BEN Scholars Program & Institute & the
Biological Sciences Pathway
Presentation by
Yolanda S. George, AAAS
About the BEN Scholars Program
 The goal of the BEN Scholars Program is to promote the use
of digital library resources and student-centered teaching and
learning methods in higher education, specifically in biological
sciences lecture and laboratory courses, and in research
training programs.
 The program works both directly with faculty, as BEN
Scholars, and indirectly through outreach activities led by
BEN Scholars.
 Outreach activities are aimed at biological sciences faculty
and are carried out on campus with departments, locally
throughout the region, and nationally through professional
societies.
Program Objectives - As a result of the BEN Scholars Program,
both BEN Scholars and those involved in their outreach activities
will:
A. Increase their use of digital libraries and e-resources, specifically:
 The BEN portal and its resources;
 The digital libraries and e-resources of BEN Collaborators;
 The NSDL University Faculty Page, including the Expert Voices
to biological science.
B. Submit a learning object to one of the BEN Collaborator libraries
or the BEN Portal OR consider submitting a learning object to
one of the BEN Collaborator libraries or the BEN Portal.
Goals of the BEN Scholars Institute are to
provide Scholars with:
 A framework for using digital libraries and studentcentered teaching and learning in higher education,
specifically in biological sciences lecture and
laboratory courses and in research training programs.
 Resources and strategies to promote the use of digital
libraries and student centered learning to their faculty
colleagues.
Goal of the NSDL Biological Sciences Pathway
The BiosciEdNet (BEN) Collaborative is working
with the NSDL Core Integration (CI) Team and other
NSDL Pathways to expand its stewardship role for
biological sciences professional societies and
coalitions that provide resources, tools, and
professional development for biological sciences
educators in higher education institutions, including
community colleges.
Some BEN resources are useful for use in high
school biology classes
Institute Objectives – As a result of the BEN Scholars Institute:
A. BEN Scholars will increase their facility in using and actual use
of the following digital resources:
 The BEN portal;
 The digital libraries of BEN Collaborators; and
 The NSDL and NSDL Pathways libraries.
B. BEN Scholars will increase their understanding of studentcentered learning methods, including:
 Inquiry-based teaching;
 Interactive lectures;
 Authentic assessment;
 Problem-based learning;
 Use of technology in teaching; and
 Career information integration.
BiosciEdNet (BEN) Collaborative
BEN serves as a catalyst for professional societies or
coalitions that seek to:
 Build biological sciences education-focused digital
libraries that include high quality, inquiry-driven,
active, and engaging STEM education
 Contribute resources to the BEN portal.
 Collaborate in terms of pedagogy, authentic
assessment, and development of multidisciplinary
biological sciences resources.
Collaborators (*Founding Collaborators)
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AAAS-American Association for the Advancement of Science (EHR, STKE, Science)*
ABLE-Association of Biology Lab Educators
AIBS-American Institute of Biological Sciences*
APS-American Physiological Society*
APS-American Phytopathological Society*
ASBMB-American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology*
ASCB-American Society for Cell Biology
ASM-American Society for Microbiology*
BCC-BioQUEST Curriculum Consortium
Bio-Link-the NSF Advanced Technological Education Center for Biotechnology
BSA-Botanical Society of America
ESA-Ecological Society of America*
EntDL-Entomology Digital Library
FUN -Faculty for Undergraduate Neuroscience
HAPS-Human Anatomy and Physiology Society
MLER-Microbial Life Education Resources
NABT-National Association of Biology Teachers*
NAHSEP-National Association of Health Science Education Partnerships
NBII-National Biological Information Infrastructure*
NLM-AE-National Library of Medicine-Access Excellence*
SDB-Society for Developmental Biology
SICB-Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology
SOT-Society for Toxicology*
Roles of BEN Collaborators
 Building biological sciences education digital
libraries for use by faculty in higher education
institutions
 Converting e-resources to biological sciences
education digital libraries
 Cataloging e-resources that are useful in biological
sciences education in higher education institutions
 Conducting outreach workshops that foster student
centered learning and use of digital libraries,
particularly for faculty
 Archiving and preservation of biological sciences
education resources
 Use of the society services to foster cultural change
in the teaching of biological sciences in higher
education
BEN Inventory of Resources (4,589) (11-06)
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AAAS (152 lesson plans and multimedia resources)
ABLE (66 lab exercises and teaching strategies )
AIBS (255 teaching and learning resources)
APS (501 teaching and learning resources)
APSNet (56 plant disease lessons and phytopathological
career materials)
ASM (1540 teaching and learning resources)
BSA (948 annotated images)
ESA (192 teaching and learning resources)
FUN (28 journal articles)
HAPS (266 journal and newsletter articles)
NHM-Access Excellence (206 lesson plans and teaching
strategies)
SOT (9 articles and toxicology career materials)
STKE (370 reviews, perspectives, and multimedia resources)
Topics
agriculture & aquaculture
anatomy
anthropology & archaeology
bacteriology
behavioral science
biochemistry
biocomplexity
biodiversity
bioengineering
bioethics
bioinformatics
biophysics
biostatistics
biotechnology
botany & plant science
cardiology
cell biology
conservation biology
cryobiology
developmental biology
ecology
education
endocrinology
entomology
environmental sciences
epidemiology
evolutionary biology
exercise & kinesiology
exobiology
forestry
gastroenterology
genetics & heredity
genomics
geography
glycobiology
hematology
histology
human biology
hydrology & water resources
immunology
invertebrate biology
marine biology
metabolism
microbiology
molecular biology
mycology
natural history
nephrology
neurobiology
nutrition & food sciences
oceanography
paleontology
parasitology
pathology
pharmacology
phylogeny
physiology
population biology
proteomics
psychology
public health
range science
reproductive biology
respiratory biology
sociobiology
soil biology
structural biology
systematics
taxonomy & classification
theoretical biology
toxicology
vertebrate biology
virology
wildlife science
zoology
Learning Resources Types
Animation
Application
Audio
Diagram
Digital Presentation
Discussion Group
Graph/Chart
Illustration
Image
Map
Online tool
Photograph
Simulation
Software
Table
Video
Abstract
Book
Book Chapter
Journal
Journal Article
Meeting Presentation
Memo
Newsletter
Non-journal Article
Pamphlet/Brochure
Proceedings
Report
Bibliography
Database
Dataset
Dictionary/Glossary
Discussion Archive
Index
Manual
Review
Assessment: Exam
Assessment Tool
Assignment (non-lab)
Career materials
Course Syllabus
Education Standards
Field Trip Guide
Laboratory Manual
Lecture/Lecture Outline
Lesson Plan
Teaching Strategies
Challenges & Where We Need Your Help
A. Increasing Numbers of Biological Sciences Faculty that Use
The BEN Portal from about 7,500 to 15,000 Users by December
2007.
B. Increasing Peer Reviewed Resources in the BEN Portal from
about 4,600 to 27,000 by September of 2010
***Identifying collaborators that want to catalog resources
***Increasing submissions of new resources by faculty (2,700
new faculty submissions by 2010)
Challenges & Where We Need Your Help (Continued)
C. Fostering Departmental Involvement
***Student centered learning in the biological sciences
***Incentives for faculty that develop teaching & learning
projects & resources, particularly e-resources
D. Improving Quality of BEN Portal Search – A Work in Progress
(Community Building)
***Peer Reviewers
***Site Reviewers
***Metadata Reviewers
***Faculty on Sabbatical
Coordinating Council
AAAS
Yolanda S. George, Deputy Director
Linda Akli, Senior Program Associate
Kirstin Fearnley, Program Associate
Nancy Gough, Managing Editor/STKE
AIBS
Susan Musante, Manager, Education Programs
ASM
Amy L. Chang, Director, Education Department
APS
Marsha Lakes Matyas, Education Officer
Melinda E. Lowy, Higher Education Programs Coordinator
ESA
Jason Taylor, Director of Education