Technology tools beef up traditional instruction in 'Boot Camp for Biology Lab'

01-31-2011

Biology professor Laurie Iten likes to call BIOL 13500, her entry lab course, "Boot Camp for Biology Lab." That's because Iten's large-enrollment, first-year course — largely for beginning biology majors — is comprised of rigorous drills and practice — not toward military acumen or physical fitness, but toward the high standard in laboratory skills demanded of all biology graduates. In fall 2010, Iten set a record for student success in the gateway course — about 97 percent of its students passed with a "C" or better. To complement existing methods, Iten doubled the number of online lab-prep questions and problems, giving students additional practice in material they would complete before the next lab session.