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Cited by 159Innovative Teaching MethodsEvaluation of Teaching PracticesScience Education and Pedagogy

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 37 of the 38 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

It’s Personal: Biology Instructors Prioritize Personal Evidence over Empirical Evidence in Teaching Decisions

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Andrews, Tessa C., Lemons, Paula P.·2015·CBE—Life Sciences Education
DOI 10.1187/cbe.14-05-0084PMC PMC4353082
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Abstract

Despite many calls for undergraduate biology instructors to incorporate active learning into lecture courses, few studies have focused on what it takes for instructors to make this change. We sought to investigate the process of adopting and sustaining active-learning instruction. As a framework for our research, we used the innovation-decision model, a generalized model of how individuals adopt innovations. We interviewed 17 biology instructors who were attempting to implement case study teaching and conducted qualitative text analysis on interview data. The overarching theme that emerged from our analysis was that instructors prioritized personal experience—rather than empirical evidence—in decisions regarding case study teaching. We identified personal experiences that promote case study teaching, such as anecdotal observations of student outcomes, and those that hinder case study teaching, such as insufficient teaching skills. By analyzing the differences between experienced and new case study instructors, we discovered that new case study instructors need support to deal with unsupportive colleagues and to develop the skill set needed for an active-learning classroom. We generated hypotheses that are grounded in our data about effectively supporting instructors in adopting and sustaining active-learning strategies. We also synthesized our findings with existing literature to tailor the innovation-decision model.

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Figure 1. Innovation-decision model. Figure adapted from Rogers (2003).
Figure 1. Innovation-decision model. Figure adapted from Rogers (2003).CC BY-NC-SA · PubMed Central
Figure 2. Excerpt of an interview transcript illustrating phase 2 analysis and its relationship to the format of final themes in phase 3. In phase 2, we categorized quotes from the interviews using our phase 1 a priori list and new categories identified during phase 2. In phase 3, we organized categories into final themes, which are presented in the Results.
Figure 2. Excerpt of an interview transcript illustrating phase 2 analysis and its relationship to the format of final themes in phase 3. In phase 2, we categorized quotes from the interviews using our phase 1 a priori list and new categories identified during phase 2. In phase 3, we organized categories into final themes, which are presented in the Results.CC BY-NC-SA · PubMed Central
Figure 3. Innovation-decision model modified to represent the process by which college biology instructors adopt, sustain, and improve their implementation of teaching innovations.
Figure 3. Innovation-decision model modified to represent the process by which college biology instructors adopt, sustain, and improve their implementation of teaching innovations.CC BY-NC-SA · PubMed Central

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Show all 38 references

Research works printed but not linked: 9

  1. American Association for the Advancement of Science, 2011, Vision and Change in Undergraduate Biology Education: A Call to Action
  2. Boyer Commission on Education Undergraduates in the Research University, 1998, Reinventing Undergraduate Education: A Blueprint for America’s Research Universities
  3. Dinan F, 2002, J Coll Sci Teach, 32, 36
  4. Mazur E, 1997, Peer Instruction
  5. McAlpine L, 2000, Instr Sci, 28, 363
  6. National Research Council (NRC), 1997, Science Teaching Reconsidered: A Handbook
  7. NRC, 2012, Discipline-based Education Research: Science and Engineering
  8. President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, 2012, Engage to Excel: Producing One Million Additional College Graduates with Degrees in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics
  9. Winter D, 2001, J Scholarship Teach Learn, 2, 15

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Metadata

Authors
Andrews, T. C., & Lemons, P. P.
Affiliations
University of Georgia (US)
Corresponding author
Lemons, Paula P.
ORCID
Venue
CBE—Life Sciences Education
Publisher
American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB)
Published
2015-03-02
Volume
14
Issue
1
Pages
ar7
ISSN
1931-7913 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1187/cbe.14-05-0084
PMC
PMC4353082
OpenAlex
W2139787198
Cited by
159
References
38
Citations by year
2026: 7 · 2025: 14 · 2024: 24 · 2023: 10 · 2022: 24 · 2021: 20 · 2020: 13 · 2019: 15 · 2018: 12 · 2017: 13 · 2016: 7
FWCI
53.36
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
cc-by-nc-sa
Locations
  • CBE—Life Sciences Education (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-sa)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-sa)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-sa)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
University of Georgia
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Education › Innovative Teaching Methods
  • Social Sciences › Education › Evaluation of Teaching Practices
  • Social Sciences › Education › Science Education and Pedagogy
Keywords
active learning, case-based teaching, instructor decision-making, personal experience, empirical evidence, instructor support, teaching skills, coworker support, undergraduate biology education
MeSH terms
Biology, Curriculum, Decision Making, Faculty, Humans, Learning, Personal Satisfaction, Teaching, Universities, Cohort Studies, Models, Educational, Problem-Based Learning

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