) Extended studies in the program (Depth of Study) shall include at least one
concentration of the four science areas. Each concentration shall comprise at least
18 semester units or 27 quarter units. In addition the program shall include at least 3
semester units (5 quarter units) of additional extended study, either
designated as breadth or depth studies at the discretion of the institution.
In addition to describing how a program meets each standard of program quality in this
handbook, the program document by an institution shall include the course titles, unit
designations, catalog descriptions and syllabi of all courses in the program that are used
to meet the standards. Program documents must include a matrix chart that identifies
which courses meet which standards.
Institutions may determine whether the standards and required elements are addressed
through one or more courses for each commonly taught subject or courses offering
integrated study of these subjects. Institutions may also define the program in terms of
required or elective coursework.
However, elective options must be equivalent in meeting the standards. Coursework
offered by any appropriate department(s) of a regionally accredited institution may
satisfy the preconditions and standards in this handbook. Programs may use general
education courses in meeting the standards.
(1) Each Program of Subject Matter Preparation for the Single Subject Teaching
Credential in Science shall include (a) a minimum of 24 semester units (or 36
quarter units) of core coursework in science subjects and related subjects that are
commonly taught in departmentalized classes in California public schools,
and (b) a minimum of 18 semester units (or 27 quarter units) of coursework that provides
extended study of the subject, and (c) 3 semester units (or 5 quarter units) in
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the subject. These requirements are elaborated in Preconditions 2 and 3.
Each SFSU SSMPP program, including the Biology SSMPP, requires 35
semester units of core (breadth) coursework in science commonly taught in
California public schools, which exceeds the minimum requirement of 24 units.
(See Standard 14 in this document.)
The program in biology (like those in chemistry, geosciences, and physics)
offers options for extended study. The unit requirements for each concentration
differ, but they range from 18 to 32 units of coursework in the concentration
beyond the core (breadth) coursework plus 4 to 22 units of prerequisites or other
direct requirements in other, supporting mathematics and science disciplines
outside of the concentration discipline. Combined, the unit requirements for
extended study beyond the core (breadth) requirements range from 29 to 44
units. Considered either way, each concentration meets or exceeds the minimum
requirement of 18 semester units of extended study beyond the core (breadth)
requirements.
The required courses and unit totals for the biology SSMPP are as follows:
Single Subject Matter Program of Study in Biological Sciences
Course
BIOL 230
Course Title
Depth
Semester
Units
5
BIOL 355
Introductory Biology I
[lecture (3) and lab (2)]
Introductory Biology II
[lecture (3) and lab (2)]
Genetics
BIOL 337
Evolution
3
BIOL 652
SFSU Science Partners in K-12 Schools
4
BIOL 525, 612
or 630
BIOL 350, 401,
435, 450, 524,
or CHEM 349
BIOL 351, 402,
436, 526, 613,
or 631
BIOL 482, 529,
or 585
CHEM 1151
Physiology course
(plant, human, or animal)
Cell Biology course
3
Cell Biology or Physiology Lab
2
Ecology (general, plant, or marine)
[lecture (2 or 3), field and/or lab (2 or 1)]
General Chemistry I
[lecture (3) and lab (2)]
General Chemistry II, Gen Chem II Lab
4
BIOL 240
CHEM 215/216
5
Breadth
Semester
Units
5
3
3
5
3, 2
CHEM 130
Organic Chemistry
3
PHYS 111/1121
General Physics I, General Physics I Lab
3, 1
PHYS 121/1221
General Physics II, Gen Physics II Lab
3, 1
SCI 510
Search for Solutions
3
MATH 226
or MATH 124
Calculus I or
Elementary Statistics
4 or 3
Total Biology Units:
Total Prerequisite and Other Units:
Total SSMPP in Biological Sciences Units:
____
32
______
27 or 28
______
59 or 60
Footnotes:
1. CHEM 115 and PHYS 111/112 and 121/122 also satisfy core (breadth) program
requirements.
SFSU Bulletin Descriptions for all courses in the Biology SSMPP appear in the
Course List, Appendix PL. Syllabi for all courses appear in the Course
Syllabi, Appendix PS.
Combining the core (breadth) and extended (depth) programs, the total
unit requirements for the biology program and each SFSU single subject science
program range from 64 to 79 units, depending on the concentration selected.
These totals exceed the minimum requirement of 42 units of combined core
(breadth) units and extended (depth) units (24 + 18, respectively), plus 3 units of
either, for a total minimum of 45 units. The SSMPP in biology, as well as each of
the other SFSU single subject programs in science, therefore meets precondition
(1).
(2) The core of the program (Breadth of Study) shall include coursework in (or directly
related to) biological sciences, chemistry, geosciences and physics as commonly taught
in departmentalized science classes in California public schools.
The SFSU core (breadth) program in science includes an introductory
astronomy course for non-science majors offered by SFSU’s Department of
Physics and Astronomy; two introductory biology courses for majors offered by
SFSU’s Department of Biology; one introductory geology course for majors and
one integrated meteorology/oceanography/geology/planetology course for
science majors, both offered by SFSU’s Department of Geosciences; two
introductory physics courses for science majors offered by SFSU’s Department
of Physics; and one introductory course in chemistry for majors offered by
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SFSU’s Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. (See Standard 14 in this
document.) These requirements meet precondition (2).
(3) Extended studies in the program (Depth of Study) shall include at least one
concentration of the four science areas. Each concentration shall comprise at least
18 semester units or 27 quarter units. In addition the program shall include at least 3
semester units (5 quarter units) of additional extended study, either
designated as breadth or depth studies at the discretion of the institution.
SFSU sponsors four SSMPP programs in biology/life sciences, chemistry,
geosciences, and physics. The unit requirements for each concentration, not
counting units that also count toward core (breadth) requirements, range from 18
to 32 units in the discipline plus 4 to 22 units of prerequisites or other, supporting
math and science disciplines outside of the concentration discipline, for a total
ranging from 29 to 44 units.
The unit requirements for each concentration (not counting units that also
count toward the core (breadth) requirements) easily exceed the minimum of 18
units in the discipline plus 3 additional units of breadth or depth, thereby meeting
precondition (3). Please refer to the course lists and course syllabi in
Preconditions (1), as well as to Standard 15 in this document.
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Standards of Program Quality and Effectiveness
Category I: Standards Common to All Single Subject
Matter Preparation Programs
Standard 1: Program Philosophy and Purpose
The subject matter preparation program is based on an explicit statement of program
philosophy that expresses its purpose, design, and desired outcomes in relation to the
Standards of Quality and Effectiveness for Single Subject Teaching Credential Programs.
The program provides the
coursework and field experiences necessary to teach the specified subject to all of
California’s diverse public school population. Subject matter preparation in the program
for prospective teachers is academically rigorous and intellectually stimulating. The
program curriculum reflects
and builds on the State-adopted Academic Content Standards for K-12 Students and
Curriculum Frameworks for California Public Schools. The program is designed to
establish a strong foundation in and understanding of subject matter knowledge for
prospective teachers that provides a basis for continued development during each
teacher’s professional career. The
sponsoring institution assigns high priority to and appropriately supports the program as
an essential part of its mission.
The SFSU’s SSMP program in biology was founded to provide
prospective high school teachers with the subject matter preparation needed
to teach general science through 9th grade and one of four science
disciplines through 12th grade effectively. The philosophy guiding
the program’s development can be summarized as follows and is covered in
depth in Required Element 1.2:
(1) The program reflects the department’s intention to insure that future K-12
teachers have a high degree of content understanding in biology and
integrated sciences; a mastery of the process by which scientists in
biology and other disciplines work; a development of critical thinking and
analytical skills; effective communication and presentation skills; and the
effective teaching skills needed to educate future citizens and
professionals in our state.
(2) The required coursework should overlap as much as possible with San
Francisco State University’s (SFSU’s) B.A. degree requirements.
The breadth course requirements, common to all science SSMPP
candidates at SFSU, including those in biology, are designed to prepare teachers
of general science for California K-12 students. The courses are as follows:
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Table 1A: Core (Breadth) Program of Study in Science
Courses1
Course Titles
ASTR 115, 116
Introduction to Astronomy,
Introduction to Astronomy Lab
GEOL 110
Physical Geology
[lecture (3) and lab (1)]
Semester
Units
3, 1
4
GEOL/METR/OCN Planetary Climate Change
405
[lecture (3) and lab (1)]
4
BIOL 2302
Introduction to Biology I
[lecture (3) and lab (2)]
5
BIOL 2403
Introduction to Biology II
[lecture (3) and lab (2)]
5
PHYS 111, 1124
General Physics I,
General Physics I Lab
3, 1
PHYS 121, 1224
General Physics II,
General Physics II Lab
3, 1
CHEM 115
General Chemistry I
[lecture (3) and lab (2)]
5
Total core (breadth) units:
35
Footnotes:
1. For course descriptions, see Appendix 14/15B, pp. 3-7; App. 14/15C, p.
0a; App. 14/15D, pp. 0a-0g; and App. 14/15E, pp. 0a-0b.
2-3. BIOL 230 and 240 are breadth courses for students in science
SSMPPs other than biology. Breadth courses in the SSMPP in biology total
25 units.
4-5. The General Physics w/Calculus sequence and its associated labs,
PHYS 220/222, 230/232, and 240/242 (each 3+1 units), may be used
instead of the PHYS 111/112 and 121/122 sequence. MATH 226 and 227
(Calculus I and II, each 4 units) are prerequisites for PHYS 220, 230, & 240.
After fulfilling these breadth courses, biology program candidates are
prepared to teach biology, chemistry, physics, geology, and astronomy concepts,
methods, applications, and their various interrelationships at the K-9th grade
levels.
The depth course requirements for the SSMPP in biology encompass a
subset of the breadth requirements [BIOL 230, 240; PHYS 111, 112, 121, 122;
CHEM 115], but include many additional courses, including at least six upper
level biology courses; at least two additional chemistry courses; a math course; a
teaching field experience course [BIOL 652]; and an integrative capstone course,
9
[SCI 510]. Together, these prepare program candidates to teach life sciences
concepts, methods, applications, and integrations with other science disciplines
through the 12th grade level. The depth courses are as follows:
Table 1B: Extended (Depth) Program of Study in Biological
Sciences
Course
BIOL 230
Course Title
BIOL 355
Introductory Biology I
[lecture (3) and lab (2)]
Introductory Biology II
[lecture (3) and lab (2)]
Genetics
BIOL 337
Evolution
BIOL 240
Breadth
Semester
Units
5
3
3
BIOL 652
SFSU Science Partners in K-12
Schools
BIOL 525, 612 Physiology course
or 630
(plant, human, or animal)
BIOL 350, 401, Cell Biology course
435, 450,
524,
or CHEM
349
BIOL 351, 402, Cell Biology or Physiology Lab
436, 526,
613,
or 631
BIOL 482, 529, Ecology (general, plant, or marine)
or 585
[lecture (2 or 3), field and/or lab (2 or
1)]
1
CHEM 115
General Chemistry I
[lecture (3) and lab (2)]
CHEM 215
General Chemistry II, Gen Chem II
Lab
CHEM 130
Organic Chemistry
PHYS
111/1121
PHYS
121/1221
MATH 226
or MATH 124
Depth
Semester
Units
5
General Physics I, General Physics I
Lab
General Physics II, Gen Physics II
Lab
Calculus I or
Elementary Statistics
10
4
3
3
2
4
5
3
3
3, 1
3, 1
4 or 3
SCI 510
Search for Solutions
Total Biology Units:
Total Prerequisite and Other Units:
Total Biological Sciences Depth Program Units:
3
____
32
______
25 or 26
______
57 or 58
Footnotes:
1. BIOL 230/240, CHEM 115, and PHYS 111/112 and 121/122 also satisfy
core program requirements.
Students preparing for the B.A. degree in biology at SFSU follow a very
similar curriculum. They are not, however, required to take three courses that
are part of the SSMPP depth requirements and that are important for teacher
preparation: BIOL 337, Evolution—a thorough understanding of which is critical
for educating K-12 students and handling issues that can arise in the public
sector; SCI 652, SFSU Science Partners in K-12 Schools, which directly
prepares science teachers through seminars and hands-on classroom
experience; and the capstone course SCI 510, Search for Solutions. This course
requires students to apply and integrate their biological and other science
knowledge; to propose innovative solutions to global environmental problems
using these applications and integrations; and to write, speak, and present
detailed projects to fellow students. The breadth course GEOL/METR/OCN 405,
Planetary Climate Change, also requires well-developed analytic, problemsolving, and research skills, plus well-honed writing, speaking, and presentation
skills that help prepare them for classroom teaching.
By meeting objectives (1) and (2) [stated above], the program helps prepare
future teachers while they work toward their undergraduate degree, with the
additional requirements intended to meet CCTC standards left unmet by the
traditional B.A. degree program. This program design minimizes the burden that
students must bear to become teachers while preserving the quality of their
subject matter preparation. Objective (2) also makes the program consistent with
SFSU’s College of Science and Engineering (COSE) stated mission, which is:
… to provide an encouraging environment to develop the
intellectual capacity, critical thinking, creativity, and problem
solving ability of its students so that they may become
honorable, contributing, and forward-thinking members of the
science and engineering community…; to foster a conducive
environment for scholarly and creative activities so that new
knowledge or solutions to problems are discovered or created;
and to provide science education to all students in the University
so that they may be equipped to succeed in the modern world.
11
Objective (2) also makes the program faithful to COSE’s stated vision,
which makes commitments to the following:
… recruiting talented students, providing them with high-quality
and up-to-date curricula, and fostering an effective
teaching/learning environment.
… offering students an academic experience of “thinking,
learning, and doing.” The best way to provide this experience is
through involving students in research and the solution of real
world problems. Thus, teaching and research are mutually
supportive and one cannot excel without the other. The College
encourages the faculty to carry on research which involves
students and which serves the science and engineering
community.
… full participation in the community through service. This
service applies the knowledge and experience of its faculty, staff
and students to the solution of problems facing the University,
industry, government, or civic organizations. The College will
expand its already strong cooperative relationship with various
local and national organizations, especially in areas related to
K-12 science and math education.
Required Element 1.1 The program philosophy, design, and intended outcomes are
consistent with the content of the State-adopted Academic Content Standards for K-12
students and Curriculum Frameworks for California public schools.
The SFSU SSMP program in biology is consistent with the Department of
Biology’s core mission. Its mission statement is an overview of the in-depth
policy: “Advancing global health and the biosphere; educating future generations
of scientists, health professionals, teachers, and citizens.” The in-depth
statement speaks to the means of advancing global health and the biosphere
and educating future teachers and others:
…to provide an outstanding education, at the graduate and undergraduate
levels, preparing the next generation in the field and ensuring the nation’s
future with a science-literate, educated public. Students are exposed to
an integrated approach to biology at the molecular, cellular, organismal
and ecosystem levels, in the context of our society. Our education
emphasizes hands-on laboratory experience and the excitement of
discovery through cutting-edge investigation conducted in our own
nationally-recognized research laboratories. We are committed to serving
the needs of a student population with diverse backgrounds and goals, a
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geographic region rich in ecological complexity, and a community
operating at the forefront of basic science, biotechnology and medicine.
The SSMPP in biology is designed to address required elements of
subject matter knowledge and competence and skills and abilities for all domains
of science defined by CCTC. Since CCTC’s standards are designed to prepare
teachers to help K-12 students to meet Science Content Standards for California
Public Schools: Kindergarten Through Grade Twelve (1997) consistent with
Science Curriculum Frameworks for California Public Schools: Kindergarten
Through Grade Twelve (1999), our program should be, and is consistent with
those standards and that framework, as well.
Required Element 1.2 The statement of program philosophy shows a clear
understanding of the preparation that prospective teachers need in order to be effective
in delivering academic content to all students in California schools.
While the SSMPP in biology implicitly prepares teachers that can help K12 students meet California science content standards and curriculum
frameworks, the program goes a step farther. The early fieldwork course BIOL
652, SFSU Science Partners in SF K-12 Schools, explicitly introduces program
candidates to the CCTC standards and curriculum framework itself. This is an
important part of understanding and addressing the normal developmental
sequence for science learning in future K-12 students. Such understanding,
along with the rich and demanding sequence of breadth and depth courses,
contributes to student achievement of the five intended outcomes of the SSMPP
program:
1) Content understanding: A high degree of facility with the concepts,
methodologies, applications of biology and its integration with chemistry, earth
sciences, physics, and astronomy, plus a good facility with the concepts,
methodologies, and applications of those additional sciences.
2) Mastery of the process of science: A proven ability to understand how
scientists in general and scientists within specific disciplines (biology, chemistry,
earth sciences, physics, and astronomy) observe the natural world, form creative
hypotheses about phenomena, set up experiments to test their hypotheses,
record and interpret data, analyze results, and communicate their findings. A
proven ability to apply the process of science by observing phenomena;
designing experiments; and testing, recording, interpreting, analyzing, and
communicating data in a manner consistent with the conventions of biology and
other sciences.
3) Development of critical thinking and analytical skills: A proven ability in
breadth and depth coursework to reflect upon, evaluate, analyze, and interpret
information and draw logical conclusions about its accuracy, credibility, meaning,
and significance.
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4) Effective communication and presentation skills: The application in
breadth and depth science coursework of writing, listening, reading, speaking,
and presentation skills, including the appropriate use of technology.
5) Effective teaching skills: A proven ability to observe, assess, and
instruct students in K-12 classroom settings in general science concepts,
methodologies, and applications, and in life science, those same modalities in
greater depth.
The breadth and depth requirements established for the SSMPP in biology
reflect the program philosophy and intended outcomes. They prepare future
teachers for thorough content understanding as well as providing them the
pedagogical tools and techniques needed to convey this content to K-12 students
in California classrooms.
Outcome 1: Future biology teachers need an in-depth knowledge of
biology and chemistry; less-intensive but still significant knowledge of physics,
earth sciences, and astronomy; and an understanding of how these fields
interrelate. As Tables 1A and 1B demonstrate, candidates in the SSMPP in
biology take 32 units of introductory and upper division courses in biology; 13
units in chemistry; 8 units in physics; 8 units in geosciences; and 4 units in
astronomy. Together, the coursework provides a strong background in the
various fields and their integration. One of the earth science courses,
GEOL/METR/OCN 405, Planetary Climate Change, examines the integration of
several disciplines in depth as they relate to one of the most important issues of
our time. Likewise, SCI 510, Search for Solutions, is a capstone course
designed to encourage integrative thinking and application of content knowledge
from various sciences in current issues such as global warming. Such integrative
knowledge and application is a critical component in designing curricula and
study materials for K-12 classes.
SFSU is notable for its university-wide dedication to innovative teaching
techniques that go far beyond the lecture and mass-exam approach (see details
in Standards 5). Instructors for virtually all courses in the SSMPP in biology
employ a wide range of techniques in their own classrooms that serve as models
of effective teaching strategies for program candidates. SFSU professors
typically use multimedia aids with their lectures; utilize software-based and online instruction; require some self-directed lab or field activities and/or
experimental design; assign literacy-based oral and written presentations; and
assign inquiry-based, case study based, and problem-based lessons that
frequently involve hands-on in-class activities and collaborative group activities.
Outcome 2: Future teachers need mastery of the process of science. In
order to teach biology and general science to K-12 students, they need their own
very good understanding of how professionals in scientific fields generate new
knowledge; how they observe, test, analyze, interpret, and report their results;
and how new findings can modify or replace older conceptions. This mastery
helps teachers to show their students how science differs from other disciplines
and to convey the values and attitudes that underlie life science and other
14
sciences. These values and attitudes include a reliance on evidence, a
willingness to consider contradictory evidence, and the frequent necessity of
replacing accepted facts and ideas. Future teachers must be able to teach the
ethos of science and its professional application, as well as to demonstrate them
directly through laboratory and fieldwork and classroom instruction and
discussions. Every SFSU SSMPP candidate takes numerous laboratory and
field courses (see Tables 1A and 1B). Through these and the assessment
portions of lecture-based courses, they demonstrate their own understanding of
the process of science and their ability to convey it to students.
Outcome 3: As science teachers in California K-12 schools, program
graduates will be encouraging and requiring students to develop critical thinking
and analytical skills. They themselves must—and do-- develop a high degree of
those same skills in the SSMPP. They need to be able to reflect upon, evaluate,
analyze, and interpret information and draw logical conclusions about its
accuracy, credibility, meaning, and significance. In addition, they need the
pedagogical skills to teach these important ways of thinking and learning. As our
responses to and evidence for Standard 12 shows clearly, the breadth and depth
coursework in the SFSU SSMPP in biology demands the accurate expression of
scientific ideas and concepts; the use of quantitative reasoning and analysis to
solve scientific problems; the honing of scientific investigative skills; the critical
analysis of scientific research and communication; and the application of
conceptual and physical models in life science and other disciplines. Several
program courses (for example, BIOL 230, 240, 355, 526, 652; SCI 510;
GEOL/METR/OCN 405; PHYS 111, 121; and CHEM 115) all cover ethical issues
that require a student to apply many of these critical and analytic skills, especially
for the completion of term papers, projects, and presentations.
Outcome 4: Teachers need effective communication and presentation
skills, both oral and written. These are crucial for effective instruction of science
content. They are also important parts of the K-12 curriculum, encouraging and
helping students own communication skills in science as well as in language,
history, arts, and other subjects. Our response to and evidence for Standard 4
pinpoints the SSMPP program philosophy and coursework that requires students
to learn and demonstrate mastery of academic and technical terminology and
research conventions in biology and other sciences; and to read, write, listen,
speak, reason, and communicate in these same disciplines. An important part of
that literacy is familiarity with and demonstrated competence in communications
technology. As our responses to and evidence four Standard 3 shows,
candidates in the SSMPP in biology use computers, many types of software, online course management tools, on-line research tools, PowerPoint technology,
clicker technology, and other forms of communication technology in many of their
courses. BIOL 230, 240, and 652; SCI 510; and GEOL/METR/OCN 405, for
example, require extensive proof of literacy skills and technological competence
(see course syllabi, Appendix PS).
Outcome 5: Future teachers must be aware of and able to effectively
teach all elements of the state’s science framework, including a proven ability to
observe, assess, and instruct students in K-12 classrooms. The SFSU SMPP in
15
biology has a strong curriculum in effective teaching skills. Candidates observe
the excellent modeling of teaching strategies which SFSU instructors employ
throughout their breadth and depth courses. The required integrative science
course GEOL/METR/OCN 405, for example, deliberately applies and models all
the major teaching strategies outlined in the CCTC standards (see our response
to Standard 5, and course syllabus in Appendix PS). Moreover, the required
early fieldwork experience course BIOL 652, Science Education Partners in S.F.
Schools, meets and exceeds all requirements for student classroom teaching
experience (for details see Standard 6, and course syllabus in Appendix PS). In
addition, the San Francisco Unified School District serves an extremely ethnically
diverse population; candidates apply classroom practices and instructional
materials in this richly varied setting (see Standard 2,) and observe the
effectiveness of pedagogical tools on all learning modalities.
Required Element 1.3 The program provides prospective teachers with the opportunity
to learn and apply significant ideas, structures, methods and core concepts in the
specified subject discipline(s) that underlies the 6-12 curriculum.
The CCTC designed its standards for science teacher subject matter
preparation to ensure that science teachers can teach the core concepts and
methods underlying the 6-12 science curriculum. The SFSU SSMPP in biology is
designed to meet all of CCTC’s standards. Because the program requirements
constitute a significant subset of a B.A. degree in biology, in many respects the
program requires a higher level of rigor and depth than the standards (for more
details, see Standards 14 and 15). The courses in the program are the same as
those designed for science majors and hence are designed to train students to
understand how science is done and potentially to become scientists themselves.
Hence, students completing our program should be well versed and practiced in
the core concepts and methods underlying the 6-12 curriculum.
Table 1C shows the science content standards in the California Science
Framework for Grades 6, 7, and 8, and maps the SSMPP breadth courses that
provide candidates with opportunities to learn and apply the content underlying each
major subject area in the curricula for Grades 6-8:
Table 1C SSMPP Breadth Courses and Science Framework Grades 6-8
Breadth courses in SSMPP in
Biology
Contents Standards in Science
Framework
Focus on Earth Science-Grade 6
-Plate tectonics
-Shaping Earth’s Structure
-Heat
ASTR
GEOL GEOL/METR/ BIOL BIOL PHYS PHYS CHEM
115/116 110
OCN 405
230
240
111/
121/
115
112
122
X
X
X
X
16
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
-Energy in Earth’s System
-Ecology
-Resources
-Investigation/
Experimentation
Focus on Life Science-Grade 7
-Cell Biology
-Genetics
-Evolution
-Earth and Life History
-Structure and Function in
Living Systems
-Physical Principles in Living
Systems
Investigation/Experimentation
Focus on Physical ScienceGrade 8
-Motion
-Forces
-Structure of Matter
-Earth and Solar System
-Chemical Reactions
-Chemistry of Living Systems
-Periodic Table
-Density and Buoyancy
Investigation/Experimentation
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Table 1D maps the SSMPP depth courses that provide candidates with
opportunities to learn and apply the content underlying biological subject areas in
the curricula for Grades 9-12:
Table 1D SSMPP Depth Courses and Science Framework Grades 9-12
Depth
Courses in
SSMPP in
Biology
BIOL BIOL BIOL BIOL BIOL BIOL BIOL
230
240
337
355
652
525
350
612
401
or
435
630
450
524 or
CHEM
349
17
BIOL
351
402
436
526
613
or
631
BIOL CHEM CHEM MATH SCI
482
215/
130
226 or 510
529
216
124
or
585
Science
Content
Standards in
Framework
Focus on
Biology/Life
Science—
Grades 9-12
-Cell
Biology
-Genetics
-Ecology
-Evolution
-Physiology
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Note: BIOL 230 and 240, CHEM 115, PHYS 111/112, and PHYS 121/122 are both breadth and depth
requirements
Complete syllabi for each breadth and depth course appear in Appendix
PS. Our responses to Standards 14 and 15 provide additional details and
evidence for program courses and science domains.
Required Element 1.4 The program prepares prospective single-subject teachers to
analyze complex discipline based issues; synthesize information from multiple sources
and perspectives; communicate skillfully in oral and written forms; and use appropriate
technologies.
By the time students complete the SSMPP in biology, they will have been
asked to tackle problems spanning a range of complexity from the introductory
majors level to the level of upper division advanced majors’ lab and/or field
courses, which typically require research projects.
Analyze complex discipline-based issues: Most biology courses required
the kind of quantitative reasoning that allows students to analyze complex
discipline-based problems and issues. The matrix below shows examples of a
few key depth courses and their required analytic activities:
Depth
Course
BIOL 230,
240
BIOL 337
BIOL 351
BIOL 355
Examples of Analytic Activities
Graph trends; determine standard deviations; calculate probabilities
Work problem sets on evolutionary topics
Do calculations and data plotting
Calculate probability of selected outcome from a genetic cross; map
the distance between two linked genes, deduce genotypes of
parents based on offspring phenotypes
18
BIOL 526,
613, 631
Interpretation of graphs and tables; collection of data using
numerous kinds of computer technology and instrumentation
Synthesize information from multiple sources: Most biology courses
assign students to read scientific papers and other reference materials in addition
to textbooks, hand-out sheets, and on-line materials. Many courses also require
that students write critiques of journal articles, originate research proposals, and
write research papers. The following matrix shows examples of key required
depth courses and information synthesizing activities:
Depth
Course
BIOL
230, 240
BIOL 482
BIOL 525
BIOL 612
BIOL 631
Examples of Information Synthesizing Activities
Write weekly lab reports, including data observations and analysis of
lab activities
Read scientific journals and write critiques that assess the clarity of
authors’ presentations. Describe personal research projects using
conventions of scientific literature.
Read and review scientific literature on plant physiology topics and
write research papers.
Use National Library of Medicine Pubmed search engine to locate
research articles, read, and submit written reports
Review scientific literature; write a research proposal; write a
scientific research paper including abstract, methods, results, and
discussion sections and literature citations
Skillful oral and written communication: Students in the SSMPP in biology
have numerous opportunities to hone disciplinary literary skills. The following
matrix lists a few key courses and examples of disciplinary literacy activities:
Depth
Course
BIOL 230,
240
BIOL 351
Examples of Disciplinary Literacy Activities
Write weekly lab reports that record data, observations, and analysis
of lab activities and address inquiry-based questions and activities
Write in-depth reports and create and present before class members
PowerPoint displays of data and interpretations from lab projects.
BIOL 526, Write in-depth reports and create and present before class members
513, 631
PowerPoint displays of data and interpretations from original lab
projects based on student experimental design
BIOL 652 Students participate in weekly seminary discussions of teaching and
learning issues; students write reports and give oral and PowerPoint
presentations on their own early fieldwork experiences and solutions
to teaching and learning issues
19
Use of appropriate technologies: All students at SFSU use the on-line
iLearn course management system to access specific course information such as
syllabi, lecture notes, and hand-outs; to download written assignments; and to
upload exercises, quizzes, and other materials. All students have Internet and
email accounts through the University’s Division of Information Technology. All
have access to computing laboratories and extensive library-based electronic
resources.
Candidates in the SSMPP in biology also learn to use numerous
kinds of appropriate technologies for lab and field experiences that reflect up-todate methods for data gathering, analysis, processing and presentation of
scientific information. The following matrix shows examples of key depth courses
and technological tools and techniques employed in each:
Depth
Course
BIOL
230, 240
BIOL
351
BIOL
402
BIOL
526
BIOL
613
BIOL
631
Examples of Use of Appropriate Technology
Classroom computers; compound microscopes; spectrophotometers;
paper chromatography; analytic software from Internet websites
Phase contrast microscopes; culture systems; spectrophometers;
polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis; Western immunoblotting;
hemocytometers; ultracentrifuges; fluorescence microscopes
Phase contrast microscopes; bright field microscopes; autoclaves;
Millipore filters; thermal cyclers; agarose gel electrophoresis
Spectrophotometers; thin-layer chromatography; polyacrylamide gel
electrophoresis; Western immunoblotting; pH meters; gas monitors;
pressure bombs
Biopac data acquisition units; electrodes; video cameras;
electroencephalography sensors; electrocardiography sensors;
spirometers
Spectrophotometers; osmometers; digital data acquisition units;
respirometers; automatic pipetters
Required Element 1.5 Program outcomes are defined clearly and assessments of
prospective teachers and program reviews are appropriately aligned.
As discussed in Required Element 1.1, five program outcomes have been
established for the SSMPP in biology:
1) Content understanding
2) Knowledge and mastery of the process of science
3) Development of critical thinking and analytical skills
4) Effective communication and presentation skills
5) Effective teaching skills
20
These are defined in terms of CCTC’s standards, the College of Science
and Engineering (COSE)’s mission and vision, and the Department of Biology’s
mission and vision. Because program courses are largely a subset of the B.A.
degree in biology, some assessment of prospective teachers is done de facto, as
part of regular student assessment in those courses. Some program
assessment is accomplished as part of periodic departmental program reviews.
In addition, COSE’s Center for Science and Mathematics Education (CSME) is
charged with monitoring of program candidates, on-going regular program
reviews, and and updating program outcomes as needed. Standard 9 explains in
detail the role of CSME, established in 2007, in these assessment functions. The
following matrix shows major forms of assessment of prospective teachers in
light of all five outcomes:
Intended
Program
Outcomes
Content
Knowledge
Individual
In breadth
Assessments and depth
courses:
quizzes;
mid-term
and final
exams; term
papers; lab
reports;
problem
sets. End-ofprogram
summative
assessment
of subject
matter
competence
and
departmental
survey
Program
CSME
Reviews
program
reviews,
evaluation,
and program
adjustments.
Periodic
Process of
Science
Critical
Thinking
and
Analytical
Skills
In breadth
In breadth
and depth
and depth
courses: Lab courses:
notebooks,
Critiques of
lab reports,
scientific
experimental research,
design, lab
research
projects,
reports,
critiques of
problem
scientific
sets, design
research
of
experiments,
design of
research
proposals
Effective
Communication
and
Presentation
Skills
In breadth and
depth courses:
Written lab
reports, written
and oral
presentation of
lab projects;
discussion
seminars and
presentations
of early
fieldwork
experiences
Effective
Teaching
Skills
In breadth
and depth
courses:
Hands-on
teaching of
science
lessons in
S.F. public
schools;
seminar
discussions
of teaching
issues;
journaling,
oral, and
written
reports on
solutions to
teaching
issues
CSME
CSME
CSME program CSME
program
program
reviews,
program
reviews,
reviews,
evaluation, and reviews,
evaluation,
evaluation,
program
evaluation,
and program and program adjustments.
and program
adjustments. adjustments. Periodic
adjustments.
Periodic
Periodic
reviews by
Periodic
21
reviews by
Department
of Biology.
reviews by
Department
of Biology.
reviews by
Department
of Biology.
Department of
Biology.
reviews by
Department
of Biology.
Note: In-depth evidence on content knowledge and process of science appears
in Standard 12; on critical thinking and analysis in Standard 7; on communication
and presentation in Standard 4; on teaching skills in Standard 6; and on program
review in Standard 9.
Required Element 1.6 The institution conducts periodic review of the program
philosophy, goals, design, and outcomes consistent with the following: campus program
assessment timelines, procedures, and policies; ongoing research and thinking in the
discipline; nationally accepted content standards and recommendations; and the
changing needs of public schools in California.
COSE’s Center for Science and Mathematics Education (CSME), the
result of years of planning and effort, opened in 2007 and is charged with
designing and conducting periodic reviews of all facets of the program. It serves
faculty and students in the SSMPP program as a conduit of current pedagogical
research and of both state and national science education policy developments.
It operates in collaboration and compliance with departmental, COSE, and
university assessment efforts. Our responses to and evidence for Standard 9
gives a detailed explanation of CSME’s critical involvement in program review
and assessments. In summary, CSME and its faculty advisors from the biology,
chemistry, geosciences, and physics SSMPPs, as well as respected educational
professors and evaluators, will collect annual data on all programs and conduct
five-year-long longitudinal reviews. These will include data from current students;
from SFSU program alumni (especially those in teaching or teaching credential
programs); and reviews of curricular materials and other program elements.
CSME will coordinate these reviews with information from formal five-year
departmental program reviews aimed at identifying and articulating SSMP
program values, competencies, and learning outcomes; assessing learning
objectives; monitoring revision in those objectives in response to changing needs
and new knowledge; assessing achievement of program goals; and suggesting
improvements.
22
Standard 2: Diversity and Equity
The subject matter program provides equitable opportunities to learn for all prospective
teachers by utilizing instructional, advisement and curricular practices that insure equal
access to program academic content and knowledge of career options. Included in the
program are the essential understandings, knowledge and appreciation of the perspectives
and contributions by and about diverse groups in the discipline.
Human diversity is evident and celebrated throughout all academic
programs at San Francisco State University, including the teacher preparation
program in biology. Forty-seven percent of the B.A. degrees awarded at SFSU
in 2005-2006 went to minority groups underrepresented in higher education [See
evidence, Appendix 2, pp.1-4]. Among students who attended informational
meetings about the SFSU College of Education’s Single Subject Credential
Program during 2008, 59 percent were female and 38 percent were from minority
groups [See documentation, Appendix 2, pp. 5-20].
University-wide, 52 percent of faculty members are female and 43 percent
non-white. The biology department faculty is typical: 53 percent of current
members are either women or ethnic minorities. [See list of current faculty
members, Appendix 2, pp. 21-24]. The biology faculty is vitally interested in
recruiting and advising a diverse group of students for the Single Subject Matter
preparation program in biology, as well as in teaching the perspectives and
contributions of diverse groups to the field. In its website, the SFSU biology
department describes its “tradition of excellence in educating a diverse student
population” [see Appendix 2, pp. 25-28]. The department’s newsletter, Bio
News, carries an article in its Spring 2008 edition discussing the diversity of
biology students and faculty, including departmental efforts to hire faculty of
color, to recruit underrepresented minority students, and to expand outreach
programs and financial support [see Appendix 2, pp. 29-36]. The biology
curriculum reflects the orientation, as well, and students are receptive to this
approach.
Required Element 2.1 In accordance with the Education Code Chapter 587, Statutes of
1999, (See Appendix A), human differences and similarities to be examined in the
program include, but are not limited to those of sex, race, ethnicity, socio-economic
status, religion, sexual orientation, and exceptionality. The program may also include
study of other human similarities and differences.
SFSU biology department policies support and reflect those of the university
as a whole: the intent to create and maintain “an environment for learning that
promotes respect for and appreciation of scholarship, freedom, human diversity,
and the cultural mosaic of San Francisco” and the surrounding Bay Area [see
Appendix 2, pp. 37-42]. This involves “attracting, retaining, and graduating a
highly diverse student body,” and “providing curricula that reflect all dimensions
23
of human diversity and that encourage cultural thinking and social and cultural
awareness.”
Reading materials and lecture content in two required courses in the
SSMPP in biology, BIOL 230 (general introductory course) and BIOL 355
(genetics), address contributions to the discipline from a diverse spectrum of
researchers; and applications of biology to understanding the characteristics,
functioning, diseases and disorders, and other aspects of people of different
sexes, races, and ethnicity [see details in Element 2.3].
The university approaches this same dedication to examining human
diversity through Segments II and III of its General Education requirements for all
students completing undergraduate programs. Undergraduate must take 3 to 4
units that fulfill the American Ethnic/Racial Minorities requirement and a total of 9
credit hours in courses that address the more inclusive value and significance of
human achievements; the experience and achievements of various cultural,
ethnic, or social groups; the complexity of personal, cultural, and social problems
and issues; the problems, issues, or solutions confronted by various social,
ethnic, or cultural groups and how they may be experienced in different ways; the
integration of their abilities, knowledge, and experience in making decisions; the
prevalence of cultural, social, personal, and/or procedural biases; and the use of
effective procedures for investigating problems and issues. [See Appendix 2, pp.
43-46 for Mission statement.] An example of a popular Segment II course is BIOL
322, Human Sexuality [see syllabus, Appendix 2, pp. 47-56].
Required Element 2.2 The institution recruits and provides information and advice to
men and women prospective teachers from diverse backgrounds on requirements for
admission to and completion of subject matter programs.
Each University program recruits and advises applicants from a wide range
of backgrounds.
• A committee of the University Academic Senate, the All-University
Teacher Education Committee (AUTEC) makes recommendations to and
advises each department in matters relating to the preparation of teachers. This
includes the recruitment of racial and ethnic minorities students into teacher
preparation programs [see Appendix 2, pp. 57-60].
• The Department of Biology maintains a Biology Advising website that
provides complete information on course requirements for the SSMP program in
Biology [see Appendix 2, pp. 61-79]. It also supplies worksheets, and lists hours
for drop-in advisement with a dedicated faculty advisor who meets with all
students who wish to complete the single subject matter program. It lists several
other Biology faculty members, as well, who are able to advise pre-credential
students. The on-line University course catalog refers students interested in
24
teaching biology to the departmental website. The Biology Advising website links
students to tutoring services to help insure success for all potential students. It
also provides information on the NSF Noyce Scholarships for future K-12 science
and math teachers to help make teacher-career preparation affordable for more
students.
• The Mathematics and Science Teacher Education Program (MASTEP), a
National Science Foundation-funded collaborative initiative, began on campus in
1996 with a five-year grant to increase recruitment of candidates from all
backgrounds for science and math teaching at the Kindergarten through 12 th
grade levels. A second grant carried the program through to 2005. Among many
activities, MASTEP began sponsoring Future Teacher Clubs, which met on the
SFSU campus to promote teaching as an important option for math and science
majors [see Appendix 2, pp. 80-83]. MASTEP helped create an environment of
educational excellence that, in part, encouraged the hiring of math educator Dr.
Eric Hsu and biology educator, Dr. Kimberly Tanner, both of whom teach early
field experience courses for future teachers.
• Another outgrowth of MASTEP, in conjunction with the CSU Chancellor’s
Office, is the SFSU Center for Science and Math Education, a well-funded
program to recruit, retain, and develop teachers from amongst the diverse
student populations on campus. In September 2007, CSME began a highly
visible and active multi-pronged program of information, recruitment, and support
for current and future science and math teachers. The Department of Biology
was involved in the proposal to establish the Center and refers students to their
financial support offerings, their field experience opportunities, and their other
activities. CSME acts as a centralized office for encouraging and advising
students on K-12 teaching careers in math and science [see Appendix 2, pp. 8485].
• CSME sponsors a financial support program for pre-service teachers
called the Math and Science Teaching Initiative (MSTI) that helps recruit
candidates from diverse backgrounds. MSTI fellowships provide stipends of
$2,000 per semester; extra advising and mentoring for pathways into science
and math teaching; meetings with other fellows and advisors; and access to
teaching opportunities [see Appendix 2, pp. 86-90]. More than 60 percent of
MSTI fellows are females; at present, all MSTI fellows in biology are female.
MSTI support can extend to accommodations for students with special needs, for
example, financial support for a fellow who undergoes kidney dialysis.
• The SFSU Student Resource Center for Students in Science and
Engineering has an informational website that helps students with career
planning and identifies advisors within each science department who can assist
in program planning. It also links students directly to the Biology Advising website
and to the Center for Science and Math Education [see Appendix 2, pp. 91-96].
25
• The College of Education sponsors a Credential Services Teacher
Preparation Center on campus. This well-advertised center draws many
potential candidates to career fairs, provides career counseling, sponsors
teacher recruitment events, and refers interested students to Biology Department
advisors [see Appendix 2, pp. 97-98].
Required Element 2.3 The curriculum in the Subject Matter Program reflects the
perspectives and contributions of diverse groups from a variety of cultures to the
disciplines of study.
Each student in the SSMPP in biology must enroll in BIOL 230 and BIOL
240 (Introductory Biology I and II) and Biology 355 (Genetics), in addition to their
other required and elective courses. The educational materials and lectures in
these three foundation courses are filled with references to the many
contemporary and historical contributions made by women and minority
scientists. Students have equivalent exposure in foundation courses in
chemistry, physics, and geosciences required for the SSMPP in biology.
Students taking BIOL 230 and 240 read BIOLOGY, 8e, by Neil Campbell,
Jane Reese, and other co-authors (Benjamin Cummings, 2008). An interview
with a contemporary researcher leads each of the book’s eight units. In its most
recent edition, four of the eight features researchers were women and two more
were minority scientists. These interviews show an accurate view of the wide
spectrum of modern biologists, and highlight important contributions. Instructors
use the interviews as examples of current thinking and methodologies in
particular sub-disciplines such as biochemistry, cell biology, evolution, and
ecology.
BIOLOGY, 8e, also highlights historical contributions by reknown biologists.
These include:
• Mary Claire King who helped elucidate the genetics of breast cancer [p.
377]
• Barbara McClintock, who received a Nobel Prize for her discovery of
transposable elements [p. 435]
• Nobel laureate Rosalind Franklin, who helped reveal the structure of DNA
through X-ray diffraction studies [p. 308-9]
• Essayist Rachel Carson, whose book SILENT SPRING helped ignite the
ecological movement of the mid 20th century [ p. 1150]
SFSU genetics professor Dr. Sally Pasion, who coordinates and teaches
BIOL 355, often stresses the multicultural nature of human genetics, including
both researchers and the groups they study [see Appendix 2, pp. 99-100]. Her
lecture examples have included:
• the high frequency of sickle cell anemia in African American populations
• the prevalence of hereditary breast cancer in Jewish people of Eastern
26
European dissent
• the varying responses of racial groups to drugs such as albuterol and to
cancer treatments
The main text for BIOL 355 [PRINCIPLES OF GENETICS 4e by D. Peter
Snustad and Michael J. Simmons; John Wiley and Sons, 2006] contains
numerous references to the contributions of geneticists from diverse
backgrounds. To list just a few examples:
• The role of Henrietta Lacks and the HeLa cell line in understanding cancer
[p. 38]
• T.C. Hsu’s contribution to understanding eukaryotic cells and
chromosomes [p. 123]
• How Nancy Wexler worked out the genetics of Huntington’s disease [p.
152]
• The importance of Okazaki fragments, named after Reiji and Tuneko
Okazaki [p. 260]
• The contributions of Susan Berget, Claire Moore, and others to the
elucidation of introns [p. 303]
• The role of H. Ghobind Khorana in cracking the genetic code [p. 337]
• The importance of Tay-Sachs disease among Ashkenazi Jews in
understanding metabolic disease [p. 351]
• Salvador Luria and the study of bacteriophage [p. 424]
• Kathleen Danna and others in the study of restriction endonucleases [p.
425]
• Stephanie Sherman and fragile X syndrome [p. 517]
• Su Guo and RNA interferase [p. 626]
• Susuma Tonegawa and Nobumichi Horzumi and antibody diversity [p.
682-3]
• Motoo Kimur and the rate of protein evolution [p. 787]
Students are exposed to reading material and lectures on the diverse
contributors to biological science in other required courses such as BIOL 337
[Evolution]; in breadth courses in Chemistry, Physics, and Geosciences; and in
elective courses across the curriculum.
Required Element 2.4 In the subject matter program, classroom practices and
instructional materials are designed to provide equitable access to the academic content
of the program to prospective teachers from all backgrounds.
The SFSU Department of Biology promotes equitable access to prospective
teachers in many ways, in conjunction with initiatives and resources of the
university and the CSU system.
• The syllabus for every biology course must include a Disability Access
Statement, offering accommodations to all students with disabilities and special
needs. Accommodations can be made for captioning, disability access,
27
exacerbated symptoms, note taking, and test taking [see Appendix 2, pp. 101103]. This is part of the CSU Accessible Technology Initiative, which covers
instructional materials, university procurement practices, and web accessibility
[see Appendix 2, pp. 104-105].
• CSU’s Accessible Technology Initiative, along with SFSU’s local efforts, insure
full and equal access to electronic and information technology to individuals with
disabilities [see Appendix 2, pp. 106-107].
• Biology professor Frank Bayliss helped initiate the Student Enrichment
Opportunities program (SEO) to improve the success rate of underrepresented
minorities in science [see Appendix 2, pp. 108-116]. SEO, in conjunction with
CSME, sponsors a Science and Math Supplemental Instruction Program that
provides limited-enrollment workshop sections in a number of SSMPP required
courses to supplement instruction and help insure students’ success in the
associated required courses. The course list includes BIOL 230, 240, 350, 355;
CHEM 115 and 215; and PHYS 111 and 121. Biology professors Frank Bayliss
and Nan Carnal were co-authors of a recent journal article for the American
Society for Cell Biology documenting the increased success rate of
underrepresented minority students who attend SI classes in addition to regular
lectures and labs in these required courses [see Appendix 2, pp. 117-130].
• The SFSU Center for Teaching and Faculty Development (CFTD)
promotes a number of programs that help insure equal and complete access to
all classrooms and to academic course content for all students. In addition, the
campus Learning Assistance Center provides tutoring sessions in biology,
chemistry, and biochemistry [see Appendix 2, p. 131].
• The Disability Programs and Resources Center publishes
instructional strategies for students with visual impairments, hearing impairments,
mobility impairments, systemic disabilities (i.e. epilepsy, HIV, or MS), and
learning disabilities [see Appendix 2, pp. 133-174].
• The Universal Design for Learning (UDL) program encourages faculty to
make course concepts accessible and skills attainable regardless of student
learning styles, physical, or sensory abilities. UDL provides an on-line training
module for all SFSU faculty [see Appendix 2, p. 132].
• For students with language barriers or other access issues, the Learning
Assistance Center (LAC) offers tutoring on biology, chemistry, and biochemistry,
through individual and small group sessions at their own center [see Appendix 2,
p. 131]. Students can gain additional assistance through the Educational
Opportunity Program (EOP) [see Appendix 2, p. 175].
• The Biology Department advisement website directs students to the
Community Access and Retention Program (CARP), a student-run evening
28
tutoring program that serves many first-generation college students and
members of traditionally underrepresented groups on campus. CARP offers
tutoring in many of the required courses for the SSMPP in biology [see Appendix
2, pp. 176-180].
Required Element 2.5 The subject matter program incorporates a wide variety of
pedagogical and instructional approaches to academic learning suitable to a diverse
population of prospective teachers. Instructional practices and materials used in the
program support equitable access for all prospective teachers and take into account
current knowledge of cognition and human learning theory.
Based on contemporary learning theory, Department of Biology faculty
present--and students in the SSMPP in biology benefit from--a large range of
learning opportunities. These include:
• Lectures with rich audiovisual presentations and question/answer
sessions.
• Group learning for discussions, data collection and analysis, and project
preparation and presentation; peer instruction is common during group sessions.
• Procedural learning based on detailed lab instructions.
• Problem-based learning through hands on experimentation, hypothesis
formation, experimental design, and recording and assessment of results.
• Computer-based modeling and problem-solving.
• Active learning through field experiences, including practice instruction of
K-12 students.
We present detailed evidence of varied teaching styles and learning opportunities
in Standard 5, Required Elements 5.1-5.5.
The SFSU Center for Teaching and Faculty Development (CTFD) is
instrumental in helping Department of Biology faculty members expand their
repertoire of teaching approaches [see Appendix 2, pp. 181-183]. Each
semester, CTFD sponsors workshops in student learning, faculty teaching styles,
and innovative use of technology in classrooms. Many Biology faculty members
avail themselves of these sessions.
MASTEP grants from 1996-2005 (referred to in Element 2.2) provided funds
for workshops on effective teaching and learning approaches in the sciences and
mathematics at SFSU; these helped establish on-going faculty interest and
experience. Among presenters at MASTEP workshops were Dr. Roger Johnson,
an expert in collaborative learning; Dr. Deborah Allen, teaching techniques for
problem-based learning; and Dr. Lillian McDermott who introduced ways to probe
students’ in-depth understanding and to design curricular interventions to
confront misconceptions. Biology faculty members revised BIOL 230 to
incorporate alternate pedagogies. An additional CSME grant allowed SFSU
researcher Jamie Chan to analyze better models for teaching introductory
biology laboratories and this led to revisions in BIOL 240 and the incorporation of
29
new pedagogies.
One outcome of the Department’s long-standing enthusiasm for varied
teaching styles was a national search and successful hiring of Dr. Tanner, whose
research and teaching focuses on biology education. In conjunction with
colleague Allison Busch, Dr. Tanner teaches BIOL 652, Partners in Biology
Education--a course that emphasizes multiple teaching/learning styles and is
highly recommended for students interested in teaching careers. Dr. Tanner
consults with biology faculty regarding teaching and learning issues and
curricular design, and also serves as vice chair for departmental assessment.
Through these various capacities, she has helped establish an ethos of teaching
excellence in the Biology Department.
30
Standard 3: Technology
The study and application of current and emerging technologies, with a focus on those
used in K-12 schools, for gathering, analyzing, managing, processing, and
presenting information is an integral component of each prospective teacher’s program
study. Prospective teachers are introduced to legal, ethical, and social issues related to
technology. The program prepares prospective teachers to meet the current technology
requirements for admission to an approved California professional teacher preparation
program.
All educational programs at SFSU, including the Single Subject Matter
Preparation program in biology, employ a wide variety of technological tools to
promote teaching and learning. San Francisco State University is located in a
region that is internationally renown for its computer and high technology
development; its leadership and innovation in biotechnology; and its central role
in computer graphics, animation, and entertainment. All SFSU students achieve
technological competence through the required use of computers in most
courses; through the use of a university-wide learning management system
called iLearn; through on-line registration; through course-related research using
the extensive electronic resources of the main library, and so on.
Students who prepare to teach biology and other science subjects gain a
much greater-than-average facility with technology in their required and elective
courses. For example, BIOL 230 and 240, the introductory sequence required in
the SSMPP in biology, employ presentation graphics and software for lectures;
on-line syllabi, assignments, quizzes, and grading; and many forms of hardware,
software, and instrumentation in the laboratory [see details below and in
Required Element 3.1]. The facility program candidates gain with standard and
emerging technologies is important and necessary because (1) in all
contemporary fields of science, data gathering, analysis, and communication is
highly technological; and (2) because as K-12 teachers, they will be instructing
their students in the use of many such technological tools for gathering and
understanding scientific knowledge and applying it in laboratory and field
settings.
Depending on the resources of their school districts, biology students in
California high schools use a range of tools, instruments, and supplies for doing
library, lab, and field research; for analyzing and solving problems; and for
communicating their findings and understandings to others. K-12 instructors must
not only know how to use and teach these technologies, but must know
additional ones, such as how to use presentation software such as PowerPoint.
A partial list of such technologies includes classroom and home computers;
microscopes (light, stereoscopic, dissecting); volumeters; gel electrophoresis
equipment; incubators; spirometers; balance scales; Celsius thermometers;
micropipettes; spectrophotometers; and pH meters. [List compiled from
31
MODERN BIOLOGY by John Postlethwait and Janet Hopson (Holt, Rinehart,
and Winston, 2009), a textbook and instructional program for college-bound high
school students.]
As the responses in Required Elements 3.1 and 3.2 show, students in the
single subject matter preparation program in biology use these tools and many
more sophisticated ones in their required and elective lab courses, thereby
gaining the competence needed to instruct others.
Prospective teachers of biology must also be prepared to field questions
and lead discussions on the legal, ethical, and social issues surrounding
biotechnology. All SFSU students fulfilling requirements in the SSMPP in biology
take BIOL 230 and BIOL 355, and both courses cover biotechnological issues in
detail. In the text for BIOL 230 [BIOLOGY, 8e, Benjamin Cummings, 2008],
Chapter 20 covers medical, forensic, environmental, and agricultural applications
of DNA technology as well as safety and ethical issues. In the text for BIOL 355
[PRINCIPLES OF GENETICS, 4e, Wiley, 2006], Chapters 15, 16, 17, and 24
cover genetic screening, counseling, and therapy; genome projects and DNA
patenting; DNA fingerprinting and use in criminal trials; cloning and societal
implications; containment of recombinant organisms; uses and potential misuses
of PCR in research and medical diagnoses; and genetically modified plans,
crops, foods, and animals. Dr. Sally Pasion, who teaches BIOL 355, lectures on
many of these topics, as well, and initiates student participation discussions.
Students also encounter the issues surrounding biotechnology in courses in the
required cell biology cluster such as BIOL 350 [Cell Biology], 401 [Microbiology],
435 [Immunology], and others.
Required Element 3.1 The institution provides prospective teachers in the subject matter
program access to a wide array of current technology resources. The program faculty
selects these technologies on the basis of their effective and appropriate uses in the
disciplines of the subject matter program
All SSMPP candidates in biology, as well as all other SFSU students,
achieve technological competence through the required use of computers in
most courses and on-line interfacing with instructors, the library, and university
administration.
• The University’s Academic Technology Unit supports on-line teaching and
learning through several avenues, including the following:
--A learning management system called iLearn, based on open-source
Moodle software [see Appendix 3, pp. 1-2]. Each semester, virtually every SFSU
course updates and presents its own specific iLearn webpage for distributing
syllabi, lecture notes, hand-outs, and other instructions. The site allows
instructors to send email to all class members and allows those students to
interact in formal discussions, chat rooms, and collaborative assignments.
32
Finally, students download assignments, upload papers and exercises, take
quizzes, and track the grades and assessments instructors maintain on the site.
--CourseStream, an on-line environment that allows video streamed
courses with live web-casts, synchronized Power Point slides, video-recorded
lectures, and the capability of keyword reviews of all recorded lectures for the
semester [see Appendix 3, pp. 3-4].
--ePortfolios or sites for students to store and present evidence of their
collected academic work, including grades, reports, projects, and other careeroriented materials [see Appendix 3, pp. 5-7].
--Media Distribution and Support service, which provides faculty with
formatted media and technical equipment, including over 20,000 videotapes,
DVDs, laser discs, CD-ROMs, films, and other resources [see Appendix 3, p.10].
--Electronically enhanced Learning Spaces, including over 100 “wired”
classrooms, six enhanced meeting rooms, and two enhanced theaters [see
Appendix 3, p. 8].
--Creative Services that assist faculty, staff, and students with graphics,
posters, photos, video-copying, and teleconferencing [see Appendix 3, p. 8].
.
• The University’s Division of Information Technology provides more general
technological support for all campus activities. This includes Internet and email
accounts for students and faculty; 24-hour computing labs in various campus
locations with over 1,500 PCs and Macintoshes; licensed software and
databases; on-line class schedules, registration, grades, and other campus
information [see Appendix 3, pp. 9-10].
SSMPP candidates in biology enrolled in introductory biology and chemistry
courses such as BIOL 230, 240, CHEM 115, and CHEM 215 have additional
access to numerous computers with on-line access in laboratory classrooms; in
the 24-station SEGA Multimedia Laboratory for Science and Mathematics in
Science Building room 249; and, in upper division program courses and
independent study projects, in the Center for Computing for Life Sciences [see
Appendix 3, pp. 16-22].
• The J. Paul Leonard Library, in its effort to empower the University
community with lifelong learning skills in promotion of scholarship, knowledge,
and understanding, takes a leadership role in exploring and incorporating
changing information technologies and formats. The library’s extensive collection
of electronic resources, microforms, audio-visual media, and computer software
includes over 200 databases providing access to over 24,000 electronic journals.
These electronic resources are available in the library, in various campus
centers, and to students at home through campus Internet accounts. Each SFSU
student must display competence with computer and on-line library skills by
taking a tutorial called Online Advancement of Student Information Skills
(OASIS). Most students spend 6 to 8 hours reading the chapters and taking the
five quizzes that are part of OASIS. A grade of 80 or above on each quiz is
required for graduation in any field [see Appendix 3, pp. 11-15].
33
• Many courses employ personal student response systems (or “clicker”
technologies) based on computers and radio frequencies or infrared signals [see
Appendix 3, p. 23-24]. These allow instructors to pose questions to classes of
any size and to tabulate and display the results immediately. Four major
foundation courses for the teaching credential program in Biology--BIOL 230,
240, and 355 and CHEM 215—were using clicker technology as of Fall, 2008.
Students in the SSMPP in biology have extensive access to all of the
above-listed contemporary technological resources through their required and
elective courses. Biology faculty members choose technologies for lab and field
experiences that reflect up-to-date techniques for data gathering, analysis,
processing, and presentation of information in various biological sub-disciplines.
The following list provides examples of required and commonly chosen elective
courses and the technological tools and techniques students learn to use in
each:
-- BIOL 230/240 [Introductory Biology I and II]
Numerous dedicated classroom computers
Audio-visual projectors
Pipettes [Mohr, serological, volumetric]
Zeiss compound microscope
B+L Spectronic 20 Spectrophotometer
pH meter
paper chromatography
-- BIOL 351 [Cell and Molecular Biology Lab]
Phase contrast microscope
Culture systems for cells, explants, organs
B+L Spectronic 20 Spectrophotometer
SDS-PAGE (polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis containing sodium
dodecyl sulfate)
Western immunoblotting equipment
CO2 incubator
Neubauer hemocytometer
Centrifuges
Fluorescence microscope using ELIZA immuno-fluorescence
[enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay]
-- BIOL 402 [Microbiology Lab]
Olympus BHTU phase contrast microscope
Bright field non-phase contrast microscopy
Autoclave
Millipore, nucleopore filters
B+L Spectronic 20 Spectrophotometer
34
BBL Enterotube II
PCR thermal cycler
Agarose gel electrophoresis set up
Stains [simple, negative, nigrosin, capsule, Schaeffer-Fulton, Kinyoun
carbol- fuchsin, gram, flagellar]
-- BIOL 526 [Plant Physiology Lab]
B+L Spectronic 20 Spectrophotometer
Thin-layer chromatography
SDS-PAGE
Centrifuge
BioRad Miniprotean II System
Western blotting equipment
pH meter
DEX inducible system
ELIZA
CO2 and O2 monitors
Pressure bomb
-- BIOL 613 [Human Physiology Lab]
Biopac MP35130 data acquisition unit
Biopac SS2L electrodes
Video camera
Biopac Electroencephalography sensors
Biopac Electrocardiograph sensors
Spirometer using Biopac Airflow transfuser SSII2A
-- BIOL 631 [Animal Physiology Lab]
B+L Spectronic 20 Spectrophotometer
Osmometer
Powerlab digital data acquisition unit
Strath Kelvin Respirometer
Gilson Differential Respirometer
Pipetmen Automatic Pipetter P5000
Students learn to use the above-listed technology in these and other
courses and will be extremely well-prepared to teach the instruments and
methods available to most secondary students in California.
Required Element 3.2 Prospective teachers demonstrate information processing
competency, including but not limited to the use of appropriate technologies and tools for
research, problem solving, data acquisition and analysis, communications, and
35
presentation.
Students enrolled in the SSMPP in biology use and develop competency
with various forms of information processing technology throughout their
coursework. The following examples show specific technologies for research,
problem solving, data acquisition and analysis, communication, and presentation
in representative courses.
• Research Students in the required introductory courses BIOL 230/240
access numerous websites to research information on mitosis, human
chromosome maps, chromosome abnormalities, and genetic diseases. [See Lab
manual for BIOL 230, Laboratory Exercise 9 in Appendix 3, pp. 25-26] All
SSMPP candidates in biology must take a a physiology lecture course (either
BIOL 525, 612, or 630) and a cell biology or physiology laboratory course (such
as BIOL 613 or 631). Students in BIOL 612 use the National Library of Medicine
search engine PubMed to search for research articles for term papers on recent
physiological research.
• Problem Solving Students in BIOL 240 use MacClade software to
reconstruct phylogenies. [See Lab manual for BIOL 240, Exercise 5 in Appendix
3, pp. 27-36]. Students have access to 15 PowerMac 6500 computers, as well
as Apple computers, in the SEGA Multimedia Laboratory for Science and
Mathematics. They can also use MacClade software on home computers.
• Data Acquisition and Analysis Students in BIOL 613, for example, use
BioPac software to collect and analyze data for polygraphs, electromyography,
electroencephalography, and electrocardiography. [See Lab manual for BIOL
613, tutorial on BioPac software, Appendix 3, pp. 37-39].
• Communication Students in all biology classes use the iLearn website
and web pages to access course syllabit, to upload and download assignments,
to review Power Point presentations of lectures, and to communicate with
classmates on group projects.
• Presentation. Students in BIOL 613 use Power Point software and
overhead and digital projectors as well as Excel spread sheets, graphing, table
making, and word processing programs to create 35- to 45-minute presentations
of independent and group lab work, and on proposal for future research projects.
[See Lab manual for BIOL 613, Appendix 3, pp. 40-46].
Required Element 3.3 In the program, prospective teachers use current and emerging
technologies relevant to the disciplines of study to enhance their subject matter
knowledge and understanding.
Each SSMPP in science at SFSU, including biology, maintains its own
computer laboratories to support classroom and laboratory instruction, and those
facilities are used extensively. The operating systems represented in these
computer labs include both Microsoft Windows and various flavors of Unix
36
including Apple Computer Inc.’s Mac OS X. (Both Microsoft and Apple operating
systems are commonly found in K-12 schools.) Students in these computer labs
use a variety of software, including Web browsers, spreadsheets, graphing and
other visualization packages, database programs, PowerPoint presentation
software, computer aided instructional software, and application software specific
to particular disciplines. As described in Elements 3.1 and 3.2, as part of lab
exercises for a number of courses, students must acquire data using
instrumentation (possibly including a computer and the internet), analyze it to
solve a problem (perhaps using spreadsheet software on a computer, or at least
using a scientific calculator), communicate the results in writing (using word
processing software, say), and occasionally present the results (possibly using
presentation software such as Microsoft PowerPoint). Information and
observational technologies have become essential tools to help students learn
subject matter and understand concepts, from computer-based molecular models
in biology and chemistry to animations of global cloud patterns in the
geosciences. Most biology and other science courses that are part of the
SSMPP, particularly lab courses, rely on technology as a teaching and learning
aid. Course syllabi and materials in Appendix PS offer additional examples.
37
Standard 4: Literacy
The program of subject matter preparation for prospective Single Subject teachers
develops skills in literacy and academic discourse in the academic disciplines of study.
Coursework and field experiences in the program include reflective and analytic
instructional activities that specifically address the use of language, content and discourse
to extend meaning and knowledge about ideas and experiences in the fields or discipline
of the subject matter.
Virtually all of the required and elective courses in the SSMPP in biology
promote the ability to understand, communicate, and present biological ideas by
applying the terminology, content, and conventions of the discipline.
SFSU reaffirms the centrality of writing to a higher education and states the
university’s intention to insure that all graduates write proficiently [see Academic
Planning and Educational Effective Goal II; in Appendix 4, p. 1.] In response to
this and other university-wide initiatives in writing excellence, the Department of
Biology has incorporated a strong writing emphasis in many of its courses, as
have other departments within the College of Science and Engineering. The
interdisciplinary capstone course SCI 510, which is a required part of the SSMPP
in biology and other science disciplines, is a good example of this emphasis.
During the semester-long investigation of one aspect of a multifaceted scientific
issue such as global warming, students must carry out intensive library research
and analysis; make oral presentations and poster presentations; keep on-going
work logs and reflective journals; and submit literature presentations as well as
written peer evaluations [see syllabus in Appendix PS].
Required Element 4.1 The program develops prospective teachers’ abilities to use
academic language, content, and disciplinary thinking in purposeful ways to analyze,
synthesize and evaluate experiences and enhance understanding in the discipline.
All SFSU students must complete 6 units in designated written
communication and oral communication courses [see Appendix 4, pp. 3-10].
These fundamental courses--as well as the many written and oral assignments in
breadth and depth classes for the SSMPP in biology--allow prospective teachers
to acquire generalized and specialized academic language and content. This
growing literacy helps them develop the biological thinking needed to
understand, analyze, synthesize, evaluate, and express themselves about their
highly varied lab, field, lecture, and seminar experiences in the program. This, in
turn, helps prepares them for effective communication in K-12 classrooms.
The following types of coursework in required and elective program classes
are instrumental in developing such skills:
38
• Exams: Most biology courses contain at least some essay and/or problemsolving questions in exams, requiring precise written expression, technical
terminology, and evidence of conceptual understanding. Examples include the
required courses BIOL 230, 240, 337, 355, and 652.
• Term papers: Two required program courses, BIOL 230 and 355, assign
in-depth term papers, as do the courses in the cell biology option (BIO 350, 401,
435, 450, and 524) and the physiology option (BIOL 525, 612, 630).
• Critiques: Students must write reviews of scientific research articles for
several courses, including BIOL 402 (a course for the cell biology and physiology
laboratory option) BIOL 612 (which fulfills the physiology course option) and has
assignments similar or parallel to the other physiology courses in the option, and
482 (which fulfills the ecology course option).
• Lab reports: All full laboratory courses and all courses with lab
components require lab notebooks, flow charts outlining lab procedures, and
other submitted lab reports that record, analyze, and present results using
biological terminology and standard scientific conventions. Examples include
BIOL 230, 240 (both required), and BIOL 351, 436, and 613 (all cell
biology/physiology lab requirement option choices).
• Presentations: Many required and option-fulfilling courses also assign
students to complete a significant research project, often in collaboration with
other students, and to prepare written and oral reports for in-class delivery.
Examples include BIOL 240 (required), and BIOL 351, 402, 526, 613, and 631
(all cell biology/physiology lab requirement option choices).
Evidence for the writing and presentation requirements in these courses
appears in Appendix 4, pp. 11-26.
Required Element 4.2 The program prepares prospective teachers to understand and use
appropriately academic and technical terminology and the research conventions of the
disciplines of the subject matter.
Students enrolled in the SSMP program in biology develop proficiency with
the academic and scientific terminology and research conventions of the
discipline through much of their work in biology courses. In particular, reading
textbook assignments, attending lectures, and writing out tests, term papers, and
lab reports reinforces student learning and application of the very extensive
technical vocabulary in biological science. For example, every SFSU student
preparing to teach biology must take BIOL 337, Evolution. To prepare for the
lecture on natural selection, students must read and absorb Chapter 3 of
EVOLUTIONARY ANALYSIS 3e, [See textbook Table of Contents for Chapter 3
in Appendix 4, p. 27]; learn over a dozen vocabulary terms; understand the
lecture which applies those and other terms, equations, and problems [see
sample lecture notes on natural selection, Appendix 4, pp. 28-33], and be
prepared to use the terms properly in written tests and papers throughout the
course.
Students learn to describe and apply the conventions of scientific research
by preparing their lab notebooks, lab reports, literature searches, term papers,
39
and projects. Examples are as follows:
• Every SSMPP in biology candidate must take BIOL 230 and record data
and observations in a lab notebook for each lab session. Each daily write-up
must include the purpose of the exercise, the materials and methods, the results,
and contain a section on discussion and conclusions. [See Biology 230 Lab
syllabus, Appendix 4, p. 34-37].
• Many prospective biology teachers in the SFSU program take BIOL 482,
Ecology, one of three courses that fulfill their ecology requirement. For this
course, students read scientific journals and write critiques of specific papers,
looking at each standard section and assessing the clarity and effectiveness of
the authors’ presentation to absorb the form and function of scientific literature.
Students also apply their knowledge by describing their own research projects
using the same conventions [see BIOL 482 Syllabus, Appendix PS].
• The lab manual for BIOL 402, General Microbiology Lab, includes an indepth discussion of why and how to keep a lab notebook, including examples
from student notebooks [See Appendix PS]. Many students take this course to
fulfill their requirement in the cell biology and physiology laboratory option.
• The lecture topics for BIOL 613, Human Physiology Laboratory—also
frequently taken to fulfill the cell biology and physiology laboratory option—
focuses heavily on scientific communication and literacy. In BIOL 613, the
instructor devotes several weeks to the following topics: reviewing scientific
literature; writing a research proposal; writing a scientific research paper;
listening to student presentations of proposed projects; graphic presentations of
data; writing the methods and results sections of a scientific research paper; and
writing the abstract and discussion sections of papers and citing literature [see
Appendix PS, course syllabus for BIOL 613], Each of the above courses and the
many others like them help prepare SFSU students thoroughly to understand the
conventions of biological research.
Required Element 4.3 The program provides prospective teachers with opportunities to
learn and demonstrate competence in reading, writing, listening, speaking,
communicating and reasoning in their fields or discipline of the subject matter.
Students have innumerable opportunities to hone disciplinary literacy skills
while enrolled in the SSMPP in biology.
• Reading Most Biology courses assign students to read scientific papers
and other reference materials in addition to textbooks. All program candidates in
biology must take either plant, animal, or human physiology [BIOL 525, 612, or
630] and often take the lab associated with it [BIOL 526, 613, 631] to fulfill their
cell biology and physiology laboratory option. BIOL 525 instructs students on
reading and reviewing literature and requires two written reviews. BIOL 612
instructs students in how to use the National Library of Medicine search engine
called PubMed to search for research articles for term papers on recent
40
physiological research, how to read them, and how to write articles about them
for class. BIOL 613 gives detailed instructions on how to read a scientific paper
most effectively [See Appendix 4, p. 38-47].
• Writing As stated in Element 4.2, students write lab reports for every lab
class or class with a lab component. All SSMPP students take BIOL 230 and turn
in the data and observations they record in a lab notebook for each lab session.
Students are required to write critiques, papers, or projects for virtually every
class. Students in BIOL 435 do extensive written analyses [see Appendix PS].
• Listening Program candidates are required to take BIOL 652, Introduction
to Science Education, Pedagogy, and Partnership, during which they study
issues surrounding science teaching and learning at the K-12 level. Students
attend weekly seminars to listen to and participate in discussions led by the
instructor Kimberly Tanner, by graduate students, and by departmental and
outside scientists [see course syllabus, Appendix PS].
• Speaking Students give oral presentation, often based around
collaborative projects, in several biology courses that fulfill the requirement for a
cell biology and physiology laboratory course, including BIOL 351, 526, 613, and
631, as well as in the early fieldwork course BIOL 652.
• Communicating. Students write lab reports for every lab class, as stated
above, and give oral reports in many classes, also described above.
•Reasoning. All Biology courses require disciplinary reasoning and problem
solving. A good example is the problem sets students must analyze and solve for
BIOL 337, Evolution, a required course for all SSMPP candidates in Biology [see
syllabus in Appendix PS]. Reasoning and problem-solving are also prominent
requirements in BIOL 652, and students must communicate their solutions
through writing and speaking.
41
Standard 5: Varied Teaching Strategies
In the program, prospective Single Subject teachers participate in a variety of learning
experiences that model effective curriculum practices, instructional strategies and
assessments that prospective teachers will be expected to use in their own classrooms.
Required courses in the program expose future teachers to a wide range
of instructional circumstances and styles. Class sizes range from relatively large
classes taught mostly in lecture mode such as BIOL 230 or ASTR 115 [see
Appendix PS] to small classes taught mostly using inquiry-based methods, smallgroup collaborative problem solving, and whole-class discussion (some of it
student-led), with lecture employed intermittently only as needed, such as in
BIOL 652 and GEOL/MET/OCN 405 [Appendix PS]. Many courses with labs
divide instruction between lecture mode and individual or collaborative, semiindependent lab and/or field exercises. Lab and field courses, in particular,
routinely require students to collect and record data, then analyze and interpret it
and report their results.
Required Element 5.1 Program faculty include in their instruction a variety of
curriculum design, classroom organizational strategies, activities, materials, and field
experiences incorporating observing, recording, analyzing and interpreting content as
appropriate to the discipline.
Several courses in the SSMPP in biology employ a spectrum of innovative
teaching approaches. Several lessons in the laboratory portion of the required
introductory course BIOL 240 use an inquiry-based approach: For example, in
Lab # 13, Floral Variation, An Evolutionary Key to Success, students are asked
to observe and record specific features of floral morphology from a number of
plant species (unidentified); hypothesize which are pollinated in an abiotic way
and which in a biotic way; then design the perfect flower shape for a list of known
animal pollinator [see Appendix 5, pp. 1-8]. In Lab # 19, students observe and
record characteristics of species from several arthropod subphyla. Then they
create a case study by choosing a habitat and deciding which arthropod groups
would make appropriate bioindicator species for the ecological health of the site
they picked [see Appendix 5, pp. 9-22]. In Lab # 20, students examine examples
from seven orders of insects; observe and record wing structural adaptations;
create their own dichomotous keys for identifying unknown insects by order;
make additional observations of structural adaptations; then create a case study
that examines pesticide resistance and biocontrol issues based on the
adaptations they studied [see Appendix 5, pp. 23-37].
Another good example of a course that employs numerous activity types,
strategies, and materials for observing, recording, analyzing, and interpreting
content is GEOL/METR/OCN 405 (Planetary Climate Change), a required course
in the breadth portion of the SSMPP for biology and the other major sciences.
42
The course, with its spectrum of approaches, was designed, in part, to model
demonstrably effective pedagogical approaches for future teachers [see
Appendix PS]. It also integrates concepts from geosciences, physics, chemistry,
and biology. Yet another course with a similar goal, in part, is the required
capstone course SCI 510 (Search for Solutions). It directs each student to work
collaboratively in a small group for most of the semester to analyze and
synthesize information bearing on an interdisciplinary problem of significant
scientific and social importance, and to co-present the group’s results at the end
of the semester in a PowerPoint presentation [see Appendix PS].
The following table lists distinct learning/teaching methodologies and
program courses that exemplify their use:
Learning/Teaching
Methodology
Lecture with Multimedia
Aids
Hands-on, In-class
Activities
Group Learning
Inquiry-based Learning
Peer Instruction
Case Study/Problem
Based Learning
Course Examples
Evidence
BIOL 230, 240, 337, 355,
435, 482; CHEM 115, 130,
215;
PHYS 111, 121; ASTR 115;
GEOL 110, 405
BIOL 230, 240, 350, 402,
436, 482, 526, 613, 631;
CHEM 115, 216; PHYS 112,
122; ASTR 116; GEOL 110,
405
BIOL 230, 240, 402, 482,
585, 613, 652; SCI 510;
GEOL 405
BIOL 240, 351, 402, 482,
585, 613, 631; GEOL 405
Syllabi, Appendix
PS; see bracketed
items
BIOL 402, 526, 585, 613,
631, 652; SCI 510; GEOL
405
BIOL 402, 585, 652; SCI 510
Software-Based/On-Line
Instruction
BIOL 240, 337, 613; GEOL
405
Self-Directed Experimental
Design
BIOL 351, 402, 436, 482,
526, 585, 613, 631
Literacy-Based Oral and
BIOL 351, 402, 450, 482,
43
Syllabi, Appendix
PS; see bracketed
items
Syllabi, Appendix
PS; see bracketed
items
Syllabi, Appendix
PS; see bracketed
items
Syllabi, Appendix
PS; see bracketed
items
Syllabi, Appendix
PS; see bracketed
items
Syllabi, Appendix
PS; see bracketed
items
Syllabi, Appendix
PS; see bracketed
items
Syllabi, Appendix
Written Presentations
Field Experiences
526, 585, 613, 631, 652; SCI
510; GEOL 405
BIOL 482, 529, 585, 652;
ASTR 116; GEOL 110
PS; see bracketed
items.
Syllabi, Appendix
PS; see bracketed
items
Required Element 5.2 Program faculty employ a variety of interactive engaging
teaching styles that develop and reinforce skills and concepts through open-ended
activities such as direct instruction, discourse, demonstrations, individual and
cooperative learning explorations, peer instruction, and student-centered discussion.
Instruction in the program employs student-centered and/or interactive
pedagogical strategies to varying degrees, depending on class size and
instructor training and inclination. As mentioned in Element 5.1, the required
breadth course GEOL/METR/OCN 310 (Planetary Climate Change) exemplifies
the systematic application of a broad spectrum of engaging teaching styles and
techniques, in part, to model effective pedagogical practices for future secondary
science teachers. The course makes inquiry-based learning its primary
pedagogical strategy, usually employing information technologies but
occasionally physical materials and equipment. Informal peer instruction typically
occurs spontaneously and is encouraged. Presentation of topics in the course is
organized to make connections among topics frequent and straightforward to
establish, and students are directly or indirectly encouraged to make such
connections themselves. The course also frequently asks students to work
collaboratively in small groups followed by whole-class discussion led by the
instructor. Every student must co-lead a whole-class discussion about several
related papers in the scientific literature. Direct instruction (in the form of lecture)
is used intermittently, and usually only briefly, as needed [see Appendix 5, pp.
38-39].
The required course SCI 510 (Search for Solutions) provides another
excellent example of a class that demands a high degree of student engagement
and applies a multitude of teaching styles and methodologies (see Appendix PS).
The following table lists distinct teaching styles and program courses that
exemplify their use:
Teaching Styles
Direct Instruction
Course Examples
BIOL 230, 240, 350, 355, 401, 482, 524,
525, 529, 585, 630, 652; CHEM 115, 215;
PHYS 111; MATH 124, 226
Discourse
BIOL 230, 402, 482, 524, 526, 529, 585,
630, 652; SCI 510; GEOL 405
44
Evidence
Syllabi,
Appendix PS;
see bracketed
items
Syllabi,
Appendix PS;
Demonstrations
BIOL 230, 351, 402, 436, 526, 631, 652;
PHYS 112, 122; ASTR 116; GEOL 110,
405
Individual Learning
Instruction
BIOL 240, 652; SCI 510
Cooperative
Learning Instruction
BIOL 435, 524, 652; SCI 510; GEOL 405
Peer Instruction
BIOL 351, 526, 585, 613, 631, 652; SCI
510; GEOL 405
Student-Centered
Discussion
BIOL, 652; SCI 510
see bracketed
items
Syllabi,
Appendix PS;
see bracketed
items
Syllabi,
Appendix PS;
see bracketed
items
Syllabi,
Appendix PS;
see bracketed
items
Syllabi,
Appendix PS;
see bracketed
items
Syllabi,
Appendix PS;
see bracketed
items
Required Element 5.3 Faculty development programs provide tangible support for
subject matter faculty to explore and use exemplary and innovative curriculum practices.
The Center for Teaching and Faculty Development (CTFD) at SFSU
supports faculty for the institution-wide goal of teaching excellence. Providing
programs and activities that promote curricular development and improved
instructional skills and pedagogy is part of the CTFDs mission [see Appendix 5,
pp. 40-42].
CTFD provides individual faculty consultations; resources for course
design; suggestions for construction of syllabi; guidelines for rubrics and effective
grading; ideas for enhancing classroom participation; specific ways to improve
the teaching of large classes and lectures; information on problem-based
learning; plans for increased use of educational technology; and an extensive,
on-going list of workshops in the above areas [see Appendix 5, pp. 43-52; 6164]. Workshops for the Fall 2008 semester, for example, included the topics of
on-line learning; facilitating large classes; creating and selecting instructional
methods; classroom administration; enhancing writing proficiency for students;
engaging students in class; improving student research skills; and the use of
multimedia in the classroom [see Appendix 5, pp. 53-60].
Individual Biology faculty members have also received encouragement
and support in the form of grants from outside agencies to promote improved
45
educational methods and programs. For example, Dr. Diana Chu received a
$655,000 grant from the National Science Foundation that will, in part, help
instructors improve students’ writing skills [see Appendix 5, pp. 64-65]. Drs. John
Stubbs and Kimberly Tanner received a $1 million grant from the National
Science Foundation to run the SFSU GK-12 fellows project from 2003 to the
present. This contributed, in part, to the current BIOL 652 course in early
educational fieldwork experiences [see Appendix 5, p. 66-74]. In 2007, Jamie
Chan and co-investigators from the Department of Biology received a grant from
the Center for Science and Math Education to develop inquiry-based activities for
the lab portion of the required introductory course BIOL 240 [see Appendix 5, p.
75-77]. Also in 2007, Dr. Kimberly Tanner received a similar CSME grant to
study the role of biological education in students’ environmental conceptions and
misconceptions.
Required Element 5.4 Program faculty use varied and innovative teaching strategies,
which provide opportunities for prospective teachers to learn how content is conceived
and organized for instruction in a way that fosters conceptual understanding as well as
procedural knowledge.
Program faculty use varied strategies to engage candidates in high-level
interactions with course content to improve their understanding and ability to
teach.
For example, in the required genetics course BIOL 355, students break
into groups and analyze and carry out a theoretical three-point test cross—that
is, they predict the percentages of offspring in a population that will inherit each
of the eight possible genotype combinations (both parental and cross-over) of
three specific genes. After the students problem-solve the cross, they present
their results to other students in the discussion section.
Virtually every mid-term and final in an SSMPP course contains synthesis
questions that require a student to interact with course content at the level of
critical thinking, integration, and analysis. Every program candidate in Biology
will have undertaken and benefited from dozens of such integrative experiences.
For a detailed example from BIOL 355, see Appendix 5, pp. 78-79.
In BIOL 402, Microbiology Laboratory (which fulfills the requirement
to take a cell biology or physiology laboratory course), students are given an
unknown culture, choose analytic techniques, make a sequential plan, carry out
an analysis, and report back results and conclusions [see syllabus in Appendix
PS].
46
In BIOL 526, Plant Physiology Laboratory, another course that fulfils the
same laboratory requirement, students must do similar analyses, however they
begin by designing their own experiments, carrying them out, and reporting
results in both oral and written form [see syllabus in Appendix PS and course
materials, Appendix 5, pp. 80-83].
In BIOL 652, students use varied strategies including observation,
planning, cooperative learning, hands-on instruction, case-study analysis,
evaluation of their teaching techniques and styles, oral and written presentations,
and other approaches to interact with biology education at al high level and to
thoroughly understand their field experiences in the San Francisco public schools
[see Appendix PS, and course materials, Appendix 6, pp. 15-34].
SCI 510 (Search for Solutions) provides another model for how
organizing, analyzing, and communicating information about a complex problem
can enhance understanding of concepts relevant to the problem (see syllabus in
Appendix PS).
GEOL/METR/OCN 405 (Planetary Climate Change) provides yet another
example of a required breadth course that models for future science teachers
how they can select, organize, and present content to enable and encourage
students themselves to make interconnections among concepts and thus to
reinforce conceptual understanding. In addition, at several points during the
semester students work collaboratively in small groups to assemble hierarchical
concept maps and dynamic system diagrams showing relationships among key
ideas or climate system components, respectively. Late in the course, students
co-lead discussions about articles from the scientific literature that invoke and
apply concepts introduced earlier. Students are then asked to write a paper
synthesizing information from those articles (and others that they must find) to
address several themes that run through much of the course [see syllabus in
Appendix PS]. Throughout the course, students are encouraged to discuss the
pedagogical approach with the co-instructors. The strategy of interweaving and
reinforcing concepts in a variety of ways seems to engage students throughout
the semester, and based on quantitative analysis of a pre- and post-semester
concept map assessment most students demonstrably learn the subject matter
effectively [see http://www.funnel.sfsu/courses/gm310/assessment].
Required Element 5.5 Program coursework and fieldwork include the examination and
use of various kinds of technology that are appropriate to the subject matter discipline.
Most courses in the program, particularly lab courses or courses with labs,
employ computer application software or common measurement instruments as
instructional aids. Students are taught to use the software or instrumentation as
necessary. Since most of the courses in the program can be part of a B.A.
degree program in biology, and since none are education methods courses per
47
se, students always use these technologies in the context of the discipline being
taught. Standard 3, Required Element 3.1 lists many specific technological
instruments and methods used in SSMPP courses.
48
Standard 6: Early Field Experiences
The program provides prospective Single Subject teachers with planned, structured field
experiences in departmentalized classrooms beginning as early as possible in the subject
matter program. These classroom experiences are linked to program coursework and
give a breadth of experiences across grade levels and with diverse populations. The early
field experience program is planned collaboratively by subject matter faculty, teacher
education faculty and representatives from school districts. The institution cooperates
with school districts in selecting schools and classrooms for introductory classroom
experiences. The program includes a clear process for documenting each prospective
teacher’s observations and experiences.
The SSMPP in Biology is fortunate in having strong, coordinated academic
leadership and the support of the Science Education Partnership and
Assessment Lab (SEPAL) and the Center for Science and Math Education
(CSME) to facilitate valuable early field experiences for potential biology
teachers.
Biology faculty member Kimberly Tanner, a biology education specialist,
directs the Science Education Partnership and Assessment Lab (SEPAL) at
SFSU. SEPAL offers several programs that pair SFSU undergraduates (as well
as graduate students) with K-12 teachers in the San Francisco Unified School
District (SFUSD) [see Appendix 6, pp. 1-5] and other Bay Area public schools.
SSMPP candidates enroll in BIOL 652, which Dr. Tanner teaches along with
Allison Busch and other instructors. SEPAL sponsors and helps coordinate this
biology education seminar and fieldwork course, during which biology teacher
candidates accumulate 66 or more hours of early fieldwork training and
experience. (See detailed explanation in Required Elements 6.1 and 6.3.)
Enrollees teach hands-on science lessons and activities that require them to
revisit and apply their biology content knowledge so they can share it effectively
with teacher and student partners.
BIOL 652, which is a required course for the SSMPP in biology, represents
a close collaboration between the Department of Biology, the College of
Education, SFUSD administrators and teachers, and those at other Bay Area
public schools. Students can enroll in BIOL 652 after completion of BIOL 230,
240 (Introductory Biology I and II), or one upper division biology course with
instructor consent. Since students usually take BIOL 230 and 240 in their first
two years of study, the field experience of BIOL 652 can come early in their
preparation for biology teaching. They can take the course later in their SSMP
program, as well, for additional field experience [see course syllabus, Appendix
6, p. 6].
The College of Education’s Credential Services Teacher Preparation Center
also provides prospective teachers with information on gaining early field
experience [see Appendix 6, p. 7-10].
The center also provides several additional kinds of support: It helps recruit
and advise science students interested in teaching. It coordinates several
49
scholarships and fellowships. As described in Standard 2, Required Element 2.2,
CSME sponsors a financial support program for pre-service teachers called the
Math and Science Teaching Initiative (MSTI) that helps recruit candidates from
diverse backgrounds. MSTI fellowships provide stipends of $2,000 per
semester; extra advising and mentoring for pathways into science and math
teaching; meetings with other fellows and advisors; and access to teaching
opportunities [see Appendix 6, pp. 11-13]. MSTI is CSME’s primary fellowshipgranting program for preservice teachers. To qualify for this financial support,
students must get 15 hours per semester of field experience in K-12 teaching.
CSME helps sponsor additional types of field experiences for prospective
science teachers, including a NASA program called Spaceward Bound. This
program provides financial support for selected pre-service science teachers to
practice “expeditionary learning” by doing supervised field studies in biology,
geology, and other sciences related to space research. So far, a number of
SFSU pre-service teachers have traveled to the Mojave Desert to carry out field
research with NASA and CSU scientists and engineers. An important aspect of
this field experience is learning how scientific fieldwork can inform and connect
with the work of 6-12th grade teachers [see Appendix 6, p. 14]
Required Element 6.1 Introductory experiences shall include one or more of the
following activities: planned observations, instruction or tutoring experiences, and other
school based observations or activities that are appropriate for undergraduate students
in a subject matter preparation program.
Students enrolled in BIOL 652 get a wealth of in-service learning fieldwork
as well as a sound academic footing in effective ways to teach biology. They
have the opportunity to:
--explore and develop their own understanding of biological concepts
--practice and develop their own teaching style and philosophy
--gain skills in biology teaching and the development of biology lessons that
engage students in scientific investigations
--increase their knowledge of research, theories, and policies that shape K12 biology education
--share their knowledge and enthusiasm for science with K-12 students in
San Francisco [See course syllabus and description, Appendix PS]
Biology 652 students collaborate in teams of two, working in conjunction
with one to two SFUSD teachers (or those from other districts) to prepare six
biology lessons for students at one of a number of Bay Area schools.
In their planning sessions to prepare for six separate 1 to 1 ½ hour
classroom biology lessons—each taught in two classrooms--BIOL 652 students
spend about 24 hours in direct planning with student co-teachers and with
certificated secondary education life science teachers. The students spend 12 to
18 hours in direct, supervised classroom instruction to teach the lessons. They
also spend 30 hours attending a two-hour seminar course each week for 15
weeks on effective biology learning and teaching. [Topics are listed in course
syllabus, Appendix PS] In total, student receive 66 to 72 hours of early fieldwork
50
training and experience.
Required Element 6.2 Prospective teachers’ early field experiences are substantively
linked to the content of coursework in the program.
BIOL 652 counts as 4 units toward both the SSMPP and the majors degree
in Biology because the coursework is substantially linked to biological as well as
pedagogical content. Enrolled students revisit their biology content knowledge
and common misconceptions in biology in order to prepare six life science
lessons. Students prepare lessons plans and case studies that require them to
review biological topics such as photosynthesis, respiration, plant growth
requirements, and consumption and digestion in herbivores, carnivores, and
omnivores. Appendix 6, pp. 15-25, presents three typical student-generated
lesson plans that apply their own biological knowledge on the topics of animal
nutritional modes, photosynthesis, and cellular respiration. Lesson plans can
come from any area of biological science.
Required Element 6.3 Fieldwork experiences for all prospective teachers include
significant interactions with K-12 students from diverse populations represented in
California public schools and cooperation with at least one carefully selected teacher
certificated in the discipline of study.
Typically, two pre-service teachers enrolled in BIOL 652 are partnered with
one or two certificated secondary education life science teachers in Bay Area
schools. Like SFSU, this district is renown for its racial and ethnic diversity. No
group represents more than 30 percent of the student population, and Asians,
Latinos, Filipinos, African Americans, Caucasians, and others are well
represented. The school district thus serves a highly diverse urban population
that represents a full spectrum of California racial and ethnic groups. The SFSU
students attend a three-hour orientation session with their teacher partners at the
beginning of the semester. Throughout the semester, they meet in a series of
planning sessions to prepare their six classroom lessons. During the six 1 to 1 ½
hour lessons delivered to two separate classes, the students have frequent and
intensive interactions with junior high school students. These include instruction;
demonstrations of techniques; leading group discussions; providing one-on-one
help during experiments and other class activities; and assessments of student
understanding. [See course syllabus and description, Appendix PS].
Required Element 6.4 Prospective teachers will have opportunities to reflect on and
analyze their early field experiences in relation to course content. These opportunities
may include field experience journals, portfolios, and discussions in the subject matter
courses, among others.
The pre-service teachers in BIOL 652 have numerous opportunities to
reflect upon and analyze their early fieldwork experiences.
--Each student writes 15 reflective journal entries, one per week of the
51
semester, which they submit to the course instructor. [See Guidelines for
Electronic Reflective Journals, Appendix 6, p. 26] They spend 45 minutes per
entry, write 600 to 800 words, and address prompts such as these:
• How are you using questions in your teaching? When do you use them
during a lesson and for what purpose?
• Record questions, written and verbal, that you, your SFSU partner, and
your teacher partner asked during your first lesson.
• At this point in time, what are you most struggling with in your teaching?
• What did you learn this week through your teaching partnership
experience?
[For examples of reflective journal prompts, see Appendix 6, pp. 27-30]
--Students each write a detailed case study that analyzes and works
through a teaching dilemma and arrives at a successful solution. These are
presented during the seminar portion of BIOL 652, thus each student is exposed
to a dozen or more realistic problem situations and resolutions. [See case study
assignment; Appendix 6, p. 31]
--Students reflect upon and write a statement of personal teaching
philosophy. This becomes part of their course portfolio and students often find it
relevant to identifying and reaching their employment goals. [See teaching
statement assignment; Appendix 6, pp. 32-3]
--Students write a final individual reflection of what they learned from their
field and seminar experiences in BIOL 652 and how they learned it. [See final
reflective assignment; Appendix 6, p. 34].
Together, these journaling and analytic assignments provide structure
through which students can thoroughly evaluate and understand their biology
teaching experiences as well as solidify their conceptual knowledge of biology.
Required Element 6.5 Each prospective teacher is primarily responsible for
documenting early field experiences. Documentation is reviewed as part of the program
requirements.
As described in Element 6.4, each student reflects upon, analyzes, and
documents their biology teaching fieldwork through written lesson plans, journal
entries, case studies, personal teaching philosophy, and a final evaluation. The
course instructor reviews and assesses all documentation for each student as a
required part of his or her SSMP program in Biology. The course syllabus clearly
states the criteria for evaluating each student’s participation and achievement on
a 600-point scale. [See syllabus, Appendix PS].
52
Standard 7: Assessment of Subject Matter Competence
The program uses formative and summative multiple measures to assess the subject
matter competence of each candidate. The scope and content of each candidate’s
assessment is consistent with the content of the subject matter requirements of the
program and with institutional standards for program completion.
No preamble statement presented in 2005 draft of this proposal, nor
requested by reviewers.
Required Element 7.1 Assessment within the program includes multiple measures such
as student performances, presentations, research projects, portfolios, field experience
journals, observations, and interviews as well as oral and written examinations based on
criteria established by the institution.
Courses in the SSMPP in biology employ a wide array of assessments to
insure that students have acquired an understanding of the common principles,
methods, and communications within all sciences; an in-depth knowledge of the
concepts, vocabulary, and disciplinary thinking within biology; a knowledge of the
basic concepts, vocabulary, and disciplinary thinking within chemistry, physics,
and geosciences; and the ability to demonstrate scientific understanding through
experimental design, analysis, and communication of results in planned and
original laboratory work.
The required introductory biology sequence, for example, BIOL 230/240,
employs a number of assessment approaches in lecture and laboratory portions.
These include midterm and final lecture exams; clicker quizzes during lecture
[see Standard 3 for details]; diagnostic laboratory quizzes; pre-lab worksheets;
lab homework assignments; lab notebooks; and individual and group lab reports.
Each SSMPP candidate in biology is required to take a physiology course
[BIOL 525, 612, or 630] and either the companion physiology laboratory course
or a cell biology lab. BIOL 525/526, Plant Physiology and lab, are a good
example of the multiple assessment measures in this type of sequence, and are
typical of the courses in this option. BIOL 525/526 employ lecture exams; class
interactive exercises; written, in-class responses to questions; take-home
practice problem sets; lab notebooks; short term papers consisting of literature
reviews of articles from principle plant physiology literature; in-depth term papers
describing hypotheses, experimental design, and results of an open-ended lab
assignment; poster presentations of open-ended lab work; oral presentations of
open-ended lab work; and direct observation of each student’s lab attendance,
participation, and proficiency [see syllabi in Appendix PS].
Required Element 7.2 The scope and content of each assessment is congruent with the
53
specifications for the subject matter knowledge and competence as indicated in the
content domains of the Commission-adopted subject matter requirement.
Instructors for each course in the SSMPP in biology evaluate student
understanding of course content in numerous ways throughout each semester.
Below is a matrix showing the courses required for the SSMPP in Biology and
the specific kinds of assessments used in each. Eleven forms of assessment are
represented here. Evidence for the assessments used in each course can be
found in course syllabi [See Appendix PS].
Courses
Written
Exams
Assignments
Quizzes
On-line
quizzes
Lab
Notebook
BIOL 230
BIOL 240
CHEM
115
CHEM
130
CHEM
215
PHYS
111/112
PHY
121/122
MATH
226 or
124
SCI 510
BIOL 355
BIOL 337
BIOL 652
One of
the
Following:
BIOL 525
BIOL 612
BIOL 630
One of
the
Following:
BIOL 350
BIOL 401
BIOL 435
BIOL450
BIOL 524
CHEM
349
One of
the
Following:
BIOL 351
BIOL 402
BIOL 436
BIOL526
BIOL613
BIOL 631
One of
the
Following:
BIOL 482
BIOL 529
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Formal
Lab
Report
X
X
Oral
Presentation
Short
Paper
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
54
Term
Paper
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Poster
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
BIOL 585
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Required Element 7.3 End-of-program summative assessment of subject matter
competence includes a defined process that incorporates multiple measures for
evaluation of performance.
SFSU’s SSMPP in biology has a three-part summative assessment of
subject matter competence. First, all candidates are required to take BIOL 652,
a program of early fieldwork experiences in biology teaching in conjunction with
the San Francisco Unified School District. Candidates are allowed to take the
course more than once to enlarge their practical experience and application of
biological concepts, and may do so after an introductory biology course and one
upper division biology as well as later, after many upper division courses.
Students in BIOL 652 revisit the major elements of their biology courses as they
prepare six lesson plans to teach at the secondary level. Course instructor Dr.
Kimberly Tanner, a Biological Educator, working together with co-instructor
Alison Busch, assesses their lesson plans and the students’ mastery of biology,
as well as all other aspects of the teaching fieldwork. Students submit and the
instructor evaluates reflective journal entries; a detailed written case study of a
commonly encountered teaching dilemma; an oral presentation of their personal
solutions; statements of their individual teaching philosophy and reflections; and
a course portfolio of all journaling and analytical assignments and practical
classroom experiences.
Second, all SSMPP candidates will be required to take the capstone
course, SCI 510, Search for Solutions, which draws connections among various
disciplines and interrelationships among science, technology, and society.
Students research a significant science-based phenomenon such as global
warming and its effects on society. Each student proposes a solution to one
aspect of the problem; creates hypotheses, predictions, and test procedures; and
reports in a detailed term paper, PowerPoint display, and oral presentation [see
Appendix PS]. By evaluating all of these, instructors get a summative
assessment of each student’s competence in several interrelated sciences, as
well as in methodology and applications.
Third, there are two forms of end-of-program assessment. Program
advisors keep track of candidates’ subject matter competency, in the same way
as subject matter competency is reviewed and tabulated for the teaching
credential [see Appendix 7, p. 1]. In addition, graduating seniors fill out a required
exit survey that includes content and attitudinal questions. The Department of
Biology tabulates the results of both question types and uses the data to inform
their program revisions. Appendix 7, pp. 2-14, shows the questions and recent
tabulations.
55
Required Element 7.4 Assessment scope, process, and criteria are clearly delineated and
made available to students when they begin the program.
Students in the SSMPP in biology have access to several clear sources of
information about assessment scope, procedures, and criteria while in the
program.
On its general advising webpage, the Department of Biology states the
minimum GPA for its majors and minors, including those in the Bachelor of Arts
in General Biology degree which is very similar to the SSMPP. Potential
candidates are directed to SSMPP advisors who can also go over the grading
policies [see Appendix 7, pp. 15-24].
COSE’s CSME distributes electronic and hard copies of a SSMPP packet
to all potential candidates [see Appendix 7, pp. 25-30]. This discusses subject
matter competency, required grade point averages, and the requirements and
content of BIOL 652, the early fieldwork course.
Finally, the SFSU Bulletin for 2008/2009 discusses grading policies and
systems in depth. It provides basic definitions of A,B,C,D, and F work [see
Appendix 7, pp. 31-36]; the determination of grade point average; and the
university-wide procedures for student grade-change appeals. In each course
syllabus, the instructor presents parameters for assessment as a basis for
student preparedness as well as appeals. These multiple avenues provide each
SSMPP candidate an overview of the program’s performance expectations and
assessments.
Required Element 7.5 Program faculty regularly evaluate the quality, fairness, and
effectiveness of the assessment process, including its consistency with program
requirements.
SFSU’s Department of Biology has numerous mechanisms for evaluating
the quality, fairness, and effectiveness of the assessment process in all of its
courses and sequences, including the SSMPP in biology.
The Department’s assessment subcommittee holds focus groups with
students; considers the tabulated data from the graduating seniors subject matter
competence and attitudinal survey; and writes an annual assessment report
about departmental and individual course practices.
The Department’s curriculum subcommittee considers the course plan for
each course, including how students are assessed. They report to the entire
faculty, which votes to approve or disapprove the course plan.
Peer and student evaluations are a regular part of every biology course.
Each semester, two independent faculty members come to a class session of
each course taught by a faculty member seeking tenure and write formal
56
evaluations of instructor effectiveness, including assessment practices. Student
evaluations are mandatory each semester for each course, regardless of
instructor. The Department Chair reviews peer and student evaluations. Both
figure prominently in the departmental tenure process.
The Department Chair handles individual student complains and appeals
regarding assessment issues such as petitions for grade changes.
A cadre of biology faculty who are general biology advisors handle student
advisement for the SSMPP candidates, check student transcripts for compliance
with pre-requisites, and monitor student demand for required courses (past,
present, future) such as BIOL 355.
As stated in Standard 10, COSE’s CSME works with individual science
departments to oversee the SSMPPs in all science disciplines. This includes
monitoring course offerings to insure compliance with program goals and state
requirements.
Required Element 7.6 The institution that sponsors the program determines, establishes
and implements a standard of minimum scholarship (such as overall GPA, minimum
course grade or other assessments) of program completion for prospective single subject
teachers.
The SFSU Bulletin for 2008/2009 discusses grading policies and systems in
depth. It provides basic definitions of A,B,C,D, and F work [see Appendix 7, pp.
31-36]; the determination of grade point average; and the university-wide
procedures for student grade-change appeals. In each course syllabus, the
instructor presents parameters for assessment as a basis for student
preparedness as well as appeals. The SFSU Department of Biology states the
minimum GPA for its majors and minors, including those in the Bachelor of Arts
in General Biology degree which is very similar to the SSMPP. Finally, students
using the CSME single subject matter packet [see Appendix 7, pp. 37-53] will find
that a GPA (2.67 overall or 2.75 in last 60 semester units) is required for entry
into the teacher certification program at SFSU [see Appendix 7, pp. 37-38; 49].
57
Standard 8: Advisement and Support
The subject matter program includes a system for identifying, advising and retaining
prospective Single Subject teachers. This system will comprehensively address the
distinct needs and interests of a range of prospective teachers, including resident
prospective students, early deciders entering blended programs, groups underrepresented
among current teachers, prospective teachers who transfer to the institution, and
prospective teachers in career transition.
The efforts of, and coordination between a number of resource centers at
SFSU results in the identification and encouragement of prospective biology
teachers, advising as to SSMPP requirements, and the improved retention of
program candidates.
The initial interface with resident students, early deciders, and transfer
students is usually the Biology Department, its website [see Appendix 8, p. 1-20]
and its SSMPP advisors; COSE’s Student Resource Center for Science and
Engineering Students [details in Required Element 8.2]; and/or COSE’s Center
for Science and Math Education. Once identified as prospective candidates for
the SSMPP in biology, students are referred to appropriate biology department
advisors for help with program planning, transfer credits, and tracking required
courses through graduation. The Department maintains reciprocal links with
CSME, which provides ongoing encouragement, financial stipends, and other
forms of support such as fellowships and field opportunities [see Appendix 8, p.
4].
The initial interface for current teachers without single subject matter
credentials, including underrepresented groups, as well as for college graduates
making career transitions, is usually the Department of Education’s Credential
Services and Teacher Preparation Center (CSTPC). This center publicizes and
holds monthly orientation sessions to identify and encourage prospective
teachers [see Appendix 8, pp. 21-26]. If a candidate needs to fulfill
undergraduate biology courses, he or she will be referred to biology department
advisors including SSMPP advisors.
Required Element 8.1 The institution will develop and implement processes for
identifying prospective Single Subject teachers and advising them about all program
requirements and career options.
As described above, the biology department, COSE, CSME, and CSTPC
have each developed and implemented processes for identifying potential
science teacher candidates and directing them to the appropriate advisors and
advisement information. The Department of Biology has printed information for
walk-in candidates and maintains a complete website for Biology Advising
Information [see Appendix 8, pp. 1-20]. The first page, for example, asks
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students, “Interested in Teaching K-12 Biology?” [see Appendix 8. P. 2] and
provides a link to advisor names, phone numbers, and office hours of advisors
knowledgeable in SSMPP requirements and program planning. The website
itself also provides complete on-line information on breadth and depth
requirements and electives [see Appendix 8, p. 9-12]. Students are strongly
encouraged to meet with one of several advisors to help them outline a
semester-by-semester program. A cadre of biology faculty who are general
biology advisors handle student advisement for the SSMPP candidates, check
student transcripts for compliance with pre-requisites, and monitor student
demand for required courses.
Both COSE and CSME web materials and office personnel can direct
potential biology teachers to the same advisement system. CSME web materials
link candidates directly to on-line biology advisement pages as well as provide
contact information for departmental advisors.
CSTPC associates direct current teachers and other career professionals
to that center’s printed and on-line materials which address subject matter
competency [see Appendix 8, pp. 21-22]. CSTPC also provides in-person
advising. This may include completing courses within the approved subject
matter program in biology; these students are directed to biology department
advisors for the SSMPP.
Required Element 8.2 Advisement services will provide prospective teachers with
information about their academic progress, including transfer agreements and
alternative paths to a teaching credential, and describe the specific qualifications needed
for each type of credential, including the teaching assignments it authorizes.
SFSU’s Center for Science and Math Education tracks current California
State credential requirements and works with SSMPP advisors in the biology
department to insure their understanding of the requirements of the single
subject matter program; transfer agreements between SFSU and California
community colleges and between SFSU and other California State University
campuses and other universities; issues relating to transfer of units from
institutions not party to the formal transfer agreements; the distinctions among
and limitations on different types of credentials in California; and the alternative
paths leading to the various credentials. [For more detail on CSME’s
involvement, see evidence presented in Standards 9 and 10.]
The SFSU College of Science and Engineering urges each of its science
departments to require or strongly recommend direct meetings between advisors
and majors each semester, including students in single subject matter programs.
This helps insure that advisors are updated regularly on each student’s academic
status in the program. The ratio of SSMPP candidates in biology to academic
advisors to is approximately 20 to 1.
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Students are required to print out and bring with them to advisement
appointments a Single Subject Science Competence: Biological Sciences
Worksheet [see Appendix 8, pp. 23-24 for the worksheets now used in the
current approved SSMPP]. These track their academic progress toward the
SSMPP in biology. Program candidates in biology who are within a few
semesters of graduation fill out a graduation checklist and bring this to their
advisement sessions [see Appendix 8, p. 25-30].
The SFSU Academic Senate has established a Policy on Undergraduate
Academic Advising that delineates at least five pivotal points at which students
should seek and obtain academic advising, including the point at which the
student enters a program such as the SSMPP in biology [see Appendix 8, pp. 3135]. Students are responsible for a number of things, including seeking academic
advising from the appropriate sources at pivotal and other times and maintaining
a personal academic advising folder to take to each advisement session. Faculty
advisors, departments, and programs have additional responsibilities, including
appointing and training advisors; establishing advisement mechanisms;
producing informational materials; creating advisement plans and criteria for
students on probation; and evaluating the effectiveness of their advisement
process [see Appendix 8, pp. 34-35].
Required Element 8.3 The subject matter program facilitates the transfer of prospective
teachers between post-secondary institutions, including community colleges, through
effective outreach and advising and the articulation of courses and requirements. The
program sponsor works cooperatively with community colleges to ensure that subject
matter coursework at feeder campuses is aligned with the relevant portions of the Stateadopted Academic Content Standards for K-12 Students in California Public Schools.
The Curriculum Committee for the Department of Biology makes formal
assessments of course equivalency between institutions before recommending
or denying articulation to the SFSU Articulation Officer. The recommendation is
reviewed by the Department and COSE, and signatures from the Curriculum
Chair or Associate Chair, as well as from the Dean or Associate Dean of COSE,
go back to the University Articulation Officer. If articulation is denied, reasons
are provided in writing on the articulation request form and communicated to the
institution requesting articulation. Science courses that are covered by the
articulation agreements are considered equivalent in content to SFSU science
courses. Science courses equivalent to courses in our program are therefore
aligned with the relevant portions of the State-adopted Academic Content
Standards for K-12 Students in California Public Schools. See Appendix 8, pp.
36-57 for examples of correspondence and departmental data demonstrating
discussions of articulation issues and agreements in geology breadth
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requirements for the SSMPP in biology and other science disciplines, as well as
in the geology major.
Students enrolled at community colleges or other institutions can see the
results of formal articulation agreements by visiting the Assist website
www.assist.org. A student taking biology courses at City College of San
Francisco, for example, can see course equivalents at SFSU for required
courses in the SSMPP [see Appendix 8, pp. 58-60].
COSE’s CSME has assembled a Teacher Advisory Board and a process
(see Standard 9) for facilitating the transfer of prospective science teachers from
community colleges. The single subject matter advisor in biology is responsible
for advising transfer students who express an interest in teaching biology [see
Appendix 8, p. 61].
Required Element 8.4 The institution establishes clear and reasonable criteria and
allocates sufficient time and personnel resources to enable qualified personnel to
evaluate prospective teachers’ previous coursework and/or fieldwork for meeting subject
matter requirements.
A cadre of biology faculty who are general biology advisors handle student
advisement for the SSMPP candidates, check student transcripts for compliance
with pre-requisites, and monitor student demand for required courses. These
advisors are fully versed in all aspects of the program and evaluate coursework
for subject matter requirements. They work for the program as part of the 20% of
full time effort the institution expects each faculty member to devote to university
service. They also evaluate course materials to help provide equivalency
authorization when no formal articulation agreements exist. In addition, they will
often consult with other faculty members who teach specific courses to make a
final evaluation and sign an authorization form [see Appendix 8, p. 63].
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Standard 9: Program Review and Evaluation
The institution implements a comprehensive, ongoing system for periodic review of and
improvement to the subject matter program. The ongoing system of review and
improvement involves university faculty, community college faculty, student candidates
and appropriate public schools personnel involved in beginning teacher preparation and
induction. Periodic reviews shall be conducted at intervals not exceeding 5 years.
SFSU’s College of Science and Engineering (COSE) is fortunate in having
The Center for Science and Math Education (CSME)--a college-wide body
charged with improving the quality of teaching within COSE and more broadly,
with promoting and improving the preparation of more K-12 science teachers--to
help review and evaluate single subject matter programs [see Required Elements
9.2-9.4]
The program review and evaluation includes both formative and
summative elements. Interim (formative) data will be collected each year, and
five year longitudinal reviews will be the basis for the summative review.
While CSME will spearhead the evaluation, the Center plans to enlist
some or all of the following individuals and groups to contribute to the reviews:
1) A well-respected evaluator [e.g. Dr. Elsa Bailey, who has evaluated the MSTI
program at SFSU, or the CSME director] .
2) SSMPP advisors from the biology faculty (e.g., Drs. Sally Pasion, Kimberly
Tanner, Carmen Domingo, and/or others)
3) College of Education professor Larry Horvath, who teaches the Curriculum
and Instruction course in science for COE’s secondary credential program;
4) Dr. Jeanne D’Arcy, Director of science and math teacher professional
development for the San Francisco Unified Schools;
5) Ms. Kathleen White, Director of teacher professional development for the City
College of San Francisco.
The reviews themselves will include: 1) Data from current students,
regarding the effectiveness of program elements; 2) data from SFSU biology
alumni, particularly those who have moved into teaching and into teaching
credential programs; and 3) reviews of curricular materials and other program
elements. For details see Required Element 9.1.
Formative data will be collected annually. A complete program review will
take place every 5 years. Additionally, any new developments in California’s
Biology Standards will spark an immediate review of SFSU’s biology SSMPP
program to determine whether changes need to be made to comply with
revisions in the Standards. For example, recent changes in California’s plan to
implement algebra for all 8th graders has led to SFSU’s consideration of how to
better prepare prospective middle and elementary school teachers to teach
algebra. Similarly, if major changes are made in the Biology Standards, CSME
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and the biology faculty will immediately address ways that SFSU’s program can
adjust to meet the changing Standards.
Beyond the CSME review process, each SFSU department undergoes a
formal program review every five years, with self-review, external review, and
university review components. The goal of these regular reviews is to identify and
articulate the values, competencies, and learning outcomes expected for each
program, assessing the currency of learning objectives and describing how those
learning objectives have been revised in response to changing needs and new
knowledge. The purpose also includes assessing how well the articulated
values, competencies, and learning outcomes have been achieved and
describing methods being explored as to their achievement. Improvements to
course presentations in the SSMPP in biology will be carried out as part of
departmental self-studies conducted every five years. An explanation of the
process and its guidelines in the Handbook for the Fifth Cycle of Academic
Program Review, appears in Appendix 9, pp. 1-4.
Required Element 9.1 Each periodic review includes an examination of program goals,
design, curriculum, requirements, student success, technology uses, advising services,
assessment procedures and program outcomes for prospective teachers.
The CSME evaluation of the SSMPP in biology will list all major outcomes
for SFSU program candidates as well as for the program itself. The Center
director and personnel will accomplish this work, followed by the establishment of
a timeline for implementing the goals.
For 5-year reviews, CSME will convene expert review panels, consisting
of:
The CSME Director (convener)
2 Biology faculty members
1 science education professor from the SFSU Department of Education
1 representative from San Francisco Public Schools
1 representative from City College of San Francisco.
This group will be provided with the following data:
• course syllabi from courses for prospective biology teachers;
• synthesized evaluation data from these courses;
• data from CSME and SFSU’s Teacher Preparation Center regarding the
movement of prospective biology teachers into credential programs and into the
classroom.
• data regarding students’ strategies for entering credential programs: To what
extent are they enrolled in the approved SSMPP and to what extent are they
taking the CSET as a way of entering credential programs?
The group will be asked to review these data and address these questions:
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1) To what extent is core course content aligned with the needs of prospective
science teachers?
2) To what extent is course content aligned with high school biology Standards in
California?
3) To what extent are biology students engaging in the single subject matter
preparation program, versus taking the CSET as an entry method into teaching?
As a result of the 5-year reviews, CSME may institute more in-depth evaluation
procedures to identify reasons for key findings. For example, an important
outcome is the decrease of students using CSET as an entry level into credential
programs and an increase in students enrolled in the approved biology program
as preparation for their credential program. If we find no changes in these
indicators, we will interview new credential students to determine why they have
chosen one entry method versus another.
The summative (Year 5) evaluation will also involve a review of all longitudinal
data by an outside evaluator such as Dr. Elsa Bailey. Outcomes will be
considered by the entire team named above. In addition, we will obtain validation
of the evaluation by requesting one or more independent reviewers from other
CSUs which have similar teacher preparation programs.
Required Element 9.2 Each program review examines the quality and effectiveness of
collaborative partnerships with secondary schools and community colleges.
SFSU prepares the majority of science teachers for the San Francisco
Unified School District (SFUSD), and works closely with the District to ensure
that teacher preparation programs are aligned with the needs of the City’s public
schools. While teachers who prepare at SFSU also teach in other districts, the
evaluation focus will be on ensuring that the partnership with SFUSD is working
well: Is SFUSD satisfied with the quality of biology and general science teachers
who go through the SSMPP at SFSU? How could we enhance teacher
preparation?
To address these questions, the five-year review will include a component
on “SFSU-SFUSD Partnerships.” We will address the overall level of satisfaction
of SFUSD school personnel with the quality of SFSU-prepared science teachers
by analyzing longitudinal data collected annually as part of the BIOL 652 course.
In this course, teachers who have been paired with SFSU students are asked to
evaluate their student partners.
Another component to the partnership evaluation involves “SFSU-City
College Partnerships.” Again, many community colleges function as feeder
schools to SFSU, but we will focus resources on evaluating our major partnership
with City College. A key rationale for SFSU’s decision is that City College has a
very strong teacher preparation program, and due to its location, it already has a
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strong partnership with SFSU. There is a “Bridge Articulation” program that
prepares City College graduates for entry into SFSU and that provides advising
for these students when they reach SFSU. The question we will address, and
the methods/data sources for addressing it are as follows: To what extent do the
City College students who identify science teaching as their major career goal
actually pursue this goal when they arrive at SFSU? Using data already
gathered by Kathleen White, Director of teacher professional development for
City College, CSME will track students identified by City College to monitor their
progress at SFSU toward entering a credential program. (Note that the Center
will also actively advise these students by involving them in CSME’s teacher
preparation activities.)
An additional source of evaluation for the SSMPP in biology will be the
Science Education Partnership and Assessment Laboratory (SEPAL). During
the administration of BIOL 652, which provides early fieldwork experiences in
secondary schools throughout SFUSD, SEPAL staff examine the effectiveness of
collaborative partnerships with secondary schools. This evaluation is carried out
both at the level of individual students, such as those taking the recommended
sequence of courses and electives for the SSMPP in biology (including their
required enrollment in BIOL 652) and at the level of participating school teachers.
SEPAL director Kimberly Tanner is a biological educator interested in assessing
science learning and science teaching across all scientific disciplines. She
designed and evaluated an assessment for graduating seniors to gauge their
attitudes and experiences in biology courses as part of the Department of
Biology’s on-going academic program review. This survey allows for tracking of
the percent of graduates who identify teaching as a primary career pathway. The
survey questionnaire and tabulation appear in Appendix 9, pp. 5-24.
Required Element 9.3 The program uses appropriate methods to collect data to assess
the subject matter program’s strengths, weaknesses and areas that need improvement.
Participants in the review include faculty members, current students, recent graduates,
education faculty, employers, and appropriate community college and public school
personnel.
The CSME Advisory Board, comprising representatives (as described above) of
the constituencies defined by this required element, will assess program
strengths and shortcomings using data including, but not necessarily limited to,
the following: enrollment and graduation statistics; student grades; surveys of
current students, former students, and interviews with program faculty members,
particularly single subject matter program advisors; and standard SFSU student
course evaluations. Elements 9.1 and 9.2 address the board members, their
participation, and specific assessments for the program evaluation in more detail.
Required Element 9.4 Program improvements are based on the results of periodic
reviews, the inclusion and implications of new knowledge about the subject(s) of study,
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the identified needs of program students and school districts in the region, and
curriculum policies of the State of California.
COSE’s CSME, guided by periodic, formal Advisory Board reviews, formal
SFSU departmental program reviews, and by more frequent, less formal
formative assessments, will monitor the currency of the coursework in the
program and the needs of future science teachers and local school districts (as
detailed in Elements 9.1 and 9.2) and will recommend program modifications as
needed. Assessments by SEPAL director Kimberly Tanner of institutional
partnerships and student experiences will also contribute to program
improvements. As stated above, CSME will monitor California state curriculum
policies and ensure that the program remains in compliance [Appendix 9, pp. 2527]. Recent improvements to the SSMPP in biology include the implementation
of BIOL 652 and its required early fieldwork experiences. BIOL 652 was
launched since our original proposal submission, in part to meet needs identified
during our work on the SSMPPs. Thus the process of program improvement is
already well underway We anticipate that one of the key pieces of data that will
go into both our formative and summative assessments will be why (or why not)
students choose to pursue the SSMPP in biology rather than opting to take the
CSET exams.
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Standard 10: Coordination
One or more faculty responsible for program planning, implementation and review
coordinate the Single Subject Matter Preparation Program. The program sponsor
allocates resources to support effective coordination and implementation of all aspects of
the program. The coordinator(s) foster and facilitate ongoing collaboration among
academic program faculty, local school personnel, local community colleges and the
professional education faculty.
The Center for Science and Mathematics Education (CSME) takes
primary responsibility for administering the biology SSMPP at SFSU. In carrying
out this responsibility, the director of CSME works in collaboration with CSME
advisors, with COSE, and with the chairperson and SSMPP faculty advisors of
the Department of Biology. The many roles played by CSME in coordinating the
SSMPPs for all participating science departments are detailed in our responses
to and evidence for Standard 9 [see Appendix 9, pp. 25-29].
Required Element 10.1 A program coordinator will be designated from among the
academic program faculty.
The director of CSME is responsible for coordinating all the science
SSMPPs at SFSU. The current interim director of CSME is Dr. Nilgun Ozer,
professor of Engineering. Dr. Ozer works in conjunction with the Department of
Biology’s chairperson as well as the departments’ SSMPP advisors, and with
CSME advisors [see Required Element 10.2] to coordinate the SSMPP in
biology.
Required Element 10.2 The program coordinator provides opportunities for
collaboration by faculty, students, and appropriate public school personnel in the design
and development of and revisions to the program, and communicates program goals to
the campus community, other academic partners, school districts and the public.
CSME has designated an SFSU Science and Mathematics TeacherPreparation Advisory Board, comprising SFSU and community college faculty
members, school district representatives, and current and former students, to
offer advice about the structure and administration of the program and to formally
review it periodically [see Appendix 10, p. 1] The director also consults
periodically with program faculty and other stakeholders about the program.
Program faculty from the Department of Biology currently include Drs. Jennifer
Breckler, Sally Pasion, and Kimberly Tanner [see Appendix 10, p. 3].
SFSU’s Department of Biology has primary responsibility for defining,
developing, and revising the biology SSMPP. CSME’s director coordinates and
administers the program, and works with the Department to define and revise
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program goals. CSME is primarily responsible for communicating the program
goals to the campus community and to other stakeholders. The Center
maintains an extensive website describing the ongoing crisis in math and science
education; potential solutions; the Center’s own goals and objectives; and its
current program. CSME also distributes a printed brochure and SSMPP
information packets to potential SSMPP and credential candidates. The director
and other Center personnel speak at numerous events, and provide individual
advising sessions and other forms of assistance, as needed. They also direct
potential candidates to advisors in specific departments such as biology. The
specific goals and objectives of CSME, formally initiated in September 2006,
include developing, administering, and assessing subject-matter preparation
programs in math and science [see Appendix 10, p. 4-8].
CSME has awarded mini-grants, including one that has already improved
BIOL 240 (Introductory Biology II), a breadth requirement for all science SSMPP
candidates [see Standard 5, Required Element 5.3 and Appendix 10, p. 9-11].
Collaborative external grants have also benefited SFSU science SSMPPs,: A
NASA-NOVA grant to Dr. David Dempsey led to the collaborative development of
GEOL/METR/OCN 405 (Planetary Climate Change) by faculty in both the
Department of Geosciences and the College of Education. This integrated
geosciences course is a required breadth course for biology SSMPP candidates,
and it addresses state standards. A MASTEP mini-grant also led to the
development of the required capstone course SCI 510 (Search for Solutions)
[see Standard 11, Required Element 11.3 and syllabi in Appendix PS].
Required Element 10.3 The institution allocates sufficient time and resources for faculty
coordination and staff support for development, implementation and revision of all
aspects of the program.
CSME’s director is a full-time position, and current interim director Dr.
Nilgun Ozer, a faculty member in the SFSU School of Engineering, recently
stepped away from her directorship of MESA, a minority enrollment program for
the School of Engineering, in order to direct CSME. Co-directors drawn from the
math and science faculty assist departments with the development of SSMPPs.
For their CSME duties, they receive 20 percent release time in addition to the 20
percent of time they and other faculty members are expected to devote to
campus service.
In addition, a cadre of biology faculty who are general biology advisors handle
student advisement for the SSMPP candidates, check student transcripts for
compliance with pre-requisites, and monitor student demand for required
courses.
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Required Element 10.4 The program provides opportunities for collaboration on
curriculum development among program faculty.
CSME’s mission includes promoting science and mathematics education
grant writing, research, and curriculum development collaborations among faculty
within and across disciplines, such as COSE single subject matter faculty and
College of Education faculty. Appendix 10 p. 3 lists the CSME faculty and their
various disciplines. Appendix 10, pp. 5-6 lists the Center’s specific goals and
objectives. Appendix 10, pp. 7, 9, and 10 describe and list numerous curriculum
development projects already being directed by CSME’s interdisciplinary faculty.
As stated in Required Element 10.2, numerous grants to program faculty have
supported curriculum development and improvement for SSMPP requirements.
Required Element 10.5 University and program faculty cooperate with community
colleges to coordinate courses and articulate course requirements for prospective
teachers to facilitate transfer to a baccalaureate degree-granting institution.
As described in Required Element 8.3, the Curriculum Committee for the
Department of Biology makes formal assessments of course equivalency
between institutions before recommending or denying articulation to the SFSU
Articulation Officer. The recommendation is reviewed by the Department and
COSE, and signatures from the Curriculum Chair or Associate Chair, as well as
from the Dean or Associate Dean of COSE, go back to the University Articulation
Officer. If articulation is denied, reasons are provided in writing on the
articulation request form and communicated to the institution requesting
articulation. The depth portion of the SSMPP in biology is a large subset of the
B.A. in Biology; much of the articulation of courses and lower-division
requirements for degree programs therefore also applies to the SSMPP.
Additionally, science courses in our program are aligned with the relevant
portions of the State-adopted Academic Content Standards for K-12 Students in
California Public Schools. See Appendix 8, pp. 36-37 for examples of
correspondence demonstrating discussions of articulation issues and
agreements.
Students enrolled at community colleges or other institutions can see the
results of formal articulation agreements by visiting the Assist website
www.assist.org. A student taking biology courses at City College of San
Francisco, for example, can see course equivalents at SFSU for required
courses in the SSMPP [see Appendix 8, pp. 58-60]. Community college students
can also obtain preparation information from the California State University
Lower-Division Transfer Pattern Project [see Appendix 10, pp. 12-13].
COSE’s CSME has assembled a Teacher Advisory Board and a process
(see Standard 9) for facilitating the transfer of prospective science teachers from
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community colleges. The single subject matter advisor in biology is responsible
for advising transfer students who express an interest in teaching biology.
The CSME director works with department chairs, the SFSU Articulation
Officer, and articulation staff and science faculty at local community colleges (for
example, through the SFSU Science and Mathematics Teacher-Preparation
Advisory Board) to articulate course requirements that facilitate the transfer or
prospective science teachers to SFSU. The CSME director also works with
departmental single subject matter advisors to ensure that they are prepared to
evaluate courses taken at other institutions for transfer credit in our program.
For evidence of this cooperation, see Appendix 8, pp. 36-38.
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Standard 11: The Vision for Science
The institution articulates a philosophical vision of science and the education of
prospective science teachers. Each program references the current Science Framework
for California Public Schools: Kindergarten Through Grade Twelve (2002) as part of its
vision statement.
SFSU’s College of Science and Engineering (COSE) stated mission
(Appendix 11, p. 1) is:
… to provide an encouraging environment to develop the
intellectual capacity, critical thinking, creativity, and problem
solving ability of its students so that they may become
honorable, contributing, and forward-thinking members of the
science and engineering community of the San Francisco Bay
Area and beyond; to foster a conducive environment for
scholarly and creative activities so that new knowledge or
solutions to problems are discovered or created; and to provide
science education to all students in the University so that they
may be equipped to succeed in the modern world.
COSE’s stated vision includes:
… [a commitment] to … recruiting talented students, providing
them with high-quality and up-to-date curricula, and fostering an
effective teaching/learning environment.
… [a commitment] to offering students an academic experience
of “thinking, learning, and doing.” The best way to provide this
experience is through involving students in research and the
solution of real world problems. Thus, teaching and research
are mutually supportive and one cannot excel without the other.
The College encourages the faculty to carry on research which
involves students and which serves the science and engineering
community.
… [a commitment] to full participation in the community through
service. This service applies the knowledge and experience of
its faculty, staff and students to the solution of problems facing
the University, industry, government, or civic organizations. The
College will expand its already strong cooperative relationship
with various local and national organizations, especially in areas
related to K-12 science and math education.
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COSE’s Center for Science and Mathematics Education (CSME)
articulates a vision for science teacher preparation consistent with the COSE
vision for science education. The following excerpt was adapted from material
presented on the CSME website [see Appendix 11, pp. 2-3]:
A 2005 report from the National Academies of Science, “Rising
Above The Gathering Storm: Energizing and Employing America for a
Brighter Economic Future,” chronicles the United States' loss of its longstanding global lead in the production of engineers, and the erosion of its
lead in the production of other science, technology, engineering and
mathematics professionals. In California, more than in almost any other
state, industries that drive California’s economy depend heavily upon a
continuously growing scientifically and mathematically literate work force.
The California Council on Science and Technology (CCST) reports that in
2000, the demand in California for workers with science and engineering
B.A. degrees exceeded the 20,000 science and engineering B.A. degrees
granted by California universities by 14,000.
Factors cited by the CCST as contributing to this shortfall include
poor preparation of high school students for college, particularly in math,
science and engineering, and low levels of interest expressed by K-12
students in science and engineering. Both of these factors are attributed to
a lack of exposure to science and engineering in K-12, and to the
inadequate qualifications of many K-12 science and mathematics
teachers. This lack of teacher training is, in turn, attributed to the growing
shortage of secondary science and mathematics teachers available to
teach. Beyond that, it can lead to the poor preparation of students entering
college and eventually it can contribute to a large attrition rate (nearly 40
percent) of qualified and certified K-12 science and mathematics teachers
from the profession.
The goals of the SFSU Center for Science and Math Education will
be to recruit, support, and develop good science and mathematics
teachers; to establish and support research into math and science
education and promote its application; and to establish a community of
math and science education scholars, teachers and students to support
and sustain these efforts into the future. Ultimately, the goal is to focus on
and encourage the fledgling interest of SFSU students in science,
technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects, and nurture,
develop and sustain that interest at SFSU and other CSU schools. Center
projects will include developing, administering, and assessing subjectmatter preparation programs; recruiting, mentoring, advising, and tracking
the training experiences of potential mathematics and science teachers;
and training graduate teaching assistants and in-service K-12 math and
science teachers.
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The mission of the SFSU Department of Biology includes “…educating
future generations of scientists, health professionals, teachers, and citizens,” to
help prepare a “science-literate, educated public.” In particular, the department
is “committed to serving the needs of a student population with diverse
backgrounds and goals…” [see Appendix 11, p. 7].
Through the biology and education courses they take and their contact
with faculty members, students in the SSMPP in biology acquire this philosophy
of quality science education, hands-on training and experience, and interaction
with and service to the community. Throughout their coursework, they encounter
a multitude of teaching approaches that benefit a range of learning styles [see
evidence in Standard 5], much of it requiring hands-on, minds-on participation.
Through their required early fieldwork course in biology teaching, BIOL 652, they
themselves interact with and serve the San Francisco community. Materials for
that course rely on and reference the Science Framework for California Public
Schools: Kindergarten Through Grade Twelve (2002). Students can also
participate in educational programs for the San Francisco community by
volunteering through the SFSU Institute for Civic and Community Engagement
[see Appendix 11, p. 8-9].
Required Element 11.1 The program includes a code of ethics that can be applied to the
practice of science.
Basic standards of academic ethics, emphasizing plagiarism, apply to all
academic work at SFSU and also apply to the practice of science. An on-line
student guide gives detailed information on plagiarism [see Appendix 11, pp.1012], as do instructions in the SFSU Faculty Manual [see Appendix 11, p. 13]. All
students in the SSMPP in biology take the introductory biology course BIOL 230.
The course syllabus describes specific regulations concerning plagiarism [see
Appendix 11, p. 14]. Lab instructors for each BIOL 230 lab section discuss
plagiarism, cheating, and doing ones own homework in their initial class meeting.
Lab instructors also learn and teach specific protocols for animal experimentation
[see Appendix 11, p. 15-17]. Finally, they discuss issues surrounding academic
integrity, including honesty in reporting research results; the appropriate use of
citations; giving credit fairly; and the proper use of data, including what
constitutes misuse. Most upper division laboratory courses (students in the
SSMPP in Biology must take at least one), require written lab materials and
research papers with such proper scientific citations [see evidence in Standard
4]. The lab manuals provide instruction in the proper use and form of citations
and their importance to academic integrity [as an example, see BIOL 613
manual, Appendix 4, p. 46-47].
Professional societies, which students are encouraged to join as student
members, have codes of ethics that include plagiarism, falsification of research,
and falsification of data. An example is the American Society for Biochemistry
and Molecular Biology. [See ASBMB Code of Ethics, Appendix 11, p. 18] Most
73
students are also exposed to professional ethics through interactions with faculty
during research experiences, and can also elect to take BIOL 349, Bioethics.
Required Element 11.2 The program examines ethical, moral, social, and cultural
implications of significant issues and ideas in science and technology.
All students in the SSMPP in biology take BIOL 355, Genetics. As
described in the evidence for Standard 3, the course textbook, the lectures, and
the discussion sections of BIOL 355 address ethical, moral, social, and cultural
implications of significant issues and ideas in biological science. In the integrative
issue-based course SCI 510, as well as in GEOL/METR/OCN 405, Planetary
Climate Change, students encounter similar implications, including the
geographically disparate influence of global warming and specific vectors for
disease transmission.
Required Element 11.3 The program explores practical solutions to challenging
important and relevant problems.
All students in the SSMPP in Biology will take a capstone course,
SCI 510, Search for Solutions [see Appendix 11, p. 19]. As the course
overview and goals describe,
Connections among the various disciplines of science and the
inter-relationships among science, technology and society are
the focus of this problem-based course. Working with others as
part of a team, you will be challenged to see the conceptual and
operational relationships among the various sciences and
between science and technology as you research a significant
science-based phenomenon, its effects on society, and how
these effects could be mitigated…While the societal problem
under study will vary from semester to semester, the approach
and tasks will remain the same. The problem will always be
interdisciplinary in nature and broad enough to allow for a
diversity of specific questions to be addressed by each team.
Complex phenomena which have multiple effects, both on a
personal or local level and on the global community, will be
selected by the instructor(s). The goals are to study current
scientific understanding of the selected phenomenon, examine
its regional and worldwide impacts, and propose solutions for
how society can effectively deal with its effects. This course is
required for future science teachers. Students who want to
study science as an integrated entity, and understand the
relationships among science, technology, and society in a
challenging, problem-solving format, are encouraged to
enroll….You can expect to develop an appreciation for the value
of applying multidisciplinary approaches to problem solving and
74
to recognize the benefits of integrating science and technology
as mutually supportive activities.
The learning objectives for the course are:
1. Examine the phenomenon and its effects and identify the
contributions of each of the basic sciences to its study.
2. Identify a specific problem related to the phenomenon and
develop a plan to investigate the issue in depth.
3. Use information collected in the investigation and apply critical
thinking skills to propose and critique a convincing course of action to
mitigate the effects of the phenomenon.
4. Describe and evaluate the various types of literature, including
scientific research, on the phenomenon.
5. Develop skills in working as a member of an investigative team
and keep an ongoing record of your team’s work and effectiveness.
6. Prepare and present the results of your team’s work in an oral,
classroom presentation using PowerPoint software and as a written report.
7. Prepare and present the results of your team’s work in a poster
for public review.
Students in SCI 510 will have an extensive opportunity to explore
practical solutions to challenging, important, and relevant issues such as
global climate change. They will demonstrate their understanding of the
problems and solutions through the course requirements for collaborative
oral reports, poster presentations, work logs and reflective journals, and
literature searches and presentations [see details in SCI 510 course
syllabus, Appendix PS].
75
Standard 12: General Academic Quality
The program is academically rigorous and intellectually stimulating. It provides
opportunities for students to experience and practice analyzing complex situations to
make informed decisions and to participate in scientific problem solving. In the program,
each prospective teacher develops effective written and oral communication skills with a
focus on concepts and methodologies that comprise academic discourse in science.
The SFSU Department of Biology is known for the outstanding education it
affords its students: Each year, many San Francisco State biology graduates are
accepted into the top doctoral programs in the country. SFSU's biology programs
also have a strong record of placing students in medical and dental schools.
Course standards and requirements are high throughout all biology offerings,
including the SSMPP in biology and as a result, candidates are very wellprepared to continue with certification studies and to teach at the K-12 level.
The matrix presented below summarizes the evidence for Required Elements
12.1-12.5:
Courses
for
SSMPP
Communication
Skills
Quantitative
Reasoning
Investigations Critical
Thinking
Models
BIOL 230
BIOL 240
CHEM 115
CHEM 130
CHEM 215
PHYS
111/112
PHY
121/122
MATH 226
or MATH
124
SCI 510
BIOL 355
BIOL 337
BIOL 652
One of the
Following:
BIOL 525
BIOL 612
BIOL 630
One of the
Following:
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
76
BIOL 350
BIOL 401
BIOL 435
BIOL 450
BIOL 524
CHEM 349
One of the
Following:
BIOL 351
BIOL 402
BIOL 436
BIOL 526
BIOL 613
BIOL 631
One of the
Following:
BIOL 482
BIOL 529
BIOL 585
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Required Element 12.1 The program requires sufficient practice in written and oral
communication skills that enable prospective teachers to express scientific ideas,
concepts, and methods accurately.
As discussed in Standard 4, Required Element 4.3, SSMPP candidates in
biology develop and reinforce their literacy ad communication skills in every
course through regular reading, writing, listening, and speaking assignments.
For example, students write lab reports for every class with a lab component
(BIOL 230, 240; BIOL 351, 402, 436, 482, 526, 529, 585, 613, 631 [of which
they must take at least two]; CHEM 216; ASTR 116; GEOL 110, 405). In the
required courses BIOL 230 and 240, for example, SSMPP students turn in the
data and observations they record in a lab notebook for each lab session.
Students are required to write critiques, papers, and projects for virtually every
class as indicated in the above matrix and as evidenced in the course syllabi in
Appendix PS. Students are required to take BIOL 652, Introduction to Science
Education, Pedagogy, and Partnership, during which they study issues
surrounding science teaching and learning at the K-12 level. Students attend
weekly seminars to listen to and participate in discussions led by the instructor,
Dr. Kimberly Tanner, by graduate students, and by departmental and outside
scientists [see syllabus, Appendix PS]. Students give oral presentations, often
based around collaborative projects in most biology courses including BIOL 351,
526, 613, and 631 [of which they must take one] and BIOL 482, 529, and 585 [of
which they must also take one]. As noted in Required Elements 11.2 and 11.3,
students also research and write papers and present them orally in the required
77
courses SCI 510 and GEOL/METR/OCN 405.
Required Element 12.2 The program promotes the use of quantitative reasoning and
encourages prospective teachers to analyze complex situations, make informed decisions,
and participate in scientific problem solving.
Most biology courses require quantitative reasoning via the application of
math and/or statistics. Students are required to graph trends, determine
standard deviations, calculate amounts and percentages during lab procedures,
and synthesize information as they report results and draw conclusions. Specific
examples include probability calculations in BIOL 230, 240, and 355 [all required
for the SSMPP]; calculations and data plotting in BIOL 351 [part of a required
option]; and interpretation of graphs, tables, as well as collection of data using
numerous kinds of technological devices and instruments in physiology labs such
as BIOL 526, 613, and 631 [also part of the cell biology and physiology lab
cluster]. In addition, all biology courses require disciplinary reasoning and
problem solving. A good example is the problem sets students must analyze and
solve for their required course BIOL 337, Evolution [see Appendix 12, pp. 1-8].
Lab Exercise 13 in the required course CHEM 115 demonstrates the need for
accurate scientific measurement and precise calculations in determining the
results of practical problems such as distinguishing the density of pennies minted
in specific years, and in determining the identities of metals in a mixed sample
[see Appendix 12, pp. 9-19].
Required Element 12.3 The program regularly requires prospective teachers to
participate in scientific investigations.
In their required breadth and depth courses, biology students are often
required to design and evaluation lab or field experiments. In CHEM 115
(General Chemistry I), for example, students design and evaluate a laboratory
experiment on the copper cycle [see Appendix 12, pp. 20-29]. In CHEM 215/216,
students design, test, and evaluate a water purification protocol [see Appendix
12, pp. 30-40]. Field and lab experiences in ecology, physiology, and cell biology
require that students include varying degrees of experimental design [see course
syllabi in Appendix PS]. For example, students in BIOL 526, plant physiology lab
[one of the required courses in the cell biology and physiology lab cluster], form
teams, each develop a hypothesis, design an experiment on phototropism, carry
out the experiment, then prepare and present a poster reporting the results and
analysis [see Appendix 12, p. 41-46]. The other courses in this cluster have
similar assignments [see syllabi, Appendix PS]. Exercise 7 from that same
course asks for the student to hypothesize the mechanism for hydroxylamine
inhibition of turnip peroxidase after learning to isolate and identify the enzyme’s
activity in a crude extract of turnip tissue [see Appendix 12, pp. 47-53].
As described in Required Elements 13.2 and 13.3, almost all upper
division Biology courses in the SSMPP provide laboratory or field experiences
78
that engage students in one or more research or research-like projects,
sometimes focusing on a single discipline and sometimes on multiple disciplines.
These give students the most complete experience of the process of science,
integrating the most extensive set of scientific skills including observation,
analysis, hypothesis posing, hypothesis testing, and communication of results.
BIOL 526, 613, 631, 351, 402, and 436 are all examples [see course syllabi in
Appendix PS].
Required Element 12.4 The program allows prospective teachers to gain experience in
critically analyzing and reviewing scientific writings and research.
Most biology courses assign students to read scientific papers and other
reference materials in addition to textbooks. All SSMPP students in biology must
take either plant, animal, or human physiology [BIOL 525, 612, or 630] and often
take the lab associated with it [BIOL 526, 613, or 631] as part of the requirement
for a cell or physiology lab course. BIOL 525 instructs students on reading and
reviewing literature and requires two written reviews. BIOL 612 instructs students
in how to use the National Library of Medicine PubMed search engine to locate
research articles for term papers on recent physiological research; how to read
them; and how to write articles about them for class. In BIOL 631 [see Appendix
PS], the instructor devotes several classes to the following topics: reviewing
scientific literature; writing a research proposal; writing a scientific research
paper; listening to student presentations of proposed projects; graphic
presentations of data; writing the methods and results sections of a scientific
research paper; and writing the abstract and discussion sections of papers and
citing literature.
In addition, many prospective biology teachers in the SFSU program take
BIOL 482, Ecology, to fulfill their ecology requirement [BIOL 482, 529, or 585]. In
each of these courses, students read scientific journals and write critiques of
specific papers, looking at each standard section and assessing the clarity and
effectiveness of the authors’ presentation to absorb the form and function of
scientific literature. Students also apply their knowledge by describing their own
research projects using the same conventions. [See course syllabi, Appendix
PS].
Each of the above courses and the many others like them help prospective
teachers gain experience in critically analyzing and reviewing scientific writings
and research.
Required Element 12.5 The program provides opportunities for prospective teachers to
examine conceptual and physical models and their evolution over time.
The study of biology is replete with physical and conceptual models, and
79
candidates for the SSMPP in biology learn and work with them in virtually every
class. Examples of physical models include atomic and molecular structure,
DNA structure, internal organs, the musculoskeletal system, fertilization, and
blood circulation. Examples of conceptual models include chemiosmosis, the
fluid-mosaic model, protein synthesis, signal transduction, the sliding filament
mechanism, and neural transmission. Students study and apply these and many
other models in all biology courses [see matrix, above].
80
Standard 13: Integrated Study of Science
The program reflects science as an integrated entity and examines interrelationships
among the disciplines, and variations in the structures, content, and methods of inquiry in
the disciplines are studied. Each prospective single subject teacher gains an
understanding of how the conceptual foundations of the scientific disciplines are related
to each other.
The SSMPP in biology integrates chemistry, physics, and geosciences
into the curriculum in three different ways, all built into the required components
of the program.
First, the core (breadth) program for all science SSMPPs requires that
students learn fundamental principles, content, theories, and methods of inquiry
for biology, physics, chemistry, and the diverse geosciences disciplines
(astronomy, geology, meteorology, and oceanography). In addition, the extended
(depth) programs of study require mathematics, either statistics or calculus. By
themselves these requirements are not necessarily sufficient for students to
appreciate the commonalities and differences in the way science is practiced
among the disciplines. However, studying the individual disciplines is a
necessary condition for that appreciation, and students have both implicit and
explicit opportunities to make such connections.
Second, most courses in the SSMPP in biology, even in the core (breadth)
part of the program, apply at least some basic knowledge and skills from other
disciplines. For example, BIOL 230 and 240 (Introductory Biology I and II) and
GEOL 110 (Physical Geology) require basic algebra and chemistry knowledge;
PHYS 111/112 and 121/122 apply algebra and a little chemistry; CHEM 115
employs algebra; and GEOL/METR/OCN 405 (Planetary Climate Change)
employs all of the disciplines, including all of the geosciences disciplines. Many
biology courses include CHEM 115 and CHEM 130 as prerequisites. A number
of courses in the extended (depth) parts of the program require extensive enough
knowledge and skills from other disciplines to have prerequisites in those
disciplines. For example, biochemistry, molecular biology, cell biology, and
physiology have chemistry prerequisites. In addition, PHYS 111/112 and
121/122, required for the SSMPP in biology, have as prerequisites algebra,
geometry, trigonometry, and a passing grade in a math preparedness exam.
[See prerequisites noted in Standard 15, Required Elements 15A.1, 15B.1,
15C.1, and15D.1, and course descriptions in Appendix PS].
Third, the College of Science and Engineering (COSE)’s Center for
Science and Mathematics Education (CSME) helped to develop and promote the
capstone course SCI 510 (Search for Solutions), required in all SSSMP
81
programs in science at SFSU. The course syllabus offers this overview (see
Appendix 13, pp. 1-5):
Connections among the various disciplines of science and the
inter-relationships among science, technology and society are
the focus of this problem-based course. Working with others as
part of a team, you will be challenged to see the conceptual and
operational relationships among the various sciences and
between science and technology as you research a significant
science-based phenomenon, its effects on society, and how
these effects could be mitigated. And while the solutions are
important, the emphasis will always be on the nature of the
search. Understanding how data are derived, reported and
interpreted will facilitate the search for solutions. While the
societal problem under study will vary from semester to
semester, the approach and tasks will remain the same. The
problem will always be interdisciplinary in nature and broad
enough to allow for a diversity of specific questions to be
addressed by each team. Complex phenomena that have
multiple effects, both on a personal or local level and on the
global community, will be selected by the instructor(s). The
goals are to study current scientific understanding of the
selected phenomenon, examine its regional and worldwide
impacts, and propose solutions for how society can effectively
deal with its effects. This course is required for future science
teachers. Students who want to study science as an integrated
entity, and understand the relationships among science,
technology and society in a challenging, problem-solving format,
are encouraged to enroll.
This course not only counts toward depth requirements in all four SSMP
programs in science at SFSU, it will help prepare students to become better
communicators and better science teachers, regardless of discipline.
Required Element 13.1 Each integrative study component develops the prospective
single subject teacher’s understanding of how the conceptual foundations of the scientific
disciplines are related to each other.
As noted above, the SSMP program in biology requires courses that cover
all four of the scientific disciplines (plus mathematics). Some of those courses
apply knowledge and skills from one or more of the other disciplines. SCI 510
(Search for Solutions) integrates all of the disciplines, showing how each
contributes to our understanding of the complex problem of climate change (or
other designated interdisciplinary issue). The breadth requirement
GEOL/METR/OCN 405 (Planetary Climate Change) does the same. Both
82
courses are described in detail in Required Elements 5.1, 5.2, and 5.4 [also see
course syllabi in Appendix PS].
Required Element 13.2 Each integrative study component provides opportunities for
prospective teachers to examine the interconnections between different fields of science.
All of the courses that apply principles, knowledge, and skills from two or
more different disciplines (examples noted above) demonstrate interconnections
among the disciplines. For example, all SSMPP candidates in biology take BIOL
230/240 and read BIOLOGY, 8e (Benjamin Cummings, 2008). The first five
chapters of this main text cover inorganic and organic chemistry, biochemistry,
and show how chemical concepts such as molecular structure, electron orbitals,
the chemistry of water, carbon bonding, and chemical reactions underlie most
biological structure and function. Chapters 8, 9, and 10 cover the biochemistry of
metabolism, cellular respiration, and photosynthesis, including energetics and
other physical chemistry concepts. Chapter 25 on life’s history brings in many
chemistry and geosciences concepts such as Earth’s formation, the early
synthesis of organic compounds, the fossil record, radiocarbon dating, geological
eras, continental drift, and changes in oceanic and atmospheric compositions.
Chapter 52 on ecology of the biosphere integrates additional chemical and
geosciences concepts such as abiotic factors in environments, global and local
climatic patterns, and oceanic thermoclines. Chapter 55 also introduces
biogeochemical cycles such as the water, carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorous
cycles, each of which is in itself an instructive integration of biological, geological,
and chemical concepts.
SSMPP candidates in biology must take an upper level physiology course
and a cell biology or physiology lab which applies numerous chemical and
physical principles; a cell biology course which employs a considerable amount
of biochemistry; and evolution and ecology courses which go into greater depth
on the geological, physical, and chemical concepts described for Chapters 25
and 52 of BIOLOGY, 8e.
The required courses SCI 510 (Search for Solutions) and
GEOL/METR/OCN 405 (Planetary Climate Change) also emphasize
interdisciplinary study in and applications of geosciences, physics, chemistry,
and biology [see Required Elements 5.1, 5.2, and 5.4, as well as Appendix 13,
pp. 1-5 and Appendix PS].
Required Element 13.3 The integrative study component(s) of the program require that
prospective teacher use higher-level thinking skills while involved in coursework and
research in each science discipline.
83
The courses in the SSMP program in biology, starting with the largely
introductory courses in the core (breadth) part of the program, require students to
make observations, analyze, make deductions and inferences, make judgments,
generalize, synthesize, and in some cases pose hypotheses and test them. This
is just as true of the portions of the courses that apply principles, knowledge and
skills from different disciplines as it is of the single-discipline portions of the
courses. For example, Lab 12 of the laboratory portion of BIOL 230, students
must understand the biochemistry and energetics of both aerobic respiration and
fermentation. They are required to set up an experiment using chemical
reagents and fructose to test the conditions under which yeast ferment and break
down the food source aerobically. They must create hypotheses and predictions
for the effect of temperature on enzyme catalysis during aerobic in gold fish
(ectotherms) and mice (endotherms); explain their reasoning in both cases; then
carry out laboratory tests, report their results, and explain and interpret their
findings.
In SCI 510, students carry out interdisciplinary literature research for
collaborative projects. They analyze and synthesize ideas from the literature on
some aspect of a designated multidimensional issue such as global climate
change. They then write a substantial, well integrated report on potential
solutions to the problem and deliver conclusions orally, along with an original
PowerPoint presentation.
Higher level thinking skills and multidisciplinary topics are routine in all
upper division biology courses. All SSMPP candidates must take an ecology
course [BIOL 482, 529, or 585]. Students in BIOL 529, plant ecology, for
example, carry out samplings to determine how plant growth correlates with
physical forms and features of the environment. Students in BIOL 585, marine
ecology, create hypotheses and predictions then measure and analyze
parameters of physical oceanography and their effects on marine life.
Required Element 13.4 Faculty teaching in the program and prospective teachers in
various disciplines of science meet regularly to exchange ideas and perspectives.
The Department of Biology hosts a series of seminars with departmental
and guest speakers lecturing on interdisciplinary topics such as biological
oceanography. Other COSE science departments also have regular, widely
advertised seminar series open to all students. In addition, through contact with
biology faculty in upper division labs, courses, and independent lab studies,
students can get first-hand experience with the practical integration of various
disciplines. For example, all SSMPP candidates in biology interface with Dr.
Kimberly Tanner in BIOL 652, which sponsors collaborations between students
and working science teachers in the San Francisco Unified School District. In
other programs sponsored by the Science Education Partnerships and
84
Assessment Laboratory (SEPAL), which Dr. Tanner directs, students, teachers,
and scientists from various disciplines collaborate on research to discover new
educational methods, scientific misconceptions, effective learning styles, and so
on [see Appendix 13, p. 6-9].
Dr. Jonathon Stillman teaches several marine biology courses from the
Romberg Tiberon Center for Environmental Studies, including BIOL 585, one
option of three in a cluster of ecology courses required in the SSMPP. Through
Dr. Stillman’s courses, seminars, and research, students are introduced to
multidisciplinary investigations on environmental thermal changes, acclimation,
and acclimatization in marine invertebrates [see Appendix 13, p. 10-11].
Students who take BIOL 435 [Immunology, which fulfills the requirement in the
cell and physiology cluster] get equivalent opportunities through Dr. Steve
Weinstein to study the chemistry of cellular signal transduction in macrophages
during host infection [see Appendix 13, p. 12-14]. SSMPP students might
interact with Dr. Chris Smith in the Center for Computing for Life Sciences [see
Standard 3]. Dr. Smith is a pioneer in the field of bioinformatics and through him,
students get exposure to the interface between biology and computer science
[see Appendix 13, p. 15-16]. Drs. David Dempsey and Ray Trautman co-teach
the required interdisciplinary course SCI 510, and Drs. Dempsey and Petra
Dekens co-teach the required core breadth course GEOL/METR/OCN 405.
Once again, SSMPP candidates interact with, learn from, and share ideas with
these professors from other disciplines.
Finally, Biology faculty exchange ideas and perspectives with prospective
teachers from the SSMPPs in physics, chemistry, and geosciences in BIOL
230/240, which constitute breadth requirements in each of those disciplines. The
Center for Science and Math Education also brings together students and
science faculty from many disciplines in the promotion of more and betterqualified science teachers.
Required Element 13.5 The program includes courses and/or projects that integrate
science as a whole.
SCI 510 (Search for Solutions), a capstone course that will be required of
all students in SFSU science SSMPPs, including in biology, is designed for future
science teachers and others to provide an opportunity to see how science as
practiced in multiple disciplines can be brought to bear on problems of social
significance [see Appendix 13, pp. 1-5].
As described in Required Elements 13.2 and 13.3, the most advanced
courses in each concentration consist of laboratory or field experiences that
engage students in one or more research or research-like projects, sometimes
focusing on a single discipline and sometimes on multiple disciplines. These give
students the most complete experience of the process of science, integrating the
85
most extensive set of scientific skills including observation, analysis, hypothesis
posing, hypothesis testing, and communication of results. Examples of these
courses include BIOL 526, 613, 631, 351, 402, and 436 [see syllabi in Appendix
PS].
86
Standard 14: Breadth of Study in Science
The science program is organized to provide prospective teachers a sufficiently broad
understanding of science so that, as future literate science teachers, they have the
necessary knowledge, skills, and abilities to develop scientific literacy among their
students. A breadth of study provides familiarity with the nature of science and major
ideas foundational to all the sciences and provides a basis for prospective teachers to
engage in further studies of a scientific discipline. The program is aligned with the
Science Content Standards for California Public Schools: Kindergarten through Grade
Twelve (1998).
The core (breadth) program of study (Table 14 below) comprises thirtyfive semester units of courses in astronomy, geology/meteorology/oceanography,
biology, physics, and chemistry. It is designed to provide a broad but rigorous
introduction to the principles and methods of each of the four areas of
concentration (biology, chemistry, geosciences, and physics). All but one course
are lower division, but all but one are designed for science majors and all include
laboratory components, characteristics that we feel are particularly important for
preparing future high school science teachers.
Depending on the extended (depth) program of study that a student elects
to complete, at least 8 of the 35 units in the core (breadth) program will also
satisfy requirements, or at least prerequisites, of the extended (depth) program.
(The particular courses that overlap between the two depend on the
concentration selected.) This reduces the total number of units required to
complete the single subject matter program.
Table 14: Core (Breadth) Program of Study in Science
Courses1
Course Titles
Semester
Units
ASTR 115, 116
Introduction to Astronomy,
Introduction to Astronomy Lab
GEOL 110
Physical Geology
[lecture (3) and lab (1)]
4
GEOL/METR
310
Planetary Climate Change
[lecture (3) and lab (1)]
4
BIOL 230
Introduction to Biology I
[lecture (3) and lab (2)]
5
BIOL 240
Introduction to Biology II
[lecture (3) and lab (2)]
5
PHYS 111, 1122
General Physics I,
General Physics I Lab
3, 1
PHYS 121, 1222
General Physics II,
3, 1
87
3, 1
General Physics II Lab
CHEM 115
General Chemistry I
[lecture (3) and lab (2)]
Total core (breadth) units:
5
35
Footnotes:
1. For course descriptions, see Appendix B, pp. 3-7; App. C, p. 0a; App. D,
pp. 0a-0g; and App. E, pp. 0a-0b.
2. The General Physics w/Calculus sequence and its associated labs, PHYS
220/222, 230/232, and 240/242 (each 3+1 units), may be used instead of
the PHYS 111/112 and 121/122 sequence. MATH 226 and 227 (Calculus I
and II, each 4 units) are prerequisites for PHYS 220, 230, & 240.
Required Elements:
14.1 Tables 14.1-2, 14.3-5, 14.6-7, 14.8-9, 14.10-11, and 14.12 on the
following pages summarize how the core (breadth) program addresses the
required elements for general science subject matter knowledge and
competence.
Each entry in the tables is a reference to page(s) in an appendix. The
references have the general form: “Letter-page#”. For example, “F-14” refers to
page 14 in Appendix F.
The number of semester units for each course listed in the left-hand
column of each table has the general form: “(# lecture + #lab units)”.
Not all of the required elements that are addressed by each listed course
are necessarily referenced. However, for each required element, one or more
courses that we judge to be minimally sufficient to address that required element
are listed.
We note, in response questions from the reviewers in spring 2010
regarding elements 3.1f and 8.1a, that plasmas are covered in Astr 115
(Introduction to Astronomy) which is a required breadth course for all the science
SSMPPs at SFSU, and seismic waves are covered in Geology 110 ("Physical
Geology"), which is also a required breadth course.
88
Table
14.1-2
Subject Matter Requirements for Prospective Teachers: General Science
Content Domains for Subject Matter Understanding and Skill in General Science
1. Astronomy
Courses
1.1 Astronomy
2. Dynamic Processes of the Earth (Geodynamics)
2.1 Tectonic
Processes
and Features
2.3
2.2 Rock Surficial
2.4 Energy
Formation Processes in the Earth System
& Features
(a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (f) (g) (h) (a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (f) (a) (b) (c) (a) (b) (c) (a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (f)
ASTR 115, 116:
Intro Astronomy
& Lab
(3 + 1 units)
GEOL 110:
Physical
Geology
(3 + 1 units)
GEOL/METR
310: Planetary
Climate Change
(3 + 1 units)
F-2 F-2 F-2
F-2
F-2 F-2 F-2 F-2
F-4 F-4 F-4
F-4
F-5 F-5 F-4 F-4
F-7 F-7 F-7
F-5
F-14 F-14
F-14 F-14 F-14 F-14 F-14 F-14 F-1 F-14
F-14
F-20
F-22 F-21
F-27 F-27 F-27 F-27 F-27 F-26 F-20 F-22
F-20
F-23 F-26
F-30 F-30 F-30 F-31 F-30 F-30
89
Subject Matter Requirements
for Prospective Teachers: General Science
Table
14.3-5
Content Domains for Subject Matter Understanding
and Skill in General Science
3. Earth
Resources
Courses
GEOL 110:
Physical
Geology
(3 + 1 units)
BIOL 230:
Intro Biology I
(3 + 2 units)
BIOL 240:
Intro Biol II
(3 + 2 units)
4. Ecology
5. Genetics and Evolution
3.1 Earth
4.1 Ecology
5.1 Genetics and Evolution
Resources
(a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (f) (a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (f) (g) (h) (i)
F-14 F-14 F-14 F-14 F-14
F-27 F-27 F-27 F-27 F-28
F-46
F-55
F-56
F-57
F-50 F-50
F-50 F-50 F-50 F-50
F-51 F-66
F-67 F-67 F-67 F-67
F-67 F-67
90
F-46
F-46 F-46
F-46
F-46 F-46
F-48
F-48 F-49
F-49
F-57 F-57
F-49
F-49 F-57
F-57
F-58 F-58
F-57
F-57 F-58
F-50
F-59
F-50 F-50
F-50
F-51 F-51
F-59
F-59 F-59
Subject Matter Requirements for Prospective Teachers: General
Science
Table 14.6-7
Content Domains for Subject Matter Understanding and Skill in General
Science
6. Molecular Biology
and Biochemistry
Courses
(a)
BIOL 230:
Intro Biology I
(3 + 2 units)
F-6
F55
6.1 Biology and
Biochemistry
(b) (c)
(d)
F46
F48
F55
F46
F49
F58
F46
F48
F56
7. Cell and Organismal Biology
7.1 Cell and Organismal Biology
(e)
(a)
(b)
F46
F48
F56
F57
F46
F48
F56
F46
F48
F56
BIOL 240:
Intro Biology II
(3 + 2 units)
(c)
F46
F48
F56
(d)
(e)
F46
F56
F57
F46
F48
F57
F50
91
(f)
F46
F56
F59
F60
F62
(g)
F46
F48
F49
F62
F63
(h)
F46
F49
F63
F64
F65
F50
F51
F66
(i)
F46
F48
F62
F50
F51
F60
F-
(j)
F46
F48
F56
F57
F62
(k)
F48
F50
F51
F60
F-
61
92
61
Subject Matter Requirements
for Prospective Teachers: General Science
Table 14.8-9
Courses
PHYS 111, 112:
Gen Phys I & Lab
(3 + 1 units)
PHYS 121, 122:
Gen Phys II & Lab
(3 + 1 units)
PHYS 220, 222:
Gen Phys I w/Calc & Lab
(3 + 1 units)
PHYS 230, 232:
Gen Phys II w/Calc &
Lab
(3 + 1 unit)
PHYS 240, 242:
Gen Phys III w/Calc &
Lab
(3 + 1 units)
Content Domains for Subject Matter Understanding
and Skill in General Science
(a)
8. Waves
9. Forces and Motion
8.1 Waves
(b)
(c)
(d)
9.1 Forces and Motion
(b)
(c)
(d)
(e)
(f)
(e)
F-134 F-134
F-139
(a)
(g)
F-134 F-134 F-134 F-134 F-134 F-134 F-134
F-139
F-139
F-139
F-157
F-157
F-139
F-164
F-164
F-164
F-166 F-183 F-164
F-185
F-185
F-164
F-168
F-191
F-174 F-188 F-174
F-174
F-174
F-175 F-189 F-189
F-189
93
F-174
F-187
F-188
F-174
F-188
Subject Matter Requirements
for Prospective Teachers: General Science
Content Domains for Subject Matter Understanding
and Skill in General Science
Table 14.10-11
10. Electricity and Magnetism
Courses
10.1 Electricity and Magnetism
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
(e)
(f)
PHYS 121, 122:
Gen Physics II & Lab
(3 + 1 units)
F139
F139
F139
F139
F139
F142
F139
PHYS 230, 232:
Gen Phys II w/Calc &
Lab
(3 + 1 units)
F168
FFE-46
168
168
F168
F168
CHEM 115: Gen Chem I
(3 + 2 units)
PHYS 111, 112:
Gen Physics I & Lab
(3 + 1 units)
94
11. Heat Transfer and
Thermodynamics
11.1 Heat Transfer and
Thermodynamics
(a) (b) (c)
(d) (e)
(f)
FFF-197 197 197
F-197 FF-200 FF-200 201
F200 200
F134
F149
(g)
F197
F198
Table 14.12
Subject Matter Requirements
for Prospective Teachers:
General Science
Content Domains
for Subject Matter Understanding
and Skill in General Science
12. Structure and Properties of Matter
Courses
CHEM 115:
Gen Chemistry I
(3 + 2 units)
12.1 Structure and Properties of Matter
(a) (b)
(c) (d) (e)
(f)
(g) (h)
FFFFFF197 197 197 197 197 197 F-197 F-197
FFFFFF- F-198 F-198
198 198 198 200 198 198
(i)
CHEM 115:
Gen Chemistry I
(3 + 2 units)
(j)
(k)
(l)
FF197 F-197 F-197 197
F- F-198 F-199 F198
199
95
(m)
(n)
(o)
(p)
F197
F199
F197 F-46 F-46
F- F-55 F-55
200
14.2 Tables II.1.1-1.3, II.1.4-1.5, II.2, and II.3 on the following pages
summarize how the program addresses the required elements of subject matter
skills and abilities applicable to the content domains in science.
Each entry in the tables is a reference to page(s) in an appendix. The
references have the general form: “Letter-page#”. For example, “F-113” refers to
page 113 in Appendix F.
Semester unit values for each course listed in the left-hand column of
each table have the general form: “(# lecture + #lab units)”.
Not all of the required elements that are addressed by each course listed
are necessarily referenced, nor are all courses in the program that address at
least some required elements necessarily listed. However, for each required
element, one or more courses that we judge to be minimally sufficient to address
that required element are listed.
In response to CCTC reviewer comments on our original 2005 proposal
submission, we also note the following concerning how observation and data
collection are handled for Chemistry:
Observation and data collection are integral aspects of chemistry labs, including
the CHEM 115 lab, a breadth requirement for all science SSMPP candidates at
SFSU. Three CHEM 115 lab exercises illustrate the point.
In Lab Exercise 3, "The Chemistry of Fireworks" [Appendix 14, pp. 1-7], students
use a hand-held spectroscope to observe the results of placing several different
chemical compounds in a bunsen burner flame. Students observe and record
each chemical’s appearance, changes as it burns, and the chemical’s spectrum
in the flame. Using the spectroscope, they also observe spectra produced by an
incandescent bulb and by gas discharge tubes. Students tabulate results in their
lab books and use the data to answer a variety of questions.
In Lab Exercise 9, "Deductive Chemical Reasoning" [Appendix 14, pp. 8-15],
students hone their observational skills further. They make detailed observations
of reactions between a set of six unknown solutions and five known chemicals.
They record their observations in lab notebooks and construct a table. The
observations must be made with care, and the table must accurately represent
their observations for them to succeed with the last two parts of the lab, during
which students must identify unknown substances based on comparisons to their
earlier observations.
Lab Exercise 18, "Introduction to Reaction Kinetics" [Appendix 14, pp. 16-21],
requires similarly detailed observations and data collection. In Parts A and B of
the lab, students carefully observe the "Iodine Clock Reaction," including noting
how reactant concentrations affect the rate of the reaction. In Part C of the lab,
students are then assigned different times by the instructor, and required to
demonstrate in front of the class that they can use their earlier tabulated findings
to choose a concentration that will produce the desired reaction time.
96
Part II: Subject Matter Skills and Abilities Applicable to the Content Domains in Science
Skill and Ability Domains in Science
Table II.1.1-1.3
1. Investigation and Experimentation
1.1 Question
Formulation
Courses
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
BIOL 230:
Intro Biology I
(3 + 2 units)
F-68 F-68 F-68 F-68
F-69 F-69 F-69 F-69
F-80 F-80 F-80 F-80
BIOL 240:
Intro Biology II
(3 + 2 units)
F114
F115
F116
CHEM 115: Gen Chem I
(3 + 2 units)
C-14 C-14 C-14 C-14
1.2 Planning a
Scientific
Investigation
(a) (b) (c)
1.3 Observation and Data Collection
(h)
(i)
(j)
F-68
F-68
FF-68 F-68
F-68
F-68 F-70
F-68
105
F-69 F-69
F-68 F-68 F-68 F-69 F-68 F-68 F-68
F-70 F-75
F-80
to
F-80 F-80
F-80
F-76 F-80
FF-85
108
F114
FF- 115
129 Fto 116
FF131 125
to
F131
C-1 C-1 C-1 C-1
C-14 C-14 C-14
C-4 C-4 C-4 C-4
97
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
(e)
(f)
(g)
GEOL/METR 310:
Planetary Climate
Change
(3 + 1 units)
F-34 F-30
F-35 F-31
F-42 F-42
98
F-44 F-45
Table II.1.4-1.5
Part II: Subject Matter Skills and Abilities
Applicable to the Content Domains in
Science
Skill and Ability Domains in Science
1. Investigation and Experimentation
1.4 Data
Analysis/Graphing
Courses
BIOL 230: Intro Biology I
(3 + 2 units)
(a)
(b)
(c)
F-68
F-73
F-75
F-90
F-68
F-73
F-75
F-90
F-68
F-73
F-75
F-90
(d)
1.5 Drawing Conclusions and
Communicating Explanations
(e)
(a)
F-68
F-68
F-73
F-73
F-68
F-75
F-74
F-90
F-90
F129
to
F131
BIOL 240: Intro Biology II
(3 + 2 units)
GEOL 110:
Physical Geology
(3 + 1 units)
(b)
F-68
F-73
F-90
F102
F129
to
F131
(c)
(d)
(e)
(f)
F-68 F-68
F-73 F-73 F-68
F-90 F-90
FF129 129
to
to
FF131 131
F11
to
F16
99
Part II: Subject Matter Skills and Abilities
Applicable to the Content Domains in Science
Table II.2
Skill and Ability Domains in Science
2. Nature of Science
2.2 Scientific
Ethics
2.1 Scientific Inquiry
Courses
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
(e) N/A N/A (h)
BIOL 230:
Intro Biology I
(3 + 2 units)
F-68 F-68 F-68 F-68 F-68
F-80 F-80 F-80 F-80 F-80
BIOL 240:
Intro Biology II
(3 + 2 units)
F- F113 113
CHEM 115:
Gen Chemistry I
(3 + 2 units)
C-1
C-4
C14
(i)
(j)
(k)
(a)
(b)
(c) (a)
F68
FF68
F-68 F-68 F-68 F-68 F-68 F-68
109
F-80 F-80 F-80 F-80 F-80 F-80
Fto
80
F112
F113
C14
2.3 Historical
Perspectives
F113
C-1 C-1
C-4 C-4
C- C14 14
C-1 C-1
C-4 C-4
C- C14 14
100
C14
C-1 C-1 C-1
C-4 C-4 C-4
C- C- C14 14 14
(b)
(c)
F68
F80
(d)
F68
F80
F113
C-1 C-1 C-1 C-1
C-4 C-4 C-4 C-4
C- C- C- C14 14 14 14
Part II: Subject Matter Skills and Abilities
Applicable to the Content Domains in Science
Table II.3
Skill and Ability Domains in Science
3. Science and Society
3.1 Science Literacy
Courses
(a)
BIOL 230: Intro Biology I
(3 + 2 units)
BIOL 240: Intro Biology II
(3 + 2 units)
CHEM 115:
Gen Chemistry I
(3 + 2 units)
3.3
3.2
Science
Diver- Technolog
sity
y&
Society
(b)
(c)
(d)
(e)
(a)
(a)
(b)
F-68 F-68 F-68 F-68 F-68 F-53
F113
F129
to
F131
F113
F129
to
F131
C-1 C-1
C-4 C-4 C-14
C-14 C-14
F113
F129
to
F131
3.4 Safety
(a)
F105
to
F108
(b)
F105
to
F108
(c)
F105
to
F108
(d)
F105
to
F108
(e)
F105
to
F108
(f)
F105
to
F108
F113
C-1
C-4
101
C18b
C-35
C-14 C-14 C-14 C-14 C-14 C-14
CCCCCC14a- 14a- 14a- 14a- 14a- 14am
m
m
m
m
m
ASTR 115:
Introduction to Astronomy
(3 units)
GEOL/METR 310:
Planetary Climate
Change
(3 + 1 units)
F-1
to
F-2
F-31
F-44
F-45
F-45
102
Standard 15: Depth of Study in a Concentration Area
Each candidate for the Single Subject Teaching Credential in Science must complete a
subject matter program that includes Concentration 15A, 15B, 15C, or 15D.
Concentration in the identified discipline prepares prospective teachers to teach a full
range of courses authorized by the single subject credential authorization. Depth within a
discipline is essential for teaching advanced and specialized courses.
Standard 15A: Depth of Study in Biological Sciences
The Concentration in Biological Sciences includes a depth of study of biology that is
significantly greater than that required for a general understanding of science as described
in Standard 14. The depth of study in Concentration 15A should provide conceptual
foundations distributed across the discipline. Integral to the concentration are conceptual
foundations that include cell biology and physiology, genetics, evolution, and ecology.
Concentration 15A includes in-depth study and field/laboratory experiences in
biology; achievement of an appropriate level of understanding in chemistry, mathematics
and physics, use of methods employed by scientists in the generation knowledge; and
application of biological sciences to technological and societal issues including ethical
considerations. Candidates for the Science Credential with a Concentration in Biological
Science will be able to teach a wide variety of biology courses in their teaching
assignments. The program is aligned with the Science Content Standards for California
Public Schools: Kindergarten Through Grade Twelve (1998). The Concentration in
Biological Sciences will prepare prospective teachers to teach the full range of biology
courses authorized by this credential.
The extended (depth) program of study in biological sciences (Table 15A)
totals 28 units of coursework in biology (plus prerequisites and other required
course work) and addresses all required elements of Standard 15A. The
biological sciences program includes a year of introductory biology for biology
majors (BIOL 230, 240) with laboratory experience in both semesters. The
program builds upon this foundation, requiring upper division course work in
genetics, evolution, cell biology, physiology,
and ecology. (For course descriptions see Appendix B, pp. 3-7.) Thus, the
program provides deep conceptual foundation as well as an understanding of
research approaches and outcomes that support current conceptual frameworks
in all specified biological disciplines.
An upper division laboratory experience is required in cell biology or
physiology and in ecology. This, coupled with the introductory biology lab
experience allows students to gain hands-on research and technical skills as well
as an understanding of methodologies employed by scientists in the generation
of knowledge. The instruction in lecture/discussion and laboratory courses also
equips students to understand the application of knowledge to a variety of
research queries and ethical issues.
103
A year of general chemistry and general physics, both with laboratories,
and a semester of organic chemistry are required; the program also requires
students to complete either a statistics course or a semester of calculus. Thus,
our required depth of study program includes prerequisites and other elements
that provide an appropriate level of understanding in chemistry, mathematics,
and physics.
This program provides a secondary school teacher with discipline
knowledge, lab experience, and insight and understanding of key concepts and
experimental methodologies in major biological disciplines that go well beyond
that encountered in a traditional or AP high school biology course. A teacher
with this background will be well prepared to teach biology at the high school
level and make instructional contributions to a biology curriculum.
104
Table 15A: Extended (Depth) Program of Study in Biological
Sciences
Course
BIOL 230
Course Title
Semester
Units
5
BIOL 355
Introductory Biology I
[lecture (3) and lab (2)]
Introductory Biology II
[lecture (3) and lab (2)]
Genetics
BIOL 337
Evolution
3
BIOL 525, 612
or 630
BIOL 350, 401,
435, 450,
524,
or CHEM
349
BIOL 351, 402,
436, 526,
613,
or 631
BIOL 482, 529,
or 585
Physiology course
(plant, human, or animal)
Cell Biology course
3
Cell Biology or Physiology Lab
2
4
CHEM
215/216
CHEM 130
Ecology (general, plant, or marine)
[lecture (2 or 3), field and/or lab (2 or
1)]
General Chemistry I
[lecture (3) and lab (2)]
General Chemistry II, Gen Chem II
Lab
Organic Chemistry
PHYS
111/1121
PHYS
121/1221
MATH 226
or MATH 124
General Physics I, General Physics I
Lab
General Physics II, Gen Physics II
Lab
Calculus I or
Elementary Statistics
BIOL 240
CHEM 1151
Total Biology Units:
Total Prerequisite and Other Units:
Total Biological Sciences Depth Program Units:
105
Semester
Units
5
3
3
5
3, 2
3
3, 1
3, 1
4 or 3
____
28
______
24 or 25
______
52 or 53
Footnotes:
1. CHEM 115 and PHYS 111/112 and 121/122 also satisfy core (breadth)
program requirements.
106
Required Elements:
15A.1
Tables 15A.1.1-1.4, 15A.1.5-2 and Table 15A.3-4 on the following
pages summarize how the extended (depth) program in biological sciences
addresses the required elements for subject matter knowledge and competence.
Each entry in the tables is a reference to page(s) in an appendix. The
references have the general form: “Letter-page#”. For example, “B-8” refers to
page 8 in
Appendix B.
Semester unit values for each course listed in the left-hand column of
each table have the general form: “(# lecture + # lab units)”.
Not all of courses in the biological sciences program that address required
elements are listed in these tables. However, for each required element, one or
more courses that we judge to be minimally sufficient to address that required
element are listed. Other courses in the program (not listed) build additional
depth of knowledge for subsets of required elements. For example, BIOL 355
(Genetics) addresses all required elements in Domain I.1.1, 1.2, 2.1-2.5, 3.1, and
3.3, and also I.3.2.c. BIOL 337 (Evolution) addresses Domain I.2.2.a, 2.2.c,
2.4.b, and all required elements in 3.1, 3.2 and 3.3. Similarly, options to meet
the Cell Biology and Physiology program course requirements address required
elements I.1 and Ecology course options address required elements I.4.
107
Biology/Life Sciences Subject-Matter Requirements
Table
15A.1.1-1.4
Subject-Matter Domains
1. Cell Biology and Physiology
1.1
Pro
k&
Eu
k
Cel
ls
1.2
Cellular
Reproduction
(a)
(a)
BIOL 230:
Intro Biology I
(3 + 2 units)
B-8
B-10
B-13
B-25
B-29
B-8
B-10
B-13
B-26
BIOL 240:
Intro Biology II
(3 + 2 units)
B-17
B-28
B-29
Biology
Courses
(b)
1.3
Plant and Animal
Cell Anatomy and Physiology
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
(e)
(f)
(g)
1.4
Integration and Control
of Human Organ Systems
(h)
B-8
B-8
B-8
B-8
B-8
B-8
B-24
B-8
B-10
B-10
B-10 B-8
B-25 B-8
B-10
B-25
B-21
B-14
B-13
B-13 B-25
B-32 B-25
B-14
B-26
B-25
B-25
B-16
B-26
B-33
B-25
B-27
B-26
B-25
B-32
B-17 B-17
B-29 B-29
108
(a)
B-8
B-11
B-14
B-16
B-32
B-33
(b)
(c)
(d)
(e)
(f)
B-8
B-8 B-8
B-8
B-10
B-32 B-32 B-8
B-33
B-33
B-33 B-33 B-32
B-34
B-34
B-34 B-34
B-17
B-18
B-20
B-35
Biology/Life Sciences Subject-Matter Requirements
Table
15A.1.5-2
Biology
Courses
Subject-Matter Domains
1. Cell Biology
and Physiology
1.5
Physiology
of the
Immune System
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
2. Genetics
2.1
Chrom.
Structure
&
Function
(a)
BIOL 230:
Intro Biology I
(3 + 2 units)
B-8
B-11
B-8 B-8 B-8 B-8
B-14
B-33 B-33 B-33 B-33
B-26
B-27
BIOL 240:
Intro Biology II
(3 + 2 units)
B-17
B-18
B-20
B-28
(b)
B-8
B-10
B-13
B-26
2.2
Patterns
of Inheritance
(a)
(b)
B-8
B-10
B-13
B-26
B-8
B-10
B-11
B-13
B-14
B-26
B-17
B-18
B-20
B-28
109
2.3
Gene Expression
(c)
(d)
B-8
B-11
B-14
B-26
B-8
B-10
B-11
B-13
B-14
B-26
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
2.4
Biotech
(a)
(b)
2.5
Bioethic
s
(a)
B-8
B-8
B-11 B-8 B-11 B-8 B-8 B-8 B-8
B-14 B-27 B-14 B-27 B-27 B-27 B-27
B-26
B-26
B-17
B-34
Biology/Life Sciences Subject-Matter Requirements
Table
15A.3-4
Subject-Matter Domains
3. Evolution
3.1
Natural
Selection
3.2
Evolutionary
Patterns
(a)
(a)
Biology
Courses
(b)
(b)
(c)
4. Ecology
3.3
3.4
Mecha- History &
nisms for Origin of
Speciation
Life
(a)
(b)
(a)
(b)
4.1 4.2
4.3
Bio Ener- Interrelations
-di- gy
and Change
ver Flow in Ecosystems
&
sity Nutr.
Cycle
s
(a)
(a)
(a)
(b)
(c)
BIOL 230:
Intro Biology I
(3 + 2 units)
B-8
B-26
BIOL 240:
Intro Biology II
(3 + 2 units)
B-17
B-28
B-20
B-17
B-17 B-17
B-17
B-28
B-18 B-17 B-17 B-18 B-18 B-18 B-17 B-17
B-17 B-17 B-18 B-17 B-17
FB-20 B-28 B-28 B-20 B-20 B-20 B-28 B-28
B-36 B-36 B-20 B-35 B-36
125
B-28
B-28 B-28
B-36
to
F128
110
15A.2
Tables II.1.1-1.3, II.1.4-1.5, II.2, and II.3, which appear under Required
Element 14.2 of Standard 14 in this document, summarize how the program addresses
the required element of subject matter skills and abilities for the content domains of
science. The courses listed in those tables are all part of the core (breadth) program
that is integral to this biology single subject matter program.
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Standard 16: Laboratory and Field Experiences
Laboratory and field experiences constitute a significant portion of coursework in a program that
includes open- ended, problem solving experiences. Prospective teachers have the opportunity
to design a variety of laboratory experiments. Data are collected, analyzed, and processed using
statistical analysis and current technology (where appropriate).
No material for the Standard 16 preamble was presented in the 2005 proposal
submission, and none was requested by reviewers.
Required Element 16.1 The program includes required laboratory components in no less than
one-third of its courses.
All of SFSU’s single subject matter programs in science, including the SSMPP in
biology, are strong in laboratory and field work. Below is a matrix showing the courses
required for the SSMPP in biology and the number of lecture, lab, and/or field credits
assigned to each course. Note that over half of the courses have lab and/or field
components.
[Also, see the course list and course syllabi/descriptions in Appendices PL and PS.]
Courses Required for SSMPP in Biology Lecture Units Lab Units Field Units
BIOL 230
BIOL 240
CHEM 115
CHEM 130
CHEM 215
PHYS 111
PHYS 112
PHYS 121
PHYS 122
MATH 226 or MATH 124
SCI 510
BIOL 355
BIOL 337
BIOL 652
One of the Following:
BIOL 525
BIOL 612
BIOL 630
One of the Following:
BIOL 350
BIOL 401
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
2
3
3
3
3
3
112
1
2
2
1
1
1
2
BIOL 435
BIOL 450
BIOL 524
CHEM 349
One of the Following:
BIOL 351
BIOL 402
BIOL 436
BIOL 526
BIOL 613
BIOL 631
One of the Following:
BIOL 482
BIOL 529
BIOL 585
3
3
3
3
3
2
2
3
3
3
3
2
3
1
1
1
1
Required Element 16.2 The program includes periodic open-ended, problem solving experiences
in its coursework.
All SSMPP candidates in biology must take BIOL 230 and 240. Required
Element 5.1 described some of the problem-solving laboratories in these courses [see
Appendix 5, pp. 1-37]. Candidates must also take at least one cell or physiology lab
course—either BIOL 351, 402, 436, 526, 613, or 631—and a number of labs in these
courses require open ended problem-solving. For example, in BIOL 631 (Animal
Physiology), students learn the principles and laboratory procedures for enzymatic
analysis. They carry out assays on crude homogenates of crustacean and fish gills and
kidneys to determine which of several enzymes are present, in what quantities, and
what their activity, measured in various ways, means about the functioning organisms in
their environments [see Appendix 16, pp. 1-18]. In the cell biology lab course BIOL 351,
students carry out an equivalent open-ended analyses of Drosophila proteins [see
Exercise 8, course syllabus, Appendix PS].
In addition, SSMPP candidates must take an ecology course [either BIOL 482,
529, or 585], each of which have labs components [See Required Element 16.1], and
students carry open-ended problem solving in all of them. For examples from BIOL 482
involving the size and age structure of sand crabs and the community structure of kelpforest fishes, see Appendix 16, pp. 18-21.
SSMPP candidates in Biology at SFSU have many problem-solving experiences
in core breadth courses, as well. CHEM 115 (General Chemistry I), for example, is a
required part of the breadth program (as well as the depth program) and assigns
problem solving lab exercises with some open-endedness [see Appendix 12, pp. 9-40].
113
Required Element 16.3 The program requires prospective teachers to organize, interpret, and
communicate observation data collected during laboratory or field experiences using statistical
analysis when appropriate.
Biology labs and lab courses routinely include assignments that require students
to acquire, organize, interpret, and communicate observations, including quantitative
observations, some of which are subject to statistical analysis. For example, all Biology
majors take BIOL 240, which includes 2 lab units. One laboratory directs students to
observe the number of fin supports in individuals within populations of fluffy sculpin fish.
They then organize their data, calculate the variance in fin counts, analyze their findings
statistically, then communicate their conclusions in a formal lab report [see instructions
in Appendix 16, pp. 22-31]. In the required breadth course GEOL/METR/OCN 405,
students select monthly average solar flux, outgoing infrared radiation flux, and surface
temperature data from a database on a computer. They generate color-filled contour
plots of it and describe the temporal and geographic distributions; average the data over
distinct geographic regions at mid-latitudes in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres
for each month of the year, and compare them. They also compute and compare similar
averages over the globe and compare the averages of different months [see Appendix
16, pp. 32-38].
Required Element 16.4 The program requires prospective teachers to design and evaluate
laboratory experiments and/or fieldwork.
In their required breadth and depth courses, Biology students are often required
to design and evaluate lab or field experiments. In CHEM 115 (General Chemistry I), for
example, students design and evaluate a laboratory experiment on the copper cycle
(Appendix 12, p. 20-29). Field and lab experiences in ecology, physiology, and cell
biology require that students include varying degrees of experimental design. For
example, students in BIOL 526, plant physiology lab, form teams, each develop a
hypothesis, design an experiment on phototropism, carry out the experiment, then
prepare and present a poster reporting the results and analysis [see Appendix 16, p.
39-42]
Required Element 16.5 The program involves prospective teachers in research and collection of
data that requires utilization of current technology.
Students in the SSMPP in biology employ current technology for data collection
and analysis as part of laboratory and field research in many of their courses. Standard
3, Required Element 3.1, lists the many types of technologies students use. Required
Element 3.2 describes and provides evidence for the use of Biopac software,
electrodes, sensors, and acquisition unit for data collection and analysis in BIOL 613,
which fulfills the physiology or cell biology lab course requirement [see Appendix 3, pp.
37-39].
114
In CHEM 115, a required core breadth course for all SSMPP candidates,
students use an Ocean Optics USB2000 diode Array Spectrophotometer to measure
the absorption, percent transmission, relative irradiance, and luminescence from an
unknown sample, as well as the reflection from a material surface [see Appendix PS].
In BIOL 230, required course for all SSMPP candidates, students use a
spectrophotometer to collect data on unknown starch and protein solutions, then plot
the absorption data for each unknown [see Appendix 16, p. 43-44].
In BIOL 482, which fulfills the ecology course requirement, students do computer
simulations of the effects of competition on population size and distribution. In a field
trip to a dune area near Monterey, California, students collect data on actual insect
population sizes and distributions, then apply computer modeling to analyze the effects
of competition and predation [see Appendix 16, p. 45 and course syllabus in Appendix
PS].
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Standard 17: Safety Procedures
The program instructs prospective teachers in proper safety procedures prior to laboratory and
field experiences. This includes instruction in emergency procedures and proper storage,
handling and disposal of chemicals and equipment. The program provides facilities equipped
with necessary safety devices and appropriate storage areas. When the program provides
experiences with live organisms, they are observed, captured, and cared for both ethically and
lawfully.
No Standard 17 preamble material was presented in 2005 proposal, and none was
required by reviewers.
Required Element 17.1 The program instructs prospective teachers in proper safety procedures
(safe uses of chemicals, specimens, and specialty equipment) prior to laboratory and field
experiences, and implements current safety guidelines and regulations.
To satisfy the depth and breadth requirements in biology and several other
sciences, SFSU students planning to teach biology at the secondary level must take
several classes with labs and field components and take at least one entire laboratory
course. The list includes CHEM 115, 215 (General Chemistry I and II; breadth and
depth requirements); ASTRON 115/116 (Introduction to Astronomy; breadth
requirements); PHYS 111/112 and 121/122 (General Physics I and II; depth); GEOL
110 (Physical Geology; breadth) and GEOL/METR/OCN 405 (Planetary Climate
Change; breadth). In each of these courses, students learn laboratory safety either
through written materials in lab manuals and hand-outs, through demonstrations and
verbal instructions by lab instructors, or both. This safety education helps students learn
the importance of safe behavior and techniques in all lab settings as well as common
preparation and emergency procedures.
As part of their depth requirements in biology, each candidate in the SSMPP in
Biology must also take BIOL 230/240 (Introductory Biology I and II, including a lab
portion of each course) and at least one full laboratory course to accompany their study
of cellular and molecular biology and animal, plant, or human physiology. Lab classes in
which they can enroll to fulfill their requirement for a cell biology or physiology laboratory
course include BIOL 527 (Plant Physiology Lab), BIOL 613 (Human Physiology Lab),
BIOL 631 (Animal Physiology Lab), BIOL 351 (Cell and Molecular Biology Lab), BIOL
402 (General Microbiology Lab), and BIO 436 (Immunology Lab). Students are free to
take more than the minimum number of lab courses.
For each of the above listed courses, the lab manual includes written instructions
on general laboratory procedures, personal safety procedures, proper waste disposal,
handling live organisms, and emergency procedures in the event of injuries, illness,
hazardous and toxic spills, or other occurrences. We include pages from lab manuals
for BIOL 230, 351, 402, 436, and 526 in Appendix 17, pp. 1-13.
116
Required Element 17.2 The program provides facilities that are equipped with appropriate
safety devices.
No additional information was required from reviewers.
Required Element 17.3 The program provides instruction in, and demonstrates emergency
procedures and proper storage, handling, and disposal of chemicals, specimens, and equipment.
At the first laboratory class meeting of BIOL 230, 240, 351, 402, 436, 526, 613,
631, and all other biology courses with lab components, instructors discuss and
demonstrate lab procedures and safety. Part of the discussion centers on general
guidelines relating to most lab settings, and part will be specific to the instruments,
reagents, and techniques of cell and molecular biology, microbiology, physiology, and
so on. The lecture includes:
• Personal safety (i.e. eye protection, appropriate clothing, avoidance of mouth
pipetting, and work space cleanliness)
• Laboratory procedures (i.e. handling of chemicals, glassware, use of Bunsen
burners, and operation of microscopes)
• Proper disposal techniques (for hazardous chemicals, for biological wastes, for
infectious agents, for broken glass, and so on)
• Emergency procedures (i.e. reporting spills or injuries, operation of eye wash and
shower equipment, location of exits, etc.)
Each student must sign a statement that he or she has had proper laboratory
safety training for that course. The Department of Biology keeps these signatures on
file for three years. Students must sign similar statements before field trips; the
department also keeps these for three years.
A model safety document for biology lab courses appears in Appendix 17, pp. 1415.
The Department of Biology provides safety training for all instructors and teaching
assistants at the beginning of each semester [see Appendix 17, pp. 16-19 includes
safety- training materials used by all graduate teaching assistants for BIOL 230.] The
department maintains a website for the Biology Stockroom with separate presentations
on hazardous materials, biohazard materials, and links to the Material Safety Data
Sheets (MSDS) website [see Appendix 17, pp. 20-21]. Many instructors refer students
to Howard Hughes websites that post safety training videos including “Practicing Safe
Science,” “Chemical Hazards,” “Chemical Storage Hazards,” and “Emergency
Response.”
117