COMPREHENSIVE INCLUSION OF AN ACTIVE AND INQUIRY-BASED CURRICULUM INCREASES RETENTION AND PERSISTENCE IN BIOLOGY

Active and inquiry-based learning have been shown to increase student performance in science education, especially for students of low socioeconomic background and underrepresented minorities (Hispanic, African American, Native American and Pacific Islander). Despite this evidence, curriculum-wide incorporation of active learning has been slow. Many science students will only encounter this type of learning experience in a few classes throughout their college career, which may not be enough to produce a meaningful positive outcome on their overall academic performance. Here we describe a comprehensive redesign to the biology curriculum at the University of Saint Thomas, a small Hispanic-serving liberal arts institution in Houston, Texas. We have incorporated active and inquiry-based learning at every level of the undergraduate biology coursework, and our laboratory courses expose students to authentic and relevant scientific experiences through guided experimental research projects. These changes have improved the perception and understanding of science for our diverse student population. Importantly, the new curriculum has increased both retention rates and persistence of students majoring in biology.