Undergraduate Biology Education Research Gordon Research Conference: A Meeting Report

• Authors: Erin L Dolan, University of Georgia; Michelle Borrero, University of Puerto Rico; Kristine Callis-Duehl, Donald Danforth Plant Science Center; Miranda Chen M Musgrove, University of Tennessee, Knoxville; Joelyn de Lima, Michigan State University; Isi Ero-Tolliver, Hampton University; Laci M Gerhart, University of California Davis; Emma C Goodwin, Portland State University; Lindsey R Hamilton, University of Colorado Denver; Meredith A Henry, Emory University; Jose Herrera, Mercy College; Bethany Huot, Michigan State University; Stacey Kiser, Lane Community College; Melissa E Ko, Stanford University; Marcy E Kravec, Florida International University; Mark Lee, Spelman College; Lisa B Limeri, University of Georgia; Melaine E Peffer, Univ Colorado; Debra Pires, University of California Los Angeles; Juan SR Lugo, University of Puerto Rico; Starlette M Sharp, Pennsylvania State University; Nicole A Suarez, University of California San Diego
• Journal Title: CBE-LIFE SCIENCES EDUCATION
• Volume: Volume 19, Number 2
• Publisher: AMER SOC CELL BIOLOGY | 2020-06-01, Pages mr1-mr1
• Type of Work: Article | Final Publisher PDF
• Publisher DOI: http://doi.org/10.1187/cbe.19-09-0188
• Subjects: Chemistry, Biochemistry; Chemistry, General
• Keywords: Social Sciences; Education, Scientific Disciplines; Education & Educational Research; SCIENCE

Abstract

The 2019 Undergraduate Biology Education Research Gordon Research Conference (UBER GRC), titled “Achieving Widespread Improvement in Undergraduate Education,” brought together a diverse group of researchers and practitioners working to identify, promote, and understand widespread adoption of evidence-based teaching, learning, and success strategies in undergraduate biology. Graduate students and postdocs had the additional opportunity to present and discuss research during a Gordon Research Seminar (GRS) that preceded the GRC. This report provides a broad overview of the UBER GRC and GRS and highlights major themes that cut across invited talks, poster presentations, and informal discussions. Such themes include the importance of working in teams at multiple levels to achieve instructional improvement, the potential to use big data and analytics to in-form instructional change, the need to customize change initiatives, and the importance of psychosocial supports in improving undergraduate student well-being and academic success. The report also discusses the future of the UBER GRC as an established meeting and describes aspects of the conference that make it unique, both in terms of facilitating dissemination of research and providing a welcoming environment for conferees.