Student learning outcomes in a learner-centered genetics classroom

Professors in the content areas and in teacher preparation are concerned about the effectiveness of the instructional strategies they utilize in their classrooms. This paper is the result of collaboration between a college biology professor and a teacher education professor to determine the effectiveness of incorporating learner-centered activities into college level genetics. The article includes discussion about the structure of both an undergraduate and a graduate level course including the types of learner-center strategies that were included. As the courses progressed, the participants in the course were given a survey that included both Likert type questions and open ended questions to determine the effectiveness of including the learner-centered strategies. Analysis of the responses shows that infusing learner-centered strategies into courses has positive benefits for learning content.