The National Science Foundation publication of Vision and Change and studies promoting increased learning for STEM students have led to changes and innovations in curricula across STEM disciplines (1, 2). One example of that innovation includes the introductory biology textbook, Integrating Concepts in Biology by Campbell, Heyer, and Paradise, which uses the novel approach of presenting original research through figures and data to teach biological concepts rather than through memorizing facts (3). This textbook has already been shown to increase students’ understanding of biological concepts and ability to organize biological ideas at a deeper level compared with a traditional textbook (4). It also lends itself well to a flipped classroom model to help improve learning and remove barriers among students (5). However, for many students, critically analyzing figures and data is a drastic change from anything they have done before, and the process can lead to frustration if they are not guided through the material. This frustration can be amplified by the expectation that students make the first attempt at understanding the material independently before coming to class, which is imperative for a flipped classroom to succeed. To alleviate those issues and allow students to engage in critical discussions of ground-breaking experiments and scientific data in class, we developed a novel homework assignment. This assignment guides students to a better understanding of the figures and data prior to class and can be utilized across STEM disciplines.
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