A Recipe for Success: Using Bio Beyond to Supplement a Non-Major Biology Course
Tested Studies in Laboratory Teaching, 2019, Volume 40
Nicole Perry
Abstract
In fall 2016, Oakton Community College adopted the use of BioBeyond, as an adaptive textbook replacement in some sections of our non-majors Biology course in response to low student success rates and concerns about textbook affordability. BioBeyond, from Inspark technology built on the Smart Sparrow platform, is an introductory digital textbook program centered on the question of "Is there life in the universe?" Initial results suggest an increased success of 7-9% and an increase in the percentage of "A" grades. Participants will be able to complete a lesson from BioBeyond to learn how the lessons engage and encourage the students to learn the material. Since the implementation of BioBeyond, we have worked with Inspark to develop a primer for anatomy and physiology students. We will also share our success results, discuss how we implemented BioBeyond and the primer, and discuss our future plans for BioBeyond and related tools in non-major biology courses and anatomy and physiology courses.
