The TOSLS development process included articulating the skills critical for scientific literacy, examining the validity of the instrument through student interviews and biology educator expert reviews, pilot testing, subsequent examination of psychometric properties, and finally, classroom testing of the finalized instrument in multiple, different biology courses (Table 1).
Students in both groups were from two molecular biology courses taught multiple years by the same instructor in the Keck Science Department of the Claremont Colleges (Table 1).
Adjusting for differences in students' high school grade point average and Scholastic Aptitude Test scores, we found that participation in the BFP was associated with higher grades in two subsequent gateway biology courses, across multiple quarters and instructors.
Several recent studies of students' science literacy skill development in reformed biology courses have relied on multiple-choice exam questions (Fencl, 2010) or a pre- and postintervention test (Chevalier et al., 2010) as a means of assessment.
Multiple approaches to integrate quantitative skills into introductory biology courses give educators options to adopt and adapt materials to their own institutions.
As one of the BFP's aims is to improve student performance in these critical courses, we performed a linear regression analysis to examine the relationship between multiple potentially explanatory variables and performance in the introductory biology courses.
During Fall 2010 and Spring 2011, we piloted the further revised multiple-choice assessments in two large-enrollment Gen Ed biology courses (Fall: Organismal Biology, n = 340; Spring: Concepts in Biology and Organismal Biology, n = 498 pre, n = 378 post), administering each form pre- and postcourse.
The resulting modified Osmosis and Diffusion Conceptual Assessment (ODCA) was developed, evaluated, refined, and validated through successive administrations to students enrolled in several lower- and upper-division biology courses at a large public university across multiple semesters.
Although we administered the TOSLS to a variety of students across multiple institutions, the test was developed using analysis of items administered to Gen Ed students attending a large research university in biology courses.
Most introductory biology courses are insufficient to establish competency in evolutionary biology.
