SENCERizing a Biology General Education (Gen-Ed) Course

Abstract

"It is about the real value of a real education, which has almost nothing to do with knowledge, and everything to do with simple awareness; awareness of what is so real and essential, so hidden in plain sight all around us, all the time, that we have to keep reminding ourselves over and over: "This is water."" (Wallace 2005) http://web.ics.purdue.edu/~drkelly/DFWKenyonAddress2005.pdf, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CrOL-ydFMI This paper is wholeheartedly dedicated to the thirteen undergraduates who enriched our lives during the summer and fall of 2014 by demonstrating how far education can go when, in spite of limitations, there are motivation and inspiration! Abstract: We describe an effort to teach non-science majors' general education courses using the SENCER paradigm, namely, to "strengthen student learning and interest in the sciences, technology, engineering, and mathematics by connecting course topics to issues of critical local, national, and global importance."