21 November 2013 Lincoln University hosting First Year Biology Educators Colloquium

Lincoln University is hosting this year’s First Year Biology Educators Colloquium, an annual conference for first year undergraduate biology lecturers and tutors, on 25 and 26 November 2013.

Now into its fourth year, the First Year Biology Educators Colloquium (FYBEC) provides an opportunity for educators from universities in New Zealand and Australia to come together to discuss the theory and practice of teaching approaches that aim to increase student engagement and learning outcomes.

“The two day interactive and proactive conference is to share ideas, information and experiences, and to showcase successful approaches to first year biology teaching” says Conference convener and Senior Lecturer in Plant Biology at Lincoln University, Dr Rainer Hofmann .

“We are opening the conference with clinical psychologist and University of Otago senior lecturer Dr Kumari Valentine on the attachment relationship between teachers and tertiary students. Based on the literature and her experience, Dr Valentine suggests that educators can benefit from understanding an attachment framework, and that enhancing attachment relationships can improve learning outcomes for tertiary students.

“We have 60 registered participants from around New Zealand and Australia, and for the first time we have several biology high school teachers presenting at FYBEC,” says Dr Hofmann. “This is to provide an opportunity to improve the integration of secondary and tertiary teaching approaches.”

Over the two days there will be 26 presenters and some of the other keynote and plenary speakers include:

• Dr Peter Coolbear, Ako Aotearoa – supporting the success of priority learners
• Dr Anne Galea, University of New South Wales – peer assessment
• Sharyn Varcoe, Riccarton High School – a tour of NCEA biology for tertiary educators
• Carmen Kenton, Hagley Community College – using blended learning to improve student engagement
• Professor Kevin Gould, Victoria University of Wellington – contemporary spaces for contemporary teaching
• Dr Tony Barrett and Mary Funari, University of Otago – learning to learn

There will also be a number of interactive sessions, including a culinary workshop on ‘biology for all tastes’, as well as a comprehensive group discussion led by a panel of teaching and learning experts.

“We all face challenges when teaching, but we also have successes, so it is essential that we share these experiences to better engage with our students, and to increase positive learning outcomes”, says Dr Hofmann.