Education research and evaluation
BioF:GREAT treats its educational material as something to be tested, not assumed. The education team runs discipline-based education research alongside the instructional development, evaluating whether the material improves learning and characterising how glycoscience is currently represented in biology teaching.
Current studies
Evaluation of BioF:GREAT educational material
Systematic evaluation of the instructional modules, videos and case studies developed by the initiative, measuring effectiveness and impact on student learning.
In progress
Representation of glycoscience in biology textbooks
A research study characterising how — and how much — glycoscience appears in the biology textbooks currently in classroom use.
In progress
Approach
The education programme is led from the Dolan laboratory, whose research examines how research experiences and instructional design shape student outcomes. Findings feed directly back into the material: modules are revised on the basis of evaluation data rather than impression, and results are published so that other institutions can build on them — see publications.