Over the course of this workshop, new and experienced teachers alike will become familiar with the Course and Exam description (CED) in AP Biology (2019). The CED organizes the course into eight commonly taught units:
The major focus of this online APSI will be on the CED and resources available to teachers. The course framework clearly connects each learning objective to specific essential knowledge and includes biology-specific science practices that build skills to help students learn to think and act like biologists. Particularly important will be the time and skillset necessary to support teachers in implementing more inquiry-based investigations. Participants will be given tools and strategies for modifying traditional experiments into inquiry-based models. Participants will become familiar with both hands-on and virtual investigations in the lab manual: AP® Biology Lab Investigations: An Inquiry-Based Approach (2019). They will also explore creative alternatives to these investigations. We will examine the new AP® Biology Exam design, essay writing, and essay grading. There will be time for teachers to begin working on their AP® Biology syllabus specific to their school’s daily schedule and calendar and the AP® Course Audit process. To learn more about AP® Biology, refer to the College Board's website.
Participants must have a laptop/computer, WiFi/internet, LMS for access to Google Drive and Zoom, and a Google email account as well as a willingness to exchange effective teaching practices with peers in an online platform.
The APSI will run for 6 hours daily (both synchronously and asynchronously) for 5 days. This time frame will meet the College Board’s 30-hour requirement to become a Certified AP® Biology teacher.
The synchronous and asynchronous times are as follows: