bioCEED at ten years: the end of an era

It is with mixed feelings that we reflect on the end of an era, as bioCEED will no longer be officially an SFU effective 31 December. While we are sad about the end and still not completely clear about the future, we can be positive and proud of what we have accomplished. At UiB and UNIS, there have been clear cultural shifts in how instructors approach their teaching. We have observed the formation of a significant collegial teaching culture in which instructors use a shared language to talk about a scholarly approach to teaching. Many of our colleagues have leveraged bioCEED mini grants to support innovative teaching, and they have shared their experiences locally, nationally, and internationally.

Our cross-institution collaboration has worked out better than we could have imagined. There have been successful crossover activities, from UNIS to UiB (e.g., lab and field certification, 360-degree video production) and from UiB to UNIS (bioOrakel to UNISoracle, courses, workshops, and engagement in the Learning Forum). Also, a fruitful collaboration with IMR (work relevance, work practice).  And we’ve been inspired by each other, always looking to our colleagues for motivation, new perspectives, and support.

But, most important, bioCEED has positively impacted countless students, and will continue to do so for years to come. By transforming our teaching, we have improved the learning experience—through team-based learning, cooperative learning, student-active research, work practice, etc. Students have driven these efforts as partners, representatives, research technicians, Orakels, journal editors, and through many other forms of student leadership. bioCEED began with a motivation to serve students better, and the official SFU era ends with a desire to keep these efforts going, despite the obvious need for creative solutions.

We cannot begin to identify all the individuals that have contributed meaningfully to the success of bioCEED. If you are reading this, please accept our gratitude for being part of the bioCEED adventure. Have a safe, healthy, and happy conclusion to 2023, and stay tuned!