On August 22, 2023, bioCEED, in collaboration with SLATE (UiB’s Centre for the Science of Learning & Technology), hosted a full-day workshop, bringing together 19 instructors from across all departments in the faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences. Our primary goals were to share experiences with large language models (LLMs) like chatGPT, explore the opportunities…
A new bioCEED-initiated research project, “Gjennomføring 2023” (G23), has as its main purpose to understand psycho-social (e.g., sense of belonging) and experiential (e.g., welcome week, specific courses) levers to retention in the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences (MatNat). In short, when student leave, why do they leave? When they stay, why do they…
Abstract University teachers grow professionally from conversations about learning and teaching with colleagues. Significant informal conversations can be facilitated through formal activities initiated from the institutional side. This case-study shows how a formal institutional initiative to enhance educational quality has facilitated more significant informal conversations. Such conversations power constructive feedback to the organisation, improve the…
Hi, my name is Sarah Alicia Frericks and I am currently an exchange student, taking Arctic biology courses at UNIS this summer and fall. I grew up in Berlin, Germany and decided to come to Norway in 2021 to start my biology bachelor’s degree at Nord University in Bodø. Now, I am excited to be…
MNPED660 Collegial Teaching and Learning in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) Education is an elective teaching and learning course in higher education offered by bioCEED and MN-UiB to all MN-UiB and UNIS staff. The course is given in English and requires no previous pedagogical training and welcomes both experienced and more novice teachers and…
Since 2019, I «Sine», have been a part of The University Centre in Svalbard, first as a biology student and then as support staff for the Department of Arctic Biology. I love Svalbard and biology, and I am very happy to be a part of bioCEED this semester at UNIS. I hope to complement Tina and provide a…
Marius Ole Johansen successfully defended his doctoral dissertation “Effects of autonomy and control on student motivation and functioning in higher education” at the University of Bergen on April 17th 2023. We warmly congratulate him for his achievement and new title. Marius is now the fourth bioCEED candidate to complete his degree after Anja Møgelvang, Torstein…
At the Department of biological sciences (BIO), University of Bergen, the HKDIR-funded project “Student active research and transferable skills in redesign of the biology education” has been concluded. As a collaboration between bioCEED, BIO and the UiB Learning Lab, its main purpose was to strengthen student active learning and alignment of key aspect of courses…
In 2019, Arctic Biology Department received a grant of 1,350,000 NOK from the Olav Thon Foundation to establish a high-Arctic, interdisciplinary field laboratory for research and teaching in Bjørndalen, also called BIG (Bjørndalen Integrated Gradient). Since then, the project has been developed and Bjørndalen has become an important strategic area for the department when it comes to the…
bioCEED is happy to welcome two new bioBEES in the hive: BSc student Gina Koulibaly Barry and MSc student Hanif Kawousi. bioHIVE is the learning community at bioCEED that is focused on student work in the Centre. Among the activities of bioHIVE are the student journal Bikuben, organizing and leading bioracle, etc. You can read…
ABSTRACT Higher education institutions are struggling to elevate the value and status of academic teaching. In this endeavour, rewards for excellence in teaching are becoming a common measure. This study reports on the experience of the first academic teachers who were given the status as rewarded teachers in new reward systems. We explore rewarded teachers’…
In the bioCEED teaching and learning toolkit we present short cases that describe some of our teaching innovations and activities, and share links to resources. We hope this can inspire other students, teachers, and educational developers to make their versions of theses learning experiences. We have now expanded the toolkit with 4 new cases: Cooperative…
MNPED660 Collegial Teaching and Learning in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) Education is an elective teaching and learning course in higher education offered by bioCEED and MN-UiB to all MN-UiB and UNIS staff. The course is given in English and requires no previous pedagogical training and welcomes both experienced and more novice teachers and…
On 8 June, MatNat-UiB and UNIS announced the recipients of the recent Excellent Teaching Practitioner (ETP) designation. Given that all seven of the new ETPs are affiliated closely with one of the UiB/UNIS Centres for Excellence in Education (SFUs)—four with bioCEED and three with iEarth—it is clear that these centres have had a profound impact…
In April, Ståle Ellingsen, Anne Bjune, and Sehoya Cotner (all BIO-UiB) published an essay in Science Norway on teaching with Large Language Models (LLMs) such as chatGPT. Here, we present data from a February 2023 survey indicating that students have been more likely to engage with the tool than instructors have, and that students generally…
Once again at Marineholmen, this time during Passion For Ocean festival on the 3rd of June, bioCEED showed up with 3 cardboard boxes on a table. People visiting our stand were faced with a challenge to open a series of padlocks, and the solution to open them was to be found inside these boxes, all…
Listen to Steve Coulson and Maria Jensen from UNIS talk about what the Centre for Excellence in Education scheme has meant for the academic community at UNIS. A new podcast episode from The ColdCast is now launched, with Steve Coulson from bioCEED and Maria Jensen from iEarth, bringing up the importance of the SFU work…
The ninth edition of the Student Poster Symposium at BIO ends again with a record: never before have as many as seven courses contributed to the symposium at the same time. And again we are delighted to see that the quality of the work provided by the students (both posters and flash presentations) is high.…
bioCEED – Senter for framifrå utdanning i biologi, søkjer inntil fem studentmedarbeidarar (fagkonsulentar, 20%-stillingar) som skal bidra til bioCEED sitt arbeid med å fremme studentaktiv læring, forskingspraksis og –aktivitet i undervisinga ved Institutt for biovitskap (BIO). Stillingane vil bidra i pågåande undervisningsutvikling og læringsforsking ved senteret. Ved å delta i dette arbeidet vil fagkonsulentane få direkte erfaring med utviklingsprosessar i eit inspirerande akademisk miljø. Perioden for tilsetting er 6 månadar, med moglegheit…
Abstract According to Self-Determination Theory, autonomy support is essential in fostering optimal learning, growth, and functioning in students across all levels. In contrast, autonomy thwarting is associated with student malfunctioning. The purpose of the current study was to investigate the relationship between perceptions of autonomy support and thwarting, students’ autonomous and controlled motivations, and aspects…
