BEN Pathway II

American Association For The Advancement Of Science, Washington DC

Investigators

Abstract

The NSDL Biological Sciences Pathway II (BEN) activities include: Redesigning the portal web site to highlight digital resources that are useful in college introductory biology courses and AP biology courses at the middle/high school level; Developing and implementing a Faculty Tester Program to examine the impact of biological sciences digital education resources on student learning; Increasing the number of BEN Faculty Scholars who promote the use of digital resources in the biological sciences classroom. Information reported by Faculty Testers is included in a blog called The Biological Sciences Digital Classroom. The BEN Pathway serves as a catalyst for professional societies or coalitions that seek to foster a change in biological sciences teaching at higher education institutions and at the middle/high school levels. The project focuses on improving curriculum, pedagogy, and student assessment. The BEN Pathway currently provides services and activities for 26 organizations, including aggregating the resources of collaborators into a portal and providing services to develop, disseminate, and sustain high quality digital education resources. This project addresses the need to provide mentoring and professional development for biological sciences education leaders and fosters the practice of using digital resources by assessing their impact on student learning.