Abstract Detail

Connecting People to Plants-Botanical Messages that Make a Difference

Uno, Gordon [1].

Promoting Plants to Students from Pre-College to Pre-Medicine.

When students enroll in college and are searching for a biology course, do they consider taking Introductory Botany over a course in Introductory Zoology, Microbiology, or Human Physiology? What might deter students from choosing Botany for a non-majors? elective course or as a viable major or career choice? The BSA is testing the hypothesis that encouraging interest in Botany at the pre-college level will improve student attitudes about plants and will increase the number of students who choose Botany as a course elective and as a major. Working with ACME Animation, the BSA Education Committee and BSA Teaching Section have developed a prototype interactive website that introduces high school students to inquiry-based biology using plants as the subject of investigation. I'll provide details about this interactive website and developing project and how BSA members can become involved. In addition, several innovative inquiry-based lab activities are being developed for high school classrooms that use plants to illustrate biological concepts. These labs are aligned with state and national science education standards and provide high school teachers with high-quality, high-interest, affordable activities that use plants as the organism-of-choice. At the college level, what activities promote the use of plants by biology instructors and increase interest in plants among the general population of students, including those who traditionally express no interest in plants as a subject of study? Discussion will focus on what works at both the pre-college and college levels to promote the study of plants, and Botany in general.

1 - University of Oklahoma, Department of Botany and Microbiology, 770 Van Vleet Oval, Norman, Oklahoma, 73019, USA

Keywords:
pre-college botany
inquiry-based learning
interactive website
botanical education
K-12 education, science curriculum.

Presentation Type: Symposium or Colloquium Presentation
Session: 14-3
Location: Salon G - Austin Grand Ballroom/Hilton
Date: Monday, August 15th, 2005
Time: 2:15 PM
Abstract ID:58