Biology Instruction Brownbags (BIBs)

The Biology Instruction Brownbag (BIB) is a discussion forum for UW-Madison faculty and staff interested in sharing teaching experiences and developing more effective strategies. According to one participant, "...Every meeting is a positive experience for me ... My scientific background did not prepare me for teaching and BIB has been my sole source of information, theory, and methods for effective and creative college-level teaching..." Faculty/staff are welcome to attend any or all of the brownbags.

Lunch-time forums, organized and facilitated by Center staff, are held when a topic is suggested by faculty/staff, who then work with CBE to plan the brownbag. Meeting format varies from workshop to lecture to informal brainstorming and includes ample opportunity for open discussion. Topics identified during interchanges among group members serve as important indicators of the needs and interests of the UW teaching community and are often used as the basis for future BIB sessions and other CBE programs. CBE welcomes topic ideas at any time. If you wish to receive meeting notices and summaries by email, or join the email discussion group, contact Lillian Tong at tong@wisc.edu or (608) 265-3003.

Meeting announcements/summaries are prepared by CBE staff and distributed to the BIB mailing list by e-mail. Educational materials and information from past programs are maintained as part of the CBE resource center. The BIB email list is used to inform the community about education-related opportunities and resources as well as to announce upcoming brownbags.

Representative BIB topics:

  • Lecture Breakthrough: before and After: Using Powerpoint to tell a story
  • The Act of Lecture: Recap: Those who attended a workshop by Nancy Houfek gave an interactive summary
  • Creating Challenging Multiple-choice Questions (that aren't ambiguous, picky, or otherwise unfair?)
  • Orientation to Lesson Study: Improving Teaching & Learning One Lesson at a Time

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