Integrative Biology: A Capstone Course for an Introductory Biology Core

A capstone to the biology introductory curriculum was developed with the specific goals of enhancing integration of course content, promoting development of oral presentation skills and critical reading and thinking skills, and introducing ecological principles omitted from the rest of the core. Classes of 12 to 16 students were team taught by biologists with different subdiscipline specialties in a seminar format, using a variety of problem-solving exercises and critical analysis of the primary literature. The effectiveness of this pedagogy in promoting course goals was determined by feedback from students on their end-of-course surveys and by comparison of scores on exams and oral presentations throughout the semester. More than 90% of students agreed that the capstone course helped them appreciate global issues and read and critically analyze primary literature. Although the capstone course is extremely valuable preparation for upper division biology courses, it is costly to staff and demands more time to prepare and teach it effectively. (Contains 5 tables and 2 figures.)