Teaching Resources

Transforming the classroom

Interested in making your course more inclusive based on our research? Take a look at our freely available teaching resources.

Although the mission of the RISE Center is to generate research findings, we partner with other entities to help disseminate our work to instructors so that we can maximize our impact on making undergraduate STEM more inclusive! We are especially grateful for our strong working relationship with ASU’s Teaching Innovation Center. If you or your organization help support undergraduate STEM instructors and would like to work more directly with us, please contact us.

Teaching Resources

If You Are an LGBTQ+ Instructor, Should You Tell Your Students?


SOLS Teaching Innovation Center blog

Academic science can be an unwelcoming place for LGBTQ+ individuals, and fewer LGBTQ+ undergraduates persist in STEM than their non-LGBTQ+ counterparts. In addition to being underrepresented in STEM, an LGBTQ+ identity is a concealable stigmatized identity, meaning that individuals who hold this identity often have to “come out” in order for others to know that they are part of this community. Because revealing can have a negative impact on one’s career, LGBTQ+ instructors in STEM may hesitate to reveal their identity to students.

How Can We Maximize Student Comfort When Teaching Controversial Topics in Bioethics?


SOLS Teaching Innovation Center blog

The national report Vision and Change was a blueprint for what should be taught to undergraduate biology students. It outlined a set of core concepts and core competencies that undergraduate biology students should possess by the time they graduate. One of the core competencies is understanding the relationship between science and society and bioethics courses are often used to help teach students this competency.

How Can We Make Online Undergraduate Science Courses More Inclusive for Students with Depression?


SOLS Teaching Innovation Center blog

Depression is one of the most common mental health disorders among college students, and it is especially common among groups that are underrepresented or underserved in science, such as women, LGBTQ+ students, and students with disabilities. Previous studies have found that the unwelcoming and competitive nature of science courses may worsen students’ depression.

How Can We Make Undergraduate Research More Inclusive For Students With Disabilities?


SOLS Teaching Innovation Center blog

Individuals with disabilities are underrepresented in undergraduate science and in science careers. While it is becoming increasingly clear that students with disabilities experience unique challenges in undergraduate science classrooms, little is known about the experiences of students with disabilities in undergraduate research. However, a recent national study has begun to shed light on the experiences of students with disabilities in research. 

How Does Institution Type Impact Students’ Experiences in Undergraduate Research?


SOLS Teaching Innovation Center blog

Participating in research as an undergraduate is known to be a highly influential experience that can increase student motivation and persistence in science. Research experience provides students an opportunity to learn if scientific research is a career they would like to pursue and ultimately has been linked to increased graduation rates and career success.

Creating More LGBTQIA-Inclusive Biology Learning Environments


American Society for Microbiology

RISE Center PhD student Carly Busch was invited to contribute a blog post for the American Society of Microbiology. She highlights some impactful yet easy ways we can create more LGBTQIA-inclusive biology learning environments.

Experiences of STEM students with Disabilities During the Transition to Emergency Remote Instruction


SOLS Teaching Innovation Center blog

How accessible is online education? Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, students across the globe have had to adjust to a new normal as colleges and universities rapidly transitioned from in-person instruction to online and hybrid instruction. Though many applauded the newly found flexibility of online instruction, many undergraduate students found new challenges, specifically those students with disabilities.

Making the undergraduate biology classroom inclusive of LGBTQ+ students


ASCB

This is the fourth and final essay in a series of blog posts to be released this quarter by the ASCB LGBTQ+ committee under the theme of “Building a Welcoming Community for LGBTQ+ Scientists.” As this is posted many of us will be starting to teach undergraduate classes – Our ultimate source of scientists. In this post, Dr. Sara Brownwell shares some thoughts on the importance of LGBTQ+ representation in the classroom,  an area that she has actively researched.

Decisions, Decisions, Decisions… How Active Learning is Implemented Matters!


SOLS Teaching Innovation Center blog

Active learning has been recommended as a more effective way to teach when compared to traditional lecturing, yet active learning can be implemented in many different ways. One common approach in active learning is to ask students to share out their thoughts either with other students or in front of the whole class.

How Christians May Feel Stigmatized in the Biology Community


SOLS Teaching Innovation Center blog

Although Christians are overrepresented in American society, they are underrepresented in biology careers. What is the reason for this under-representation? Prior research has indicated that Christians feel as though they don’t belong in biology, that some biology instructors make Christians feel as though they have to choose between their faith and biology, and many people incorrectly assume that one has to be an atheist to accept evolution.

Students’ Knowledge of Finding and Securing Research Positions: How Can We Make Undergraduate Research Experiences Accessible?


SOLS Teaching Innovation Center blog

Many STEM students are seeking the opportunity to conduct undergraduate research at some point in their academic career due to its many benefits. However, finding and securing a research position can be challenging, and may be more difficult for some students than others.

What Have We Learned From Student Perceptions of Voluntary Participation: Are We Being Equitable?


SOLS Teaching Innovation Center blog

Imagine sitting in the audience at a large conference and you had a question. You think to yourself, “should I ask it?” but then overthinking, nervousness, and anxiety come to play, forcing a larger part of your consciousness to rely on someone else to ask that question for you. This is a decision that students in your classes are experiencing, and not all students experience this to the same extent.

Is an Online Biology Degree Program More Accessible and Inclusive?


SOLS Teaching Innovation Center blog

The opportunity to attend a university online is an attractive option for many students because of the flexibility in scheduling, the lack of commuting, and the ability to work from wherever. This is a particularly enticing option for individuals working full-time in any capacity such as a 9-5 office job or for taking care of children or other family members. So, as universities begin to develop more of these programs, these online programs open access to college degrees for a larger slice of society.

Developing an Anti-racist Biology Curriculum


SOLS Teaching Innovation Center blog

The Black Lives Matter movement and protests in Summer 2020 after the killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and Tony McDade, have prompted many educators and researchers to reflect upon racism in the spaces we occupy. As copies of “How to be an anti-racist” by Ibram X.

Religious Cultural Competence in Evolution Education Could Address the Underrepresentation of People of Color in Evolutionary Biology


SOLS Teaching Innovation Center blog

People of color are underrepresented in many STEM fields, and this underrepresentation is especially prevalent for Black individuals in evolutionary biology. Although there are many potential reasons why, a new study focuses on a factor that is often missing from these discussions: religious beliefs. It has been well established that Black individuals are more likely to be Christian compared to white individuals. Previous studies have also reported that Black individuals are less likely to accept evolution.

How Can We Create More Inclusive Undergraduate Research Experiences for People Excluded Because of Their Ethnicity or Race (PEERs)?


SOLS Teaching Innovation Center blog

It is well established that retaining PEERs in science is integral to addressing socioeconomic inequalities in the United States, ensuring that we include the best and brightest minds in the workforce, and minimizing the influence of bias in scientific research (Intemann, 2009). The term PEERs stands for “people excluded because of their ethnicity or race” and in the U.S. includes people who identify as Black or African American, Latinx or Hispanic, and people indigenous to the spaces comprising the United States and its territories (Asai, 2020).

What Have Been Challenges for Students of Color in SOLS Over the Past 6 Months?


SOLS Teaching Innovation Center blog

The ASU RISE Center is hosting a series of events this term focused on racial justice to find ways in which the School of Life Sciences (SOLS) can be inclusive and anti-racist. On September 2nd, we had 19 students of color attend a listening session to discuss problems and challenges for students of color in SOLS.

Not All Undergraduate Research Experiences Are Good


SOLS Teaching Innovation Center blog

Participating in research as an undergraduate is well known to benefit students as they develop into confident and skilled researchers. Students can hone their technical skills, critical thinking, and ability to collaborate and communicate their findings. Despite these benefits, some students still decide to leave their undergraduate research labs prior to completing their undergraduate degree.

Helping to Support Science Undergraduates with Disabilities in an Active Learning Setting


SOLS Teaching Innovation Center blog

Active learning has been proven to show an increase in student learning and a decrease in student failure compared to passive learning. As a result, many institutions have adopted various active learning pedagogies. Evidence also shows that active learning may decrease achievement gaps between students in traditionally underserved groups, such as women and underrepresented minority students. While active learning has been dubbed as inclusive teaching, it is still unclear if active learning is inclusive for all students.

Supporting Students with Anxiety and Depression in Biology Classrooms


SOLS Teaching Innovation Center blog

In these challenging times, students are experiencing additional stressors exacerbating their anxiety and depression. As instructors who want students to succeed, how can we support our students with anxiety and depression in order to foster belonging and maximize learning? In this week's Resilient Teaching webinar, we talked with SOLS assistant professor Katey Cooper, Ph.D, who shared her research examining what worsens and alleviates anxiety and depression in biology undergraduates.

RISE Up for Racial Justice in the School of Life Sciences!


SOLS Teaching Innovation Center blog

We are excited to announce 16 events this term that all focus on racial justice in biology. These events are open to the School of Life Sciences (SOLS) community. Please join our suite of virtual workshops, seminars, and discussions to learn and become more self-aware of how we can become more inclusive.  

Tips to Make Your Classroom More Inclusive for LGBQT+ Students


SOLS Teaching Innovation Center blog

As ASU is defined by who we include and how they succeed, we need to make sure that this includes everyone in the classroom, including students with identities that are invisible. Even though society tends to assume that everyone is straight and cis-gender, current estimates of individuals who identify as members of the LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer) community range from 10-20% of the population.

Can Someone Believe in God and Accept Evolution? Atheistic Perceptions of Evolution, Decrease Acceptance of Evolution


SOLS Teaching Innovation Center blog

Most scientists agree that the theory of evolution is a foundational concept in understanding biology, yet it remains rejected by nearly half of the college student population (Barnes & Brownell, 2018). With religious students making up a large percentage of the student body on college campuses across the United States, it is important to consider how the way we teach evolution may impact religious students as they integrate the scientific view of evolution with their religious beliefs.

How to Make Undergraduate Research Experiences More Inclusive for Students with Depression


SOLS Teaching Innovation Center blog

Depression is a mental health concern for many students and is prevalent among undergraduates at a concerning rate.

Instructors, Be Careful About Joking Around: Science Students Find Topics About Own Identity Offensive


SOLS Teaching Innovation Center blog

Imagine students sitting in a college classroom where attendance is required. The instructor is describing how the body works to maintain homeostasis and then the instructor tells a joke. How would you respond? Well, studies indicate that your response may depend on who you are.

Evolutionary Medicine: Teaching Resources for Science Courses


SOLS Teaching Innovation Center blog

If you teach a college biology course, you are probably aware that most biology majors are interested in a medical career (Cooper et al. 2019). While many sub-disciplines in biology traditionally cater to the interests of students focused on medical careers, it is common for premed students to think that evolution has nothing to do with medicine. However, that is changing with the rise of a relatively new, but rapidly growing, field called evolutionary medicine (EvMed).

The Importance of Using Cultural Competence When Teaching Evolution


SOLS Teaching Innovation Center blog

As classrooms are becoming more diverse, teaching practices should become more inclusive toward all groups. Cultural competence, the shaping of lectures to be more inclusive toward different cultures’ beliefs, has become a more common practice in many university classrooms, yet it is routinely ignored when teaching evolution to religious students (Barnes & Brownell, 2017).

Building STEM Bridges: Reflecting on five years of ASU’s BioBridge Program


SOLS Teaching Innovation Center blog

What are bridge programs? The transition to college can be difficult for students from a variety of different backgrounds as they attempt to adjust to the rigor of college courses, adapt to a novel university setting, and become members of a university community. Summer bridge programs, sometimes called boot camps or early start programs, have been developed as a way to ease the academic and social transition to college. They are intensive experiences for incoming students that can provide early exposure to the opportunities, knowledge, and skills it takes to succeed in college.