Work

Curating lesson level learning objectives for non-majors introductory biology

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: principles about what to teach introductory biology majors. In contrast, faculty have not reached a consensus concerning the learning goals for introductory non-majors courses. Yet, more than 8 out of 10 undergraduates are not science majors. The goal of this study was to develop and evaluate learning objectives for non-majors introductory biology courses. We performed a modified-Delphi study of learning objectives (LOs) for non-majors biology. We engaged a total of 38 biology faculty experts from institutions across the United States in three iterative rounds to identify, rate, discuss, and re-rate 270 LOs for non-majors biology courses. Faculty provided feedback to determine whether the LOs are critical for students to learn and if the LOs encompass what students need to learn about an issue, as well as if anything were missing. As a result of expert evaluation, 60.7% of LOs (164) were deemed critical. Experts also suggested 22 additional new LOs.

Source: Journal of Microbiology and Biology Education

DOI: 10.1128/jmbe.00275-25

Authors: Peggy Brickman, Cara Gormally

Institutions: University of Georgia, Gallaudet University

Language: English

Topic: Educational Assessment and Pedagogy

Subfield: Education

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Quality education

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $1,700