When curiosity is sparked...

This year, I’ve been experimenting with a different approach to homework in my classes. I’m currently teaching both a biochemistry class and a neuroscience class, and homework has always been a tricky subject. From my experience, if students don’t have any homework, they can become naturally demotivated. On the other hand, if there’s too much homework, the workload can also lead to a lack of motivation. In the past, I’ve struggled to make homework meaningful and engaging.

I even tried the flipped classroom model, but that turned my classes into direct instruction machines, just delivered online. It felt like we were just doing something boring in a slightly more engaging way. This year, I’ve decided to treat homework as a completely separate “strand” in the class. This means it’s not directly tied to our in-class content but still related enough to supplement what we’re learning. The goal is to introduce more information and enrich the class without creating the expectation that we need to spend a lot of time reviewing it in class.

Here’s how I’ve implemented this in my classes:

In my biochemistry class, students are reading from “The Song of the Cell” by Siddhartha Mukherjee. Each week, they have a set number of pages to read, along with a summary and a favorite quote analysis. This is due on Friday, and I collect their quotes to use as prompts in class occasionally. The book is fantastic and covers recent advancements in medical biology and clinical work regarding the cell. It’s also an easy read. Even though it’s not fully aligned with our class content, it adds valuable context and enriches the learning experience. If students don’t engage fully with the reading, they’re not at a disadvantage in class. I grade these reflections once a week and sometimes use them as substitute assignments.

In my neuroscience class, students follow the same process with “The Brain” by David Eagleman. Again, the book is related to but not directly tied to the course content. It provides additional color and a different strand of learning that doesn’t detract from the in-class pedagogy that I believe is so important.
By making homework a separate, enriching strand, I’m finding that students are more engaged without the added pressure of traditional homework. This approach keeps the content fresh and allows for deeper exploration without sacrificing our core classroom activities. So far, this experiment has been a great way to balance workload and maintain motivation!
Feel free to reach out if you’re interested in discussing this approach or trying something similar in your own classes.

As I dive into teaching a new Neuroscience elective (my first new course in 23 years). I’m filled with a mix of excitement and a touch of imposter syndrome. While I’ve always been fascinated by the brain, I’m learning much of this content alongside my students. It’s a journey we’re on together, and I’ve found that being upfront about my own learning process has only strengthened the connection with my students. If you’re curious about our evolving curriculum, feel free to take a peek at what we’re working on here.
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The first week of our course is all about getting hands-on with the brain—literally. We’re dissecting sheep brains to compare them to human anatomy, using Backyard Brains to explore EEGs, and experimenting with distortion goggles to understand how different brain regions interact. It’s been incredible to see students’ curiosity ignite as they analyze optical illusions and begin to grasp how this complex organ operates.

​Moving into the second week, we’re shifting our focus to nerve impulses and conditions like MS, using case studies to delve into the differences between white and grey matter. Again, Backyard Brains comes into play as we simulate action potentials and EKGs, examining the autonomic nervous system and the fight-or-flight response. It’s all about connecting back to the brainstem and hypothalamus, giving students a deeper understanding of how these systems interact.

As we progress, we’ll explore neurotransmission and the biochemistry of addiction in the third week, dive into brain-computer interfaces and prosthetics in the fourth, and wrap up with AI and neural networks in the final week. I’m especially excited to integrate Teachable Machine and ChatGPT into our discussions, helping students draw parallels between the brain and AI.

​It’s an ambitious plan, but one that’s designed to spark curiosity and foster a deep understanding of neuroscience in a way that’s both engaging and accessible.