Authors

Scott Freeman
Scott Freeman received his Ph.D. in Zoology from the University of Washington and was subsequently awarded an Albert Sloan Postdoctoral Fellowship in Molecular Evolution at Princeton University. His research publications explore a range of topics, including the behavioural ecology of nest parasitism and the molecular systematics of the blackbird family. Scott teaches the majors' general biology course as a Lecturer at the University of Washington. He assisted in the groundbreaking and influential redesign of the course, which emphasizes an inquiry-based approach and the logic of experimental design. With Jon Herron, Scott is co-author of the standard-setting Evolutionary Analysis, which over 50 000 students have used to explore evolution with the same spirit of inquiry. He is currently conducting research on how active learning and peer teaching techniques affect student learning.

Mike Harrington
Mike Harrington completed his B.Sc. and Ph.D. in the Zoology department of the University of British Columbia. His graduate work on Drosophila chromatin structure combined classical and molecular genetics. He is presently a Faculty Lecturer in the Biological Sciences department at the University of Alberta. He teaches cell biology at the first- and second-year levels and genetics at the second-, third-, and fourth-year levels. His teaching goals are (1) to find ways to incorporate current scientific research into introductory courses, (2) to develop new ways to expand a course's boundaries with online material, and (3) to use clicker classroom response systems to teach content with questions.

Joan Sharp
Joan Sharp received her B.A. and B.Sc. from McGill University and her M.Sc. from the University of British Columbia. She is a Senior Lecturer at Simon Fraser University, British Columbia, where she teaches Introduction to Biology, General Biology, Ecology, and Vertebrate Zoology. Her teaching and research interests include a number of areas: (1) Clicker case studies are developed and implemented in large lecture cases, where they facilitate small group discussion and increase student engagement and learning. (2) Prior or newly acquired misconceptions interfere with student success in building meaningful biological understanding in first year courses. It is important to understanding common misconceptions and to develop questions and exercises that allow students to address and correct them. (3) Students’ written work can serve as a starting point to address areas of misunderstanding and to help students refine and express biological ideas. "Writing to learn" is a powerful tool to engage students and to help them master course content.  

Click here to witness Joan Sharp's passion for biology and teaching, and to learn why her work on Biological Science is so important to her.