AAAS, NSF, and other stakeholders recently published a call to transform undergraduate biology education, titled Vision and Change in Undergraduate Biology Education (http://visionandchange.org/finalreport). One of the major themes of Vision and Change is to focus on teaching core concepts and competencies. An ASPB-BSA working group was tasked with generating a set of core concepts that:
• outline what undergraduate biology majors should learn about plants;
• are consistent with themes from Vision and Change;
• are enduring, big ideas about plants.
For the purposes of this effort, we define plants as eukaryotic photosynthetic organisms with protected embryos and multicellular haploid and diploid stages in their life cycle.
There are 58 core concepts. As you read each concept, please consider whether
- It is important for an undergraduate biology major to learn, and
- It explains an essential attribute or life strategy of plants, or describes what makes plants distinct.
If you are NOT interested in reviewing each concept, but would like to send general feedback about the core concepts or would like additional information about this effort, please email Erin Dolan (eldolan@uga.edu).
Please note that only individuals who complete this survey are eligible to be entered in a raffle to win an iPod. Thanks for participating!