AP Biology is a survey course of biological science equivalent to the introductory biology course for science majors taught at the university level.    AP Biology covers topics in greater depth and at a much faster pace than the Biology I course.  It is extremely fast-paced and requires a great deal of self-discipline to be successful.  There is a heavy emphasis on science as inquiry and discovery; thus, a great deal of time is spent performing laboratory investigations. 

Our course will also incorporate "flipped" teaching from time to time.  The flipped classroom is one in which the homework students complete is flipped with the traditional lecture so that there is in-class time for students to ask clarifying questions regarding difficult concepts and practice problems associated with concepts being learned while under the guidance of the teacher.  Traditionally, students sit in class to listen to lecture without being engaged and are then sent home to complete homework assignments with no guidance from their teacher. 

The flipped classroom model allows the traditional lecture to take place on the student's time, at the student's pace.  This model also allows students to engage with the curriculum in class, with plenty of peer-peer interaction and of course, plenty of mentoring and guidance from the teacher.  The flipped classroom does not mean that the teacher is not teaching; it means quite the contrary.  Flipping the structure of the class allows the teacher to answer student questions about course material that may have previously gone unanswered, and allows students to gain deeper understanding of course concepts since they have more opportunities to interact with the content. 

LEARNING OUTCOMES

Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:

• Develop a conceptual framework of modern biology with an understanding of the overarching principle of evolution as the foundation for modern biological principles/models
• Connect and relate biological knowledge across various scales, concepts, and representations in and across domains*
• Recognize and analyze patterns in natural events and phenomena and determine how these patterns can be studied to solve problems*
• Engage in scientific questioning to extend thinking and guide investigations*
• Use representations and models to communicate scientific phenomena and solve scientific problems*
• Plan and implement data collection strategies appropriate to particular scientific questions*
• Perform data analysis and evaluation of evidence*

*From (2010).  AP Biology Curriculum Framework 2012-2013.  New York, NY:  College Board.

My former students have gone on to achieve great success in their university level biology courses because of the foundation they received in my class. A large number of my former students go on to study biology or some biology-related field, and they have said that AP Biology was one of the classes that helped them decide what they wanted to major in when they went to college. Many of my former students are biology degree holders now, and a large percentage of them have pursued advanced degrees in biology either in graduate, medical, dental or veterinary school.

Former students who have not pursued a biology degree have also benefited from taking AP Biology. Whether you want to or not, universities require at least one year of science courses, regardless of your degree path. If you choose not to major in a science, taking AP Biology and then taking the AP Exam is one of the best things you can do, as you can earn college credit for those science classes you will eventually have to take anyway. Why not get it done in high school?