The mission of the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Alaska Anchorage is to pursue the understanding of biological systems and disseminate that knowledge efficiently and effectively to our peers, our students, and the public. General Microbiology, BIOL A340, is a fundamental course that focuses on the diversity, physiology, genetics and ecology of microorganisms. In the 2015-2016 academic year, the Department of Biological Sciences will introduce new courses that will enhance the learning of such fundamental topics. BIOL A342, Microbial Biology: Experiential Learning will be introduced as a replacement to the current BIOL A340L lab and will give students a hands-on approach to learning. Here is a look at the current BIOL A340L classroom and a preview to what the experiential learning method will have to offer. 

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"Learning is the process whereby knowledge is created through the transformation of experience." -David A. Kolb on Experiential Learning

It is no secret that the Department of Biological Sciences is undergoing some major curriculum changes for the 2015-2016 academic year. Courses are being deleted, added and transformed as we enter a new phase of classroom learning. You may have heard the term, 'experiential learning' floating around the hallways of CPISB, however, you may be asking yourself, 'what exactly is experiential learning and how will it benefit me?'

The experiential learning method is a far cry from the dog days of rote learning, a common method that often left students coming to class with black eyes and black coffee. Instead of being stuck in a cram and test cycle, the experiential learning method engages students in the content they are learning, causing them to 'do' as they go, creating action within the act of learning. Often defined as, 'learning through reflection on doing,' experiential learning causes the learner to become cognitively aware of what they are actively doing, and in turn, discover the reasoning behind the actions—if it can be likened to a game of monkey see, monkey do, experiential learning transforms the game into 'monkey see, monkey do, monkey understands.' In a day and age when society is becomingly increasingly aware of the fact that different people learn differently, we recognize the importance for our Department to begin to teach differently.

In anticipation of the new experiential learning courses being added to the 2015-16 catalog, Dr. Megan Howard structured this spring's BIOL A340L, General Microbiology Laboratory courses in the likeness of the new additions. When stepping into Dr. Hope Gray's lab, it's not a surprise to see students buzzing with excitement about their current research projects. At the beginning of the semester, the students were paired in twos and assigned an investigative project in which they were required to isolate specific bacterium and/or bacterial groups from environmental samples taken from Turnagain Arm. Upon isolating the bacterium/bacterial groups, the students were then required to characterize and identify their isolates and demonstrate at least one specific trait or property of the bacterium or bacterial group. Through this research project, Dr. Howard and her colleagues aim to put the power of knowledge into the hands and minds of their students—the investigative process begins and ends with them, and the answers discovered are retained far beyond the semester in which they were learned.

The BIOL A340L classrooms are far removed from the classically clichéd cartoons depicting students falling asleep in lecture halls—the current course is taking the best of the experiential learning method and injecting it into a standard lab setting. The hands-on, discover-it-for-yourself approach the instructors have taken has proven to be successful for higher education and wholly enjoyable for the students. If this classroom visit is any indication of things to come, next fall semester, don't come prepared to sit through class, come prepared to take action! You just might learn something—and have fun while doing it.

Biological Sciences Curriculum Change Information

Summer registration is in full swing and it's time to sign up for the courses you need to take in order to stay on track! Please review the Biological Sciences Curriculum Change video if you did not attend one of the information sessions. The 2015-2016 Catalog goes live on March 23rd, so now is the perfect time to start planning! 

If you have not yet made an appointment with an academic advisor to discuss your specific track to degree completion, please do so today!

Dr. Deborah Duricka
P: 907-786-4710
E: dlduricka@uaa.alaska.edu
Office: CPISB 102E

David House
P: 907-786-4378
E: dhouse4@uaa.alaska.edu
Office: CPISB 102D