NSF Award
2315749
This project aims to serve the national interest by improving education in biology through the inclusion of artistic expression in biology courses. This approach builds on the demonstrated cognitive and academic benefits of art-enhanced instruction in biology to increase concept comprehension and course engagement by students. This project’s rationale is rooted in two national trends. First, the project is a response to recent calls from national advisory bodies for the integration of education in biology and the sciences with the arts and humanities, as well as emphasis on the college graduate as a scientifically literate member of society. Second, this project serves a silently growing undergraduate population: the non-traditional student (i.e., typically a “working adult”). To engage diverse students with diverse learning preferences, this project emphasizes concrete, immediate expression of concepts in biology, and encourages thinking about concepts from diverse perspectives. By providing opportunities for students to interpret and express course material in personal, creative ways, this project enriches the learning experience in biology courses. <br/><br/>This project has two main goals: 1) increase concept comprehension and 2) increase course engagement in art-enhanced biology courses. To achieve these goals, the project will implement three treatments in 36 upper division courses over three years: Drawing, Writing, Control. These treatments enable the detection of academic benefits due to the inclusion of artwork per se (Drawing), or, more generally, due to the inclusion of an alternative creative activity (Writing). Pre- and post-assessment assignments will quantify the effectiveness of each treatment. Primary participating institutions serve diverse populations including non-traditional students, Hispanic/Latino students, active and veteran military members, and students from rural regions. This project includes community outreach through public exhibitions of student artwork. Formative project evaluation will examine the processes through which assessment data are collected, and summative evaluation will examine the outcomes of implementation on student concept comprehension and course engagement. The NSF IUSE: EDU Program supports research and development projects to improve the effectiveness of STEM education for all students. Through the Engaged Student Learning track, the program supports the creation, exploration, and implementation of promising practices and tools.<br/><br/>This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
