An Inside Look At:
3
Encourage critical thinking and deeper engagement.
2
Allow students to assess their understanding of the material as they progress.
Pedagogical Priorities of the authors:
1
Make complex topics engaging and relevant for non-majors
How we brought it to life
Interactive Components
Dr. Ruiz incorporated knowledge checkpoints
throughout each chapter to offer students the
chance to test their newfound knowledge.
These checkpoints also give him the opportunity
to review particularly difficult concepts that
commonly trip students up.
Great River Learning's instructional design team
suggested adding flashcards to give students
a quick and easy method of reviewing and
memorizing key vocabulary prior to quizzes and tests.
Dr. Ruiz uses quizzes as formal assessments
that contribute to his students' grades.
Their score automatically syncs with the book
gradebook and Dr. Ruiz's LMS (Learning
Management System) for Miami Dade College.
Dr. Ruiz wrote and structured his chapters in a format
that is easy to understand for students. Based on a
structured learning approach, each chapter is divided
into lessons, which are further segmented into sections.
This structured approach ensures clear and logical
presentation throughout the material, making it easier
for students to follow and understand complex topics.
Relevancy & Accessibility
The use of case scenarios and discussion topics
help illustrate the relevancy of biological concepts
to everyday life and societal issues. Making biology
more accessible and interesting is especially
important to the author, since he teaches
non-science majors using this publication.
Dr. Ruiz provides detailed examples and
caters to different learning styles by
incorporating selected images, videos,
and other multimedia resources that
students can explore. Great River Learning's
Design team assisted in selecting images,
graphics, charts, and videos that aligned with
course content provided by the author.
