Beyond books : interactive lessons for the college biology classroom

College level science is frequently taught as a recitation of facts in a lecture hall, and the students are expected to gain understanding and insight with their own study. Interactive learning is more effective than lecture based learning and more memorable for the students. Teaching with hands on models has been shown to specifically be beneficial in a college level molecular biology context. Included here is a guide for the instructor leading her through topic selection, activity development, and presentation to the class, as well as five complete and tested lesson plans with notes on alteration made and the reasons for them.