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. One influential factor in religious student acceptance lies in the debate of whether you can believe in God and still accept evolution. A new study has shown that the ability of religious students to perceive evolution as agnostic – not being able to say whether there is or isn’t a God- rather than atheistic – saying there is no God- increased their comfort in learning and understanding evolution and also increased their acceptance of evolution. Bridges and barriers to being both religious and ...

Combining the C.R.E.A.T.E .method with an online annotation and discussion tool like Perusall can empower students to confidently participate in conversations and amplify more voices in the classroom. Together they may lead to deeper knowledge building and synthesis among communities of learners. Reading primary research literature is an important skill for understanding the generation and evaluation of ideas in the Life and Social Sciences. Typically as students advance into their upper division coursework, interactions with primary literature outside of curated textbooks become more common. Analysis of these papers can help students understand “who does science, how and why” (Hoskins, Lapatto, and Stevens, 2011) . However, for many students reading primary literature can be intimidating and confusing. Scientific research may seem like a recipe to which some have access and others do not. They may also feel like they are unable to ask questions or criticize the work being done by ...

Aisles of freshly printed ink on large format paper are a hallmark of major scientific conferences all over the globe. Poster sessions are an arena where seasoned and budding scientists get to communicate about their work, network with peers, and determine new directions in their research. But how can we bring this icon of scientific discourse into the digital classroom? In remote and synchronous online courses, virtual poster sessions can be implemented as an assignment and exercise that allows students to practice real world skills within the community of support inside their course. Poster sessions have long been a tradition in on-ground courses, and are used to give students a taste of what scientific inquiry and discussion is like beyond the classroom. I’ve witnessed countless gatherings of excited students crowded around posters hung proudly on display in hallways at the end of term. These sessions are great practice for students who plan to go to graduate or professional schools...

Our current synchronous classroom space is Zoom, and this creates new opportunities for engagement with students. Additionally when you have a large amount of students per class, it is often recommended to break them into small groups for discussions, sharing ideas, or working on an activity together. One way we've managed this in our new classroom environment is through the use of Breakout Rooms in Zoom. We may be discouraged from group gatherings, but virtually it is encouraged! What is a Breakout Room? As the host of the Zoom meeting, you can enable a feature that allows for smaller meetings to be conducted that are connected but separate from the main meeting. The best part is that while the rooms are separate, with their own chat space, shared screens, and recording options, the host and co-hosts can move between rooms and the host can be called to join a room via the Ask for Help button.  Check out these Zoom Guides about Breakout Rooms: Getting Started with Breakou...

Thinking critically is a skill gained through practice. Critical thinking has been listed as a top competency needed by college graduates for career readiness, according to the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) . They define critical thinking as a competency that enables students to  " exercise sound reasoning to analyze issues, make decisions, and overcome problems. The individual is able to obtain, interpret, and use knowledge, facts, and data in this process, and may demonstrate originality and inventiveness. "  Therefore the more opportunities we can provide students to practice their critical thinking skills, the better they will succeed in their future courses and career.  In February, the School of Life Sciences Teaching Innovation Center hosted a lunch and learn workshop focused on developing critical thinkers. During the hour faculty colleagues shared their experiences and knowledge on the topic. We followed each lightning talk with small ...