Traditionally, exploration of ecosystems in the context of undergraduate education has been restricted to connections within conventionally defined habitats (i.e., within a stream, within a forest). Further, instruction regarding the aquatic-terrestrial interface has emphasized directional inputs from land to water. However, a relatively new body of research has characterized reciprocal interactions and draws attention to fluxes from water to land, including the emergence of aquatic insects that serve as prey for terrestrial predators. We present a guide to an inquiry-based lesson for undergraduate biology that explores interactions and connections across aquatic and terrestrial habitat boundaries. The focus is on cross-habitat linkages within ecosystems, specifically addressing the question, What is the role of insect emergence in connecting the web of life linking aquatic and terrestrial habitats and organisms? Students (1) engage with a documentary film, (2) explore insect emergence and make observations of riparian insectivores, (3) explain the collected data, (4) elaborate on alternative study designs and a measure of ecosystem health, and (5) evaluate their new understanding. This lesson addresses core concepts and competencies for undergraduate biology education, as identified in the Vision and Change report.

The AAAS “Vision and Change” report ( 2011 ) has been inspiring undergraduate biology educators nationwide to rethink their educational approach, favoring active-learning strategies to better prepare today's students for a complex, data-rich future. Here, we consider the history of the movement, its place in the greater arena of STEM education, and the reasons why this new approach has never been more critical. We encourage all biology educators to consider becoming agents of change, and we focus on helpful resources and practical suggestions to help ABT readers take the plunge into (or at least get their feet wet in) the welcoming waters of Vision and Change.

Instructors in two- and four-year undergraduate institutions face a variety of challenges in designing and delivering high-quality courses for their students and in creating accurate assessments of student learning. Traditional course planning (a linear, start-to-finish process based on the knowledge and perspective of the instructor) can lead to lack of clarity of learning objectives for students, uncertainty about course priorities for both instructor and students, and poor alignment between course material and assessments. To address these issues, Understanding by Design (UbD), a course-planning protocol widely used in K–12 education, was implemented to redesign a one-semester, nonmajors “Sensation & Perception” course at a four-year liberal arts college. This implementation improved the instructor's understanding of desired student learning outcomes, allowed core concepts and science competencies to be prioritized as recommended by the “Vision and Change” reform initiative, and led to decreased lecture time in favor of greater lab and student-driven discussion time. In addition, this process allowed components of evidence-based reasoning and scientific process to be incorporated authentically into assessments. Despite the increasing rigor of assessments, there was a statistically significant increase in students earning an A or B on the final exam after UbD implementation.

Quantitative literacy is essential to biological literacy (and is one of the core concepts in Vision and Change in Undergraduate Biology Education: A Call to Action; AAAS 2009 ). Building quantitative literacy is a challenging endeavor for biology instructors. Integrating mathematical skills into biological investigations can help build quantitative literacy. In our plankton population laboratory sequence, students test hypotheses about the influence of abiotic factors on phytoplankton populations by sampling experimental and control flasks over multiple weeks. Students track and predict changes in planktonic populations by incorporating weekly sample estimates into population growth equations. We have refined the laboratory protocols on the basis of student commentary and instructor observations. Students have reviewed the lab positively, and approximately one-quarter of them reported building their math skills by participating in the lab.