We developed labs on the evolution of antibiotic resistance to assess the costs and benefits of replacing traditional laboratory exercises in an introductory biology course for majors with a course-based undergraduate research experience (CURE). To assess whether participating in the CURE imposed a cost in terms of exam performance, we implemented…

Threshold concepts can lead to higher discipline comprehension but may also lead to the formation of educational barriers. The acceptance of evolutionary theory, a threshold concept, may be impacted by barriers associated with a student's educational, religious, psychological, and social background. The objectives of this study were to examine the…

This paper discusses some traditional approaches to the teaching of evolutionary theory at pre-university level, criticising in particular some of the more commonly used models and exemplars. Curricular demands are described and an alternative approach is suggested, using the emerging story of human evolution. Recent discoveries help to illustrate…

When students are given opportunities to use their knowledge to explain interesting and appropriate evolutionary phenomena, their potential for understanding evolutionary concepts increases. In this article, the authors describe a nine-week high school evolutionary biology course designed to engage students in using Darwin's natural selection…

Objectives, topics/understandings to be taught, and teachers notes are provided for the seven units in this Regents biology syllabus. Units and major topic areas include: (1) unity and diversity among living things (concept of life, diversity/unity of life); (2) maintenance in living things (nutrition, transport, respiration, excretion,…