Graduate Curriculum Committee Course Proposal Form
for Courses Numbered 6000 and Higher
Note: Before completing this form, please carefully read the accompanying instructions.
Submission guidelines are posted to the GCC Web site: http://www.ecu.edu/cs-acad/gcc/index.cfm
1. Course prefix and number:
BIOL 7970
2. Date:
2/21/2012
3. Requested action:
X New Course
Revision of Active Course
Revision & Unbanking of a Banked Course
Renumbering of an Existing Course from
from
to
#
Required
X
#
Elective
4. Method(s) of delivery (check all boxes that apply for both current/proposed and expected
future delivery methods within the next three years):
Current or
Proposed Delivery
Method(s):
X
On-campus (face to face)
Expected
Future Delivery
Method(s):
X
Distance Course (face to face off campus)
Online (delivery of 50% or more of the instruction is offered online)
5. Justification (must cite accreditation and/or assessment by the graduate faculty) for new course
or course revision or course renumbering:
Evaluation of the Biology Department’s graduate curriculum by the Graduate
Committee along with feedback from former graduate students defined a critical
need to provide formal training in teaching natural science at the community college
and university levels. This skill is a fundamental component of the professional
development of the department’s graduate students who seek a career in various
areas of academia. The primary focus of the course will be on the unique aspects of
the teaching and learning of the natural sciences such as inquiry learning, science
assessment, laboratory instruction, and learning in natural settings on field trips.
6. Course description exactly as it should appear in the next catalog:
1
Revised 04-06-11 and posted fall of 2011
BIOL 7970. Teaching Natural Science in Higher Education (3) Pedagogical best
practices and unique aspects of teaching and learning of the natural sciences in
higher education contexts.
7. If this is a course revision, briefly describe the requested change:
N/A
8. Course credit:
Lecture Hours
3
3
Weekly
OR
Per Term
Credit Hours
s.h.
Lab
Weekly
OR
Per Term
Credit Hours
s.h.
Studio
Weekly
OR
Per Term
Credit Hours
s.h.
Practicum
Weekly
OR
Per Term
Credit Hours
s.h.
Internship
Weekly
OR
Per Term
Credit Hours
s.h.
Other (e.g., independent study) Please explain.
s.h.
Total Credit Hours
s.h.
3
9. Anticipated annual student enrollment:
10. Changes in degree hours of your programs:
Degree(s)/Program(s)
Changes in Degree Hours
N/A
N/A
11. Affected degrees or academic programs, other than your programs:
Degree(s)/Program(s)
Changes in Degree Hours
PhD IDPBS
N/A
12. Overlapping or duplication with affected units or programs:
Not applicable
Documentation of notification to the affected academic degree programs is
X attached.
13. Council for Teacher Education (CTE) approval (for courses affecting teacher education):
Not applicable
Applicable and CTE has given their approval.
14. University Service-Learning Committee (USLC) approval:
2
Revised 04-06-11 and posted fall of 2011
Not applicable
Applicable and USLC has given their approval.
15. Statements of support:
a. Staff
Current staff is adequate
X
Additional staff is needed (describe needs in the box below):
b. Facilities
X Current facilities are adequate
Additional facilities are needed (describe needs in the box below):
c. Library
X
Initial library resources are adequate
Initial resources are needed (in the box below, give a brief explanation and an
estimate for the cost of acquisition of required initial resources):
d. Unit computer resources
X
Unit computer resources are adequate
Additional unit computer resources are needed (in the box below, give a brief
explanation and an estimate for the cost of acquisition):
e. ITCS resources
X
ITCS resources are not needed
The following ITCS resources are needed (put a check beside each need):
Mainframe computer system
Statistical services
Network connections
Computer lab for students
Software
Approval from the Director of ITCS attached
16. Course information (see: Graduate Curriculum and Program Development Manual for
instructions):
a. Textbook(s) and/or readings: author(s), name, publication date, publisher, and
city/state/country. Include ISBN (when applicable).
Mintzes, J.J., & Leonard, W.H. (2006). Handbook of College Science Teaching.
National Science Teacher Association Press: Arlington, VA.
Curzan, A., & Damour, L. (2009). First Day to Final Grade: A Graduate
Student’s Guide to Teaching. (2nd Ed.). University of Michigan Press: Ann
3
Revised 04-06-11 and posted fall of 2011
Arbor, MI.
Additional journal articles accessed through ECU library.
b. Course objectives for the course (student – centered, behavioral focus)
Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:
Students are expected to:
 Articulate an academic professional identity (appropriate to their degree
level a science career goals) through a CV, vision statement, and/or
science research statement
 Construct and communicate a statement of teaching philosophy
(appropriate to their degree level and science career goals) integrating
the unique language and philosophies of teaching and learning in the
sciences
 Analyze and explain theories of learning and instructional design that
enhance teaching and student learning in the natural sciences
 Utilize university and academic resources to locate innovative science
teaching modules and lessons based on “best practice”
 Design a course syllabus and communicate a rationale for the selection
of materials, sequencing of course content, design of exercises, and
method of assessment unique to the science fields
 Assess student misconceptions about the natural sciences in higher
education
 Describe and explain how to incorporate technologies into a specific
course design to enhance the teaching and learning of science
 Demonstrate awareness of student cultural and intellectual diversity and
its impacts on the teaching and learning of science
 Compare the role of formative and summative assessment practices on
the quality of learning and teaching in science
 Develop an innovative inquiry-based “mock” teaching module for use in
a course in higher education, produce materials and implement this
module within the context of a science course
 Demonstrate an understanding of pre-college science requirements and
analyze its impact on teaching and learning in higher education
 Assess student attitude, interest, motivation and anxiety and analyze
their impact on student learning of science
 Produce a manuscript describing the teaching module suitable for
publication within a peer-reviewed practitioner journal
 Interpret basic science education research literature and explain
generalized theoretical frameworks upon which this research is based
c. Course topic outline


Constructivist perspectives on science teaching
Inquiry science as a teaching method
4
Revised 04-06-11 and posted fall of 2011









Pre-college science instruction: K-12 Science Standards
Affective aspects of student learning: Attitude, Motivation, Interest,
Anxiety
Assessing student misconceptions about scientific phenomena
Student diversity issues
Active learning techniques for the sciences
Assessment and questioning techniques
Technology in the classroom
Teaching controversial science issues
Innovative approaches to improving science instruction
d. List of course assignments, weighting of each assignment, and grading/evaluation system
for determining a grade
Assessment distribution for Master-level students
 Class participation (10%)
o Based on attendance and interaction on class-room based
pedagogical activities
 Teaching philosophy development project (TOTAL 40%)
o Initial teaching philosophy write-up (10%)
o Weekly reflective journaling about teaching topic (20%)
o Final teaching philosophy write-up (10%)
 Syllabus development project (20%)
o Students develop a syllabus for a mock course
 Development of a teaching module (TOTAL=30%)
o Write-up and curriculum design (20%)
o Final presentation of teaching module (10%)
Assessment distribution for Doctoral-level students
 Class participation (10%)
o Based on attendance and interaction on class-room based
pedagogical activities
 Teaching philosophy development project (TOTAL 30%)
o Initial teaching philosophy write-up (10%)
o Weekly reflective journaling about teaching topic (10%)
o Final teaching philosophy write-up (10%)
 Syllabus development project (10%)
o Students develop a syllabus for a mock course
 Presenting a biology education research article (TOTAL=10%)
o Students present on 2 articles (5% each) in a seminar type setting
 Development of a teaching module (TOTAL=40%)
o “Publication-ready” write-up and curriculum design (20%)
5
Revised 04-06-11 and posted fall of 2011
o Self-reflection write-up (10%)
o Final presentation of teaching module (10%)
Grading scale
A = 90 – 100%
B = 80 – 89%
C = 70 – 79%
F  69%
6
Revised 04-06-11 and posted fall of 2011