In order for future biologists to be able to solve challenges in food production, biodiversity and climate change, the Department of Biology at the University of Bergen (UiB) believes that a rethink of education practises is of the essence.

One of the main goals of the new bioCEED centre is therefore to bridge the gap between academia and society, so that all involved parties together can work towards better solutions.

“When you begin studying biology, you know very well what you are to study, but not necessarily what you will become in the future. This is why we want to bring in those who hire future biologists at an early stage. We want our students to have practical experience, starting as early as the first semester,” said Professor Vigdis Vandvik when it was announced in November 2013 that bioCEED was awarded status as a Centre of Excellence in Higher Education (SFU). Vandvik is the director of bioCEED.

Deployment in industry

At bioCEED the students will gain practical knowledge and experience through deployment in research, industry and the public sector. The students will soon learn that biologists are found everywhere in society, and sometimes on opposing sides of the table. Both as proponents and opponents of genetic engineering or working for oil companies or for environmental bodies.

The bioCEED team hope that the centre’s society-orientated approach will create a new type of biologists to meet these future challenges. And on the way towards this form the basis for academic argument, reflection and learning.

Culture change in academia

To do this the centre will experiment with new methods of teaching, where the integration of theory and practice is central.

“Being awarded SFU status is due reward for our long-term commitment to the education processes employed at the Department of Biology and our partners in Bergen and at Svalbard,” says Vandvik.

bioCEED will collaborate with partners ranging from public environmental agencies to oil companies, such as Statoil, on student placements.

According to Vandvik there will be an on-going assessment of the teaching methods at bioCEED. She hopes the centre can contribute to a change in the learning and teaching environment in academia.

Go north!

bioCEED is managed by UiB’s Department of Biology, who collaborate with the University Centre in Svalbard (UNIS), the Institute of Marine Research and UiB’s Department of Education to make this the leading biology education environment in Norway.

At UNIS they welcome students from all over the world. The location and natural conditions of Svalbard make this a unique place to conduct field studies and learn basic biology lessons.

“We are good when it comes to teaching, in particular fieldwork and linking studies directly to research,” says Associate Professor Pernille Bronken Eidesen, who teaches terrestrial biology at UNIS. “But there is scope for improvement. In particular to raise the status of teaching and better coordination of our courses. I believe bioCEED will boost our efforts in these areas.”

She sees the main changes as being a shift away from traditional lectures and towards a model where the students are encouraged to take more responsibility for their own learning.

Huge demand for biologists

Researcher Mette Mauritzen at the Institute of Marine Research (IMR) sees bioCEED as a unique opportunity to recruit new biology students in areas such as oceanography, where there is a huge demand for more qualified researchers.

“IMR can offer the biology students theoretical knowledge and practical experience, both in the lab and on field expeditions in the Arctic seas,” says Mauritzen. “We can offer a full theoretical framework, thus enabling the students to understand the greater relevance of the study and work they perform.”

(Translated from the Norwegian by Sverre Ole Drønen.)