Back to All Events

Bellingham workshop: Designing a high-structure course to support students’ self-testing and metacognition

  • Whatcom Community College @ the NWBIO meeting 237 West Kellogg Road Bellingham, WA, 98226 United States (map)

Have you found that your students need more support to succeed in their college biology courses? Are you curious about ways to incorporate research-backed teaching and learning strategies in your course?

Join us as we dive into the research behind evidence-based teaching practices that improve learning outcomes and support student equity. You will collaborate with like-minded colleagues across institutions while building a course module in the Codon Learning platform.

Workshop goals:

  • Identify ways that transparent and measurable learning objectives can be used effectively by your students.

  • Connect different parts of the Codon Learning platform with the evidence-based practices they support, such as high-structure course design and metacognition.

  • Design a high-structure module in Codon Learning that you can share with students and colleagues.

This event is free to attend. You’re welcome to join as an individual or as a team of instructors. To fully participate in the do-it-yourself (DIY) components of the workshop, please bring a computer. Register today to secure your spot:

FACILITATORS

Dr. Scott Freeman is Lecturer Emeritus at the University of Washington. The recipient of a UW Distinguished Teaching Award, he has published research on how innovative approaches to teaching science benefit all students, but particularly students from disadvantaged backgrounds. He is the author of the textbooks Biological Science and Evolutionary Analysis, which have sold over 500,000 copies and been translated into multiple languages, and the popular book Saving Tarboo Creek, which is for general audiences.

Dr. Alexa Clemmons is Codon’s Director of Product. After earning her Ph.D. in genetics at the University of California San Diego, Alexa transitioned to discipline-based education research at the University of Washington. Her postdoctoral work unpacked the AAAS Vision and Change core competencies by first defining measurable learning outcomes and then developing curriculum mapping tools. During her PhD and postdoc, Alexa got to teach a variety of courses, trying her hand at the evidence-based teaching approaches that Codon promotes and learning their joys and challenges. At Codon, Alexa directs the platform’s feature development, with the goal of making evidence-based teaching and learning practices more effective and easier to use.

Dr. Kelly Hennessey graduated with a BS in Biology and went on to teach high school (International Baccalaureate) biology and chemistry. While teaching, she pursued a master’s degree in teaching and learning. With a strong curiosity and a passion for research, she earned an MAT in biology at the University of Washington. This experience solidified her desire to pursue a Ph.D. in Molecular Cell Biology. After teaching for 17 years, she transitioned from high school teaching to research on the parasite Giardia lamblia, focusing on a group of protein kinases with small amino acid residues in the ATP binding pocket. Upon completing her Ph.D., she was fortunate to join Scott Freeman as his postdoctoral researcher. As part of an NSF grant led by Scott, she developed lesson level learning objectives for introductory biology courses. Today, Kelly serves as an educational support specialist in assisting instructors who aim to enhance their students' metacognitive skills, significantly improve study habits, and enhance the overall learning experience.

Curious about Codon?

Check out two of our most popular courses:

Introducing the Life Sciences by Scott Freeman

Genetics by Jenny Knight and Christy Fillman

Have questions about the workshop?

We have answers! Get in touch with us at info@codonlearning.com.