Mental health disorders are becoming increasingly common among undergraduate students, and premedical students may be especially vulnerable to those conditions because of the high levels of competition and stress they experience in their college programs. At least a quarter of premedical students experience mental health conditions that may be relevant to discuss when they are applying for medical school. However, there has been little research on whether revealing those mental health conditions on their medical school applications impacts students’ chances of being accepted. Thus, a recent study set out to understand how medical school admissions committee members view applicants who reveal a mental health condition. Here are some of the primary findings: Admissions committee members did not have a bias against applicants who revealed a mental health condition. The study found that admissions committee members viewed applicants who revealed a mental health condition as equally accep...

The Teaching Innovation Center (TIC) supports instructional design and inclusive pedagogy through using evidence-based practices and the latest research. It also centers on providing resources and support to those already established and in training (e.g., graduate students in the School of Life Sciences or SoLS). TIC recently supported that goal by welcoming 74 incoming graduate students (both master’s and doctoral students) to SoLS early in August for a new student orientation. Most of those students are incoming teaching assistants (TAs) for online and in person undergraduate courses. Those incoming students are the next generation of researchers, instructors, etc. who will shape teaching, learning, and mentorship. The in-person orientation held in Hayden Library was an opportunity for students to network and engage in professional development as new and incoming TAs. For some, it was reported that it would be their first time being a TA, thus this experience was beneficial and pro...

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 . Past research has shown that students report feeling more positive toward professors who share the same identity as them. Specifically, women and persons excluded because of their ethnicity or race (PEERs) had greater self-efficacy, greater persistence in their major, and a greater sense of belonging when they had instructors that shared their gender or race/ethnicity. The chance for a student to find instructors with similar identities is less commo...

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. Often, bioethics courses include controversial topics and ethical dilemmas that surround the science, which can be both engaging for students but also can be challenging if they hold minority views about the topic. Despite calls to incorporate bioethics into the undergraduate curriculum, no studies have examined undergraduate student experiences and comfort in bioethics courses based on their identities that may be relevant to these discussions. However, a recent study has tackled this issue by exploring student experiences learning about three controversial topics in bio...

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. However, little is known about how online science learning environments impact students’ depression. Because online learning environments are becoming increasingly common, a recent study set out to understand which aspects of online science environments exacerbate and alleviate students’ depression, both generally and among students with specific demographics. Here are some of the primary findings: Specific groups of students were more likely to report experiencing depression than other groups of students. Researchers found that approximately 54% of students reported experiencing depression.However, white students, women, LGB...

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.  Here are some of the main takeaways: Science students with disabilities are underrepresented in undergraduate research Researchers found that 12% of undergraduate researchers that were surveyed self-identified as having a disability, which is lower than the percentage of undergraduate science students with disabilities, indicating that undergraduate science students with disabilities are not participating in undergraduate research at the same rate. Students with disabilities tended to describe their functional limitations in research, bu...

Do you remember attending office hours as a student? What did you like about them? What did you dislike? Whether you enjoyed office hours or not, they are a major feature of higher education (Griffin et al., 2014; Li & Pitts, 2009), and can benefit students (Guerrero & Rod, 2013). They are often required for faculty members and instructors to hold (Griffin et al., 2014; Li & Pitts, 2009). Yet, research in a variety of contexts shows that students may be reluctant to actually attend office hours (Griffin et al., 2014; Guerrero & Rod, 2013; Li & Pitts, 2009). Even though they may provide benefits to students, most students are not reaping the potential benefits that they hold. Perhaps if students knew the benefits of office hours and instructors were transparent about the benefits, they would attend. Research out of the ASU RISE Center shows that students may be uncomfortable asking questions in front of the class (Nadile et al., 2021). Thus, letting students know th...

I believe letting my personality shine through the way I teach “humanizes” the online learning experience. One of the ways I have tried to do this is through my office hour sessions. I have developed some ways to inject a little more of my personality and enthusiasm for vertebrate life through additional activities the students can engage with at their discretion, including: Supplementary lectures exploring certain topics in the course in more detail, such as phylogenetic reconstruction methods Software tutorials such as Mendeley citation manager and using Google Scholar to locate and browse  primary sources Livestreaming my research activities, such as preparing vertebrate natural history specimens, and talking  with students about how they could perform similar activities at home with their dissection specimens Perhaps most importantly, guided pre-exam study sessions and post-exam review sessions.      None of these activities are required of course – my ...

Participating in research as an undergraduate is known to be a highly influential experience that can increase student motivation and persistence in science. In a typical undergraduate research experience, a student joins a faculty member’s research lab, and is mentored by a senior member of the lab as the student contributes to research projects. 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.  However, not all research experiences are positive, and occasionally students end up leaving their research experiences before they graduate. Understanding why students leave can help institutions better support their student researchers, address equity and inclusion issues, and ultimately maximize student benefits from these experiences. Why does institution type matter?      While students from universities worldwide ar...

School of Life Sciences is a wonderful community focused on improving teaching, sharing new ideas, and working together to find solutions for our students. Join us for a minute to reflect back and lift up the many voices in this community. Here are some of the key ideas and popular posts shared last year from our SOLS Community: Faculty Contributions: Our blogs covered a number of different ideas generated by the strong relationship between instructional designers and faculty. Often new ideas are tested and written about from courses. Some of the highlights this year were seen here: In How Active Learning is Implemented , Sara Brownell, shared various questions about how instructors help or hinder students when implementing active learning strategies. Gillian Clark shared her experiences with using specifications learning and shared the benefits and challenges in Adventures in Specifications Gradin g Reimagining classroom collaboration activities and teams became a topic for both bl...

As 2021 has come to a close and we look to a new semester of teaching it is normal to reflect back on what we’ve learned, what worked well, and what we need to let go. Here is a look back at some of the key points from our TIC blog posts from last year that are worth taking into the new semester: Inclusion Today there are endless resources available covering the subject of inclusion in classrooms and though they are filled with useful information, it is a journey that each educator must make as an individual. Professional Learning Communities, or PCLs, serve as a way to collaborate and discuss the themes of teaching inclusively and to continue to build awareness and new teaching norms. PCLs usually meet on a regular basis and help build a further understanding. The Teaching Innovation Center has a number of opportunities to connect with your peers on teaching. More information on the subject can be found here. Accessibility Critically thinking about the accessibility needs of everyon...