Biology - Biology Education, B.S.

General Education Requirements

The General Education Requirements are designed to promote the development of a comprehensive educational base which will effectively support a student’s choice of a major concentration. Biology Education Program candidates are required to complete a total of 42 credit hours for graduation in this category. These credit hours are divided into six areas. A grade of “C” or above is required in all GER courses.

Biology Core Requirements: Credits 21

Students in the Honors Program should take Honors Courses.
Undergraduate Research with advisor can be taken either during junior or senior years, and has to be completed in two semesters.

There are six Biology Core Requirements. Candidates in Biology Education are required to earn at least a grade of C or better in each of these courses, and maintain a minimum GPA of 3.0 in the core courses.

• BIOL 111 Principles of Biology I Credit: 3
• BIOL 113 Principles of Biology I Laboratory Credit: 1
• BIOL 112 Principles of Biology II Credit: 3
• BIOL 114 Principles of Biology II Laboratory Credit: 1
• BIOL 222 Genetics Credit: 3
• BIOL 223 Genetics Laboratory Credit: 1
• BIOL 301 Microbiology Credit: 3
• BIOL 303 Microbiology Laboratory Credit: 1
• BIOL 497 Biology Seminar/Honors Credit: 1
• BIOL 499 Undergraduate Research Credit: 1-4

Supportive Course Requirements: Credits 16

Supportive courses are listed below that Biology Education candidates are required to complete for graduation. Candidates are required to earn a C or better in all of these courses, and maintain a minimum GPA of 3.0 in these courses.

• CHEM 111 Principles of Chemistry I Credit: 3
• CHEM 113 Principles of Chemistry Laboratory I Credit: 1
• CHEM 112 Principles of Chemistry II Credit: 3
• CHEM 114 Principles of Chemistry Laboratory II Credit: 1
• CHEM 211 Fundamentals of Organic Chemistry I Credit: 3
• CHEM 213 Fundamentals of Organic Chemistry I Laboratory Credit: 1
• CHEM 212 Fundamentals of Organic Chemistry II Credit: 3
• CHEM 214 Fundamentals of Organic Chemistry Laboratory II Credit: 1

Core Program Electives: Credits 10

*CSDP 220  may be substituted for CSDP 121  or BUED 212 .

The Department of Natural Sciences offers many electives. Candidates of Biology Education are required to take the following core electives BIOL 211 , BIOL 213 , ENVS 460 ) as they meet the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) and National Science Education Standards (NSES) content standards. BUED 212  or its equivalent is a part of computer literacy. Candidates are required to earn a minimum of C grade in all of these courses, and maintain a minimum GPA of 3.0 in the core electives.

• BIOL 211 Principles of Biology III Credit: 3
• BIOL 213 Principles of Biology III Laboratory Credit: 1
• ENVS 460 Earth Science Credit: 3

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• CSDP 121 Microcomputer Applications Credit: 3 * or
• BUED 212 Computer-Concepts/ Applications I Credit: 3 *

Professional Education Requirements: Credits 42

*EDCI 400 , EDCI 480  and EDCI 490  are taken concurrently during the last semester of the senior year. EDCI 201 PRAXIS Preparation  does not count towards graduation

Biology Education candidates are required to complete 43 credit hours under the Professional Education Requirements. However, EDCI 201  (1 cr.) does not count toward graduation. Candidates are required to earn no less than a C average in these courses, and maintain a minimum GPA of 3.0 in these courses.

• EDCI 200 Introduction to Contemporary Education Credit: 3
• EDCI 201 PRAXIS Preparation Credit: 1
• PSYC 205 Developmental Psychology Credit: 3
• PSYC 207 Educational Psychology Credit: 3
• EDCI 311 Comprehensive Assessment in Education Credit: 3
• EDCI 409 Teaching Reading in the Content Areas: I Credit: 3
• EDCI 410 Literacy in the Content Area: Part II Credit: 3
• EDCI 406 Classroom Management Credit: 3
• EDCI 425A Curriculum and Instructional Methods in Natural Sciences: Middle and Secondary Credit: 3
• EDSP 428 Communication and Collaboration in Special Education Credit: 3
• EDSP 400 Senior Seminar in Special Education Credit: 3 *
• EDCI 480 Teaching Internship: Secondary Program (7-12): Middle School Credit: 6 *
• EDCI 490 Teaching Internship: Secondary Programs (7-12) (High School) Credit: 6 *

Field and Clinical Experiences

Clinical Experiences are those experiences which are based on a very specific purpose. They may consist of interviewing a student, teacher, or administrator, observing a meeting or a conference; visiting a school or community resource center; developing a case study; peer teaching; administering a test; or attending a meeting or a conference. Clinical Experiences generally require a limited amount of time in a school or with a student (10 hours). Teacher Candidates are asked to submit a report or a reflective journal that documents the completion of the assignment.

Field Experiences always occur in a school setting and consist of 10 to 25 hours of visitation per course. The times vary based on the course requirement. Field Experiences usually require a student to keep a reflective journal which is submitted as part of the final grade. Listed below are the clinical and field experiences required for all professional courses in Biology Education.

Internships
EDCI 480 /EDCI 490  Internship -2 consecutive 7-8 week (5 days/week) placement at 2 different sites (Refer to the course description)

In EDCI 480 /EDCI 490  (Internship), the teacher candidates in Biology have a full semester of student teaching: a middle school experience and a high school experience. Candidates are under the direct supervision of a Science Cooperating Teacher in Biology and also supervised by the University Supervisor who also serves as the Teacher Educator (Instructor of Methods and Internship) of Biology Education. University supervisor is required to observe and conference with the candidate and cooperating teacher a minimum of eight times, four times per student teaching placement, with an additional introductory meeting for each placement. Candidates begin by taking one or two classes from their cooperating teacher’s schedule of teaching, and gradually picking up more until they have the experience of teaching a full load. The candidates are expected to demonstrate effective teaching skills such as facilitating collaborative group learning, motivating, and encouraging student learning activities, and assessing students’ responses. They are to design a bulletin board display, prepare appropriate instructional materials, observe teaching, interview school personnel, participate in parent meetings, evaluate student work using multiple assessments, and become involved in the life of the school and the full role of a teacher. Documentation of performance based outcomes, as well as summative evaluative reports are prepared by cooperating teachers, based on their day-to-day experiences with the candidate, and by the university supervisor based on the observational visits and discussions with the candidates and cooperating teachers.

• EDCI 200 Introduction to Contemporary Education Credit: 3 Field/10 hours
• PSYC 205 Developmental Psychology Credit: 3
• PSYC 207 Educational Psychology Credit: 3
• EDCI 311 Comprehensive Assessment in Education Credit: 3 Field/10 hours
• EDCI 406 Classroom Management Credit: 3 Field/15 hours
• EDCI 409 Teaching Reading in the Content Areas: I Credit: 3 Field/15 hours
• EDCI 410 Literacy in the Content Area: Part II Credit: 3 Field/15 hours
• EDCI 425A Curriculum and Instructional Methods in Natural Sciences: Middle and Secondary Credit: 3 Field/25 hours
• EDSP 428 Communication and Collaboration in Special Education Credit: 3 Field/10 hours