Reaching Out to Reach Up – An Outreach Model for Honors Biology

 

Julia Collins

Tested Studies in Laboratory Teaching, 2016, Volume 37

Abstract

In this session, I will describe an outreach model for honors programs, which we recently piloted in our Introductory Biology 151 course. I will share student products from our Fall semester, supply a model syllabus for the program (which could be modified to suit different course structures), and lead a conversation about outreach opportunities in our various campus communities. In our honors program, we collaborated with the Wisconsin Institutes of Discovery (WID), an interdisciplinary institution on the UW Madison campus. Our students each developed an interactive activity based on a topic covered in 151 and presented it at “Saturday Science” at the WID, a science-fair style gathering for elementary and middle school students and their parents. Throughout the semester, we provided coaching in backward design, basic pedagogy, and peer feedback. The response from our students was enthusiastic – two even asked that we repeat the process in the second semester of Intro Bio, 152. One student commented that “this type of honors project should be done every year, it is such an amazing way to integrate what we learn in the classroom with real life actions. It is truly rewarding.” I look forward to sharing this model with the ABLE community.

Keywords:  outreach

Boston University (2015)