Christina Cline
Instructor
Department of Biological Sciences
College of Liberal Arts & Sciences
Course(s) Targeted by this Innovation
BIOS 357: Human Anatomy and Physiology
Purpose and Impact
BIOS 357 is a course required for a variety of non-biology majors to either be accepted into a program (ex: nursing) or to continue along a specific career path. We service approximately 144 students every Fall and Spring semester and up to an additional 40 students every summer. Students come with a diversity of previous experience and often struggle with the complexity of the material as well as the fast pace of the 5 credit hour course. Although our DFUW rate has dropped in the last few years, it continues to be a gateway course for many students. A&P is providing pivotal knowledge for a variety of careers across many colleges and majors. My hope by revamping the materials required is to make the course more seamless and available to students regardless of their financial means.
Description of Innovation
In this project, I will create a large bank of open education resources that students can access through Blackboard and other free sites. We currently use online materials through a publisher, and the cost to students has steadily risen over the last several years. Although they are excellent resources, the cost burden is often difficult for students; those who wait several weeks to purchase the material ultimately fall behind in this fast-paced course.
I will use the summer 2023 to collect and modify (as needed) free resources to replace the need for a publisher subscription. There is a plethora of A&P material out on the Internet, but it's often presented at a level that is beyond what my students need and/or includes content that isn't relevant to this specific course. I believe that tailored resources, available at no-cost, will help all of my students have access to learning in an equitable fashion. When they do not have the additional financial burden to worry about, they will be able to focus on finding success in the course.