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BIO 184: General Genetics | Workplace Skills, Aligning Activities & Outcomes, Writing Across the Curriculum

Reflection on Instructional Change:

The ACUE techniques I implemented were clarifying a course learning outcome, aligning an assessment with the course learning outcome, and aligning activities and assignments with the course learning outcome. Specifically, I clarified a course learning outcome to incorporate a workplace skill - for students to be able to articulate what they think and explain their reasoning.

The steps I took to implement the techniques and the purpose for the steps are explained below:

Clarified Learning Outcome:
- The purpose for clarifying the learning outcome was to incorporate workplace skills, specifically critical thinking and written communication.
  - Before - “Students will be able to analyze, problem-solve, communicate, and explore different perspectives that apply to ethical issues in genetics."
  - After - “Students will be able to evaluate reliability of sources, prioritize important details, and explain different perspectives on ethical issues in genetics.”

Aligned Assessment with Learning Outcome:
- The purpose for including a final writing assessment was to evaluate students on their ability to find and evaluate sources and clearly and concisely explain the logical arguments for different viewpoints about an ethical issue in genetics.
  - The final assessment was to write an essay on an ethical issue in genetics. Specifically, students were provided a choice of three ethical issues related to using the CRISPR-Cas9 technology for genetic engineering of crops, humans, or mosquitos. Some reference material and sources were provided using materials from the Innovative Genomics Institute. Students needed to evaluate the reliability of these sources and of sources they found on their own, then prioritize the important details to include in their essay where they presented two alternate perspectives on the ethical issue they chose.
Aligned Activities with Learning Outcome:
- The purpose for including learning activities and assignments was to prepare students for the final assessment and to help students make connections between the concepts learned in class and their own experiences and future career goals.
  - The learning activities and assignments to prepare students for the final assessment included:
    - To find, summarize, and reflect on strategies for evaluating the reliability of sources on the internet.
    - To identify details from sources, reflect, and share which details they found important.
    - To explain their thought process in short, reflective writing assignments using a discussion forum in Canvas.

The student response to the ACUE techniques has been mostly positive, with most student participating and engaging with the short, reflective writing assignments. Students are creating unique responses because there is no "right" answer (I am typically asking for their personal opinions). Students are working to make connections between the concept and their own experiences and explaining their thinking in writing.

The most influential FLC activities were the Workplace Skills Panel Presentation in May 2022 and the ACUE Practice and Reflect written assignments. When listening and participating in the Workplace Skills Panel Presentation, two of the key workplaces skills that were discussed repeatedly were critical thinking and communication skills, which is why I decided to incorporate them into a learning outcome. In addition, the ACUE Practice and Reflect written assignments were very helpful because they force you to articulate the specific teaching practice implemented, explain your reasoning for your choices, and reflect on whether they worked or not and how to change them in the future.

During the Observe and Analyze Session with colleagues, I realized that I should integrate the short, reflective writing assignments more fully into the class sessions, potentially by using them as an "exit ticket" that students complete before leaving class and by circling back during the next class session to highlight some responses and clarify any misunderstanding.

**Evidence of Instructional Change**
Figure 1: Instructions for a short, reflective writing assignment using a discussion board on Canvas & a student response to the short, reflective writing assignment.	Figure 2: Ethics essay module showing the assignments leading up to the final assessment.	Figure 3: Instructions for the ethics essay rough draft, including guidelines for providing feedback in a peer review.

Changes in Course Syllabus and Schedules:

Pre FLC - Syllabus and Schedule

Post FLC - Syllabus and Schedule

**Faculty Bio**
	Erin E. Olsan, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences, with expertise in Cell, Molecular, and Microbiology. She teaches General Genetics, Molecular Biology, and Cell and Molecular Methods and Techniques. Her research interest is how host and microbe metabolism affects the makeup of the microbiota.

**Program Sponsors**
	This work was supported by: National Science Foundation Hispanic Serving Institution Project STEM Zone DUE 1832335 US Department of Education Hispanic Serving Institution Project Degree with a Purpose P031S210061 US Department of Education Hispanic Serving Institution Project STEM4Equity P031C210012 *Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation or the US Department of Education.